On September 11, 1945, MacArthur issued an order ordering the arrest of Japanese Class A war criminals, with Hideki Tojo ranking first.
At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, Major Callas came with a group of American gendarmes to arrest Hideki Tojo, and Hideki Tojo said to Karas, "Wait a minute, let me prepare." After saying that, I went into the study, closed the door, took out the pistol, pushed the bullet into the chamber, sighed, closed my eyes, gritted my teeth, and snapped the bolt -- it was 4:17.
When the gunshots rang out, Major Callas led the people to break through the door, only to see Hideki Tojo slumped in his chair, his eyes, nose and mouth crowded together, moaning and convulsing in pain; Blood flowed from his left chest, but he still had a gun in his hand. Watching Karas and the others enter, he let go of his hand and let the gun fall to the ground, and motioned for water.
Karas commanded the gendarmes to carry Hideki Tojo onto a military vehicle and rushed him to the U.S. Army's Ninety-Eighth Hospital in Yokohama for rescue. Blood transfusions were required during rescue, and an American officer volunteered to donate blood. When asked by a reporter why he was so generous, the officer replied, "I'm going to keep this war maniac alive and get the punishment he deserves through trial." If he were allowed to die in such peace and security, it would be too cheap for him. ”
Newspapers and radio stations in allied countries have reported and commented on Hideki Tojo's suicide attempt, and the American "Christian Science Monitor" has commented: This is the first incident in which Hideki Tojo left the image of a war criminal, and it is a natural punishment for war criminals. It's the last shame of the guy who has lost his credibility, who has been abandoned.
In early October 1945, Hideki Tojo was largely healed from his gunshot wounds. Late that night on the 7th of that month, he was secretly escorted from the hospital to the Omori Prisoner of War Shelter, where he was held with other Class A war criminals.
On April 16, 1948, the marathon trial ended, and the court announced that the defendants were awaiting verdict. The court adjourned until the date of the pronouncement of the judgement.
The 11 judges entered the secret work phase, drafting judgements against the accused and determining the sentencing of the accused.
On November 2, the court announced: The hearing will be held on the morning of the 4th and the judgment will be issued.
On November 4, the court held its session, and the verdict was 1200 pages long, read until November 12.
At 1 p.m. on the 12th, all the defendants came to court to hear the verdict of guilt and innocence.
In the defendant's seat, Hideki Tojo's lips were tightly closed, and his expression was tense and stiff. The Tribunal removed some of the causes of action and classified the crimes of war criminals into ten major categories. President Webb declared Hideki Tojo guilty. He has committed six counts of crimes against peace, one crime of violating the laws of war and one crime of humanity. Specifically: a conspiracy to control East Asia and the Pacific; Wage a war of aggression against China; Wage a war of aggression against the United States; Waged a war of aggression against the Netherlands; Waged a war of aggression against France; Waged a war of aggression against Britain; Orders authorizing violations of public international law.
After a quarter of an hour of rest, the court continued. After Weber signaled for the audience to settle down, he raised his voice and said, "The sentencing of the defendants is announced below."
3:52 p.m. At the beginning of the verdict, the defendants were summoned one by one to appear in court to listen to the verdict, and Hideki Tojo, who was the number one war criminal, was placed at the end. On this day, he was wearing a military uniform, and when he heard the summons, he walked into the courtroom with his hands behind his back and stood still in front of the president. When more than 30 photographers stood up in unison and pointed the camera at him, he unnaturally tilted his neck slightly to the left and looked at the ceiling with both eyes to hide his inner tension.
In the place where the number one war criminal was on his toes and gave orders, President Weber made a historic solemn verdict: "Hideki Tojo, 65 years old, a native of Tokyo, has served successively as a major general of the army, a minister of land, a minister of the interior, a prime minister, and a chief of staff, and is sentenced to death by hanging."
When Hideki Tojo heard the "hanging sentence" from the simultaneous interpretation headset, he grinned bitterly, then removed the headset and glanced at the audience with a miserable look, as if looking for a family member.
