A Short History of the Tokyo War Crimes Trials, with Special Reference to Some Aspects of Procedure

The war crimes trials which were held in Nurnberg and Tokyo at the end of the second world war, have roots which go deep into the historical and juridical traditions of western civilization. While it is recognized that the questions raised by a discussion of these historic beginnings cannot be dealt with fully in a paper of this scope, a brief discussion of the historical highlights is essential to a fuller treatment of the trials themselves.