Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1945-10-11

The suggestion here was that
while in Europe the war criml-
nails are being brought to JUS
tice, in Japan nothing is being
done.
The facts are very much 10
the contrary
On September Is I had my
" last talk with General Mac
Arthur in Yokohama. He dis
cussed this problem with his
usual candor.
Following thorough investiga-
ton of their war guilt, he had
placed formal charges against
40 japanese offenders.
These men were daily being
arrested and confined in the
Yokohama city Jail.
He had about a hundred more
individuals under examination,
whom he expected 10 have in
confinement very shortly.
He further stated that he
purposed to try these men, not
by civil courts or by civil pro-
cedure. which would result in
long delay, but by military COM
missions.
think this intention can he
mentioned, because the news
has been officially released that
military commission has bern
set up in Manila to try Gen.
YamaShita.
4 COMPARISON OF IN s Q
~ measures shows that Gen.
Macarthur is well ahead of the
European effort TO bring war
criminals TO justice.
There has been a long and
laborious investigation in Lon
don by an Allied judicial COM
mission, which has resulted,
according TO the latest inforns-
ton in the formal charging of
"a presumably guilty persons.
But the machinery by which
they are to be tried has not yet
been constituted.
The fact is that the arrest OF
Japanese war criminals began
Immediately upon Gen. Mac
Arthur's arrival in Japan with
the advance element of our
army of occupation.
1t has gone forward steadily
ever since.
1t has led 10 some suicides,
but most of the presumed Of
tenders on Gen. Macarthur s
published list have either been
arrested by the Japanese pro-
visional government and turned
over to us. or have voluntarily
surrendered themselves.
The most desired Of these
offenders was Cen Homma,
japanese commander in the
Philippines and on Bataan.
Divested of uni form and
dressed in quite poor civilian
garments, Homma voluntarily
came up TO Yokohama from
some point near Kyoto, and sur
rendered himself 10 the Ameri-
can army.
THE procedure Of trial by
Il military commission will re-
qulre a longer explanation than
| can make in this article, but
/ the pattern of what we may call
( the indictment" recognizes
three claSsifications OF the ac-
cuSed.
First. Japanese of whatever
rank who are charged with the
death or physical abuse of
American and Filipino soldiers
who were prisoners of war.
This is the class of offenders
which can most easily and
regularly be charged. tried and
punished.
The second class are officers
of high rank. who either ordered
the perpetration of atrocities OF
who did not fulfill their reSpon'
sibility by preventing them.
The third class consists ol
those high officials, both mill
tary and civilian, who are re-
sponSible for the war and for
the treacherous attack on Pear
/ Harbor.
This is the class which. tech
nically. may be difficult 10 con.
denim under the concepts ol
international law
For international law is based
upon the doctrine of the sovcr'
eighty of independent states
and one of the longest recog-
nlzed and most iealouSly guarded
rights of sovereignty is the right
TO make war.
TIIE most important person
Il IN this category, now lr
American custody, is Gen. Hidek
Toto. who was prime minister
Of Japan when the japanese
attack was made upon US.
As is well understood. Toto
when arrested in his home IN
Tokyo by a detachment Of Amer
lean military police, attempted
suicide.
This attempt on his own life
failed. and he was taken 10 ar
A-.z--aa ,x,tIttaru haen,fal