In addition to Hideki Tojo, six war criminals were sentenced to hanging: Seishiro Itagaki, Kenji Doihara, Hiroshi Hirota, Shotaro Kimura, Akira Muto, and Matsui Ishigen, the leader of the Nanjing Massacre.
Hideki Tojo and seven other death row inmates are held in the same cell of Sugamo Prison, each with a separate room, and 7 single rooms connected. The cell has double windows, thick wooden doors, a rectangular hole in the door, the outside can clearly observe the interior, no matter day or night, the strong electric light in the cell is always bright; The outdoors were guarded by an officer led by 8 U.S. gendarmes, who personally inspected all the prisoners every quarter of an hour. In addition, health officials regularly measure breathing, pulse, and blood pressure for prisoners to prevent them from falling ill or committing suicide. As soon as they are found to be ill, they are treated immediately to ensure they are executed.
Hideki Tojo lived in terror for years, and he was most afraid of being dragged out and executed without notice. The So-called "Razor General" Bushido soldier had a sudden decrease in food, often tossing and turning at night, having nightmares as soon as his eyes were closed, and waking up in a frenzied scream. According to newspaper reports at the time, in just over ten days, he lost 2 pounds.
It was december 21. At 9 o'clock in the evening, when Hideki Tojo was preparing to go to bed, he received a notice: execution on the 23rd.
After a few moments, he made two requests, one was to enter Japanese cuisine on the last day; The second is to meet with the prison's teacher. The Allied high command agreed out of humanity.
On the 22nd, the prison brought Hideki Tojo a Japanese meal, but he barely ate two bites and could no longer swallow. On this day, he wrote two suicide notes, one for his family and one for the world. The one that gives the world is still the same old tune, saying that war is being waged in self-defense.
During a meeting with the prison instructor Hanayama, Hideki Tojo handed over a pre-written desperate poem:
When this goes, the earthly mountains cross from the beginning, and Maitreya Buddha's side is only where to go, how happy. At the beginning of tomorrow, no one is afraid of anything, and Maitreya Buddha is sleeping, how leisurely.
20 minutes before the scheduled execution, Hideki Tojo and three other war criminals who were executed in the first batch——— Akira Muto, Kenji Doihara, and Ishigen Matsui, were taken to a special small Buddhist hall in the prison to listen to the final scriptures. Then led by American officers, the gendarmes escorted him to the execution chamber, with the instructor accompanying him. The warden, the forensic doctor, and the prison officers of the United States, China, Britain, and the Soviet Union arrived first, and they examined the bodies of four war criminals, including Hideki Tojo, one by one. China's prison officer is Army General Shang Zhen.
Five minutes before execution, Hideki Tojo handed over a string of rosaries and tortoiseshell-rimmed glasses to the instructor Hanayama and entrusted him to hand it over to his family.
Under the orders of the American gendarmerie officers, Hideki Tojo dragged his heavy steps and stepped up the thirteen steps of the "Death Steps" step by step. When he ascended the steps, he was ordered to stand before the inmate, and his head was immediately covered with a black cloth cover, and then the noose was put around his neck.
Hideki Tojo had long made up his mind that when he went to the gallows to be tortured, he must embody the spirit of Bushido who died generously, but it was difficult to cheer up when he was dying. Thinking of the horror and pain of death, his legs couldn't help but tremble and the spirit of Bushido was gone.
The officer in charge reports to the commander that the execution is ready. The execution commander ordered the execution, signaling the removal of the death row prisoner's footboard. Suddenly, Hideki Tojo's feet fell short, and his neck was tightened by a noose. After struggling with his hands and feet for a while, the war demon didn't move anymore.
Forensic tests determine: Death. The report was then made to the inmate on December 23, 1948 at 00:10:30.
After the execution, Hideki Tojo's body was carried onto a U.S.-made military truck and transported to the Kubozan crematoria in Yokohama.
At 8:30, Hideki Tojo's body was thrown into a raging fire, and in an instant, with a putrid odor, it turned into a wisp of black smoke.