Gen. Heitarō Kimura

Born September 28, 1888. After serving as Chief of Staff for the Kwantung Army in Manchukuo, General Kimura became the Vice Minister of War for Tōjō. In this capacity he advised Tōjō on strategies, including