Abstract
Within Japan, it is generally believed that British and other Allied war courts were conceived in anger and bitterness, that the Allies were reckless in identifying and punishing war criminals, and that their courts (and sentences) were harsh and unfair. This essay reveals British official thinking about the B/C class trials from conception until the release of the last convicted Japanese war criminal for whom Britain had responsibility.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Notes
Sentences imposed by British war crimes courts were not legally valid until confirmed by the commanding general on whose convening order the trial was authorized. The effect of non-confirmation was substantially a verdict of Not Guilty. Pritchard, ‘The Quality of Mercy’, in Peter Dennis (ed.), 2nd Criminal Law Forum: War and Peace in the Pacific (Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1999), pp. 147–98.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2003 Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Pritchard, R.J. (2003). Changes in Perception: British Civil and Military Perspectives on War Crimes Trials and Their Legal Context, 1942–1956. In: Gow, I., Hirama, Y., Chapman, J. (eds) The Military Dimension. The History of Anglo-Japanese Relations, 1600–2000. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230378872_16
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230378872_16
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-41915-9
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-37887-2
eBook Packages: Palgrave History CollectionHistory (R0)