War Crimes

New Zealand Listener, Volume 20, Issue 498, 7 January 1949, Page 5

War Crimes

HE first reaction of most to the Tokio war crimes verdict must have been relief that the long-drawn-out business was at last ended. It is more than three years. since Japan surrendered, and not far short of three years since these wretched men went on trial. But. although their crimes were clearly enough established, and were abominable crimes, it is not pleasant to think that they were kept so long in suspense that they had to be executed in very cold blood. They deserved execution, and if a man has earned a penalty he should not escape it merely because it is long in coming. But that does not make it easy to inflict. The least sensitive of us remain tender in patches, and it is impossible to associate with even our enemies for a long periodfeeding them, talking to them, arguing with them, sheltering them -without developing some sympathy for them, and in many cases some affection. There isthe further fact that while no one doubted the brutality of thése men, even their calculated brutality, it was brutality in a cause and not merely personal beastliness. There was personal beastliness in it, racial beastliness too, but the chief factor was a fanatical. if perverted patriotism-a belief that by these methods they advanced their own people and put enduring fear into the hearts of their enemies. It was no doubt necessary that they should die, and because it was necessary it was good. Horrible though it was to hang them, it was impossible to let them escape. But if the democracies. are ever so unfortunate as to have to fight another world war, and so fortunate as to win it, they are not likely to repeat the method by which they have tried this time to reestablish human decency and dignity. If justice is to be effective it must be more speedy, more obvious, more direct; outraged | humanity asserting itself while the sense of outrage is everywhere present and active, —