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Primary sourcePhotograph

Tojo Takes the Stand

United States Department of Defense

A US Army photograph of Hideki Tojo testifying at the Tokyo war crimes tribunal in his own defense.

The photograph shows Tojo himself testifying as a defendant at the Tokyo war crimes tribunal.

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Black-and-white photo of the Tokyo war crimes tribunal courtroom. In the foreground, a man in a dark suit sits at a desk. Behind him, seated rows of uniformed officers and suited men occupy a raised gallery, with a row of spectators visible at the top.
Tojo takes the stand, International Military Tribunal for the Far East, Tokyo.

About this source

What it is

This photograph, taken by the United States Department of Defense, shows Hideki Tojo, former Japanese Prime Minister and War Minister, taking the witness stand at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo. He is testifying on his own behalf during the defense phase of the trial.

Why it matters

The Tokyo Trial judged Japanese wartime leaders for their roles in the war. This image captures the moment Tojo, once one of the most powerful men in Japan, faced Allied justice as a defendant. It shows how the war's outcome placed its leaders under formal legal accountability.

Look closer

  • What does Tojo's posture and position in the courtroom suggest about his situation?
  • Who else appears in the photograph, and what might their presence tell us about the trial's importance?
  • Why might the US military have taken and kept this photograph?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Hideki Tojo on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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