7. In violation of international law, Allied airmen were refused the title of “prisoner of war”, instead of being treated as criminals and frequently executed after show trials
According to the Hague Convention of 1907, of which Japan was a signatory, any military personnel captured in war could not be punished for being lawful enemy combatants. On August 13, 1942, Imperial Japan enacted the Enemy Airmen’s Act, passed in response to the Doolittle Raid, stipulating that any Allied pilots who bombed non-military targets in the Pacific Theater would be treated as criminal and not a prisoner of war if caught. Eight airmen from the Doolittle Raid were brought before a Shanghai court, where they were refused the opportunity to mount any legal defense to their charges and three were sentenced to death by firing squad.
This act marked the beginnings of the recurrent prosecution and execution of Allied POWs under the illusion of criminal justice. In total, an estimated 132 Allied airmen shot down during the 1944-1945 bombing campaign were convicted and executed by Japanese show trials. A further 94 died whilst in custody, in addition to an unknown figure as a result of tolerated public lynchings. Most egregiously, 15 captured Allied airmen were hurriedly beheaded on August 15, 1945, at Fukuoka, shortly after the Japanese Government announced its intention to surrender to the Allies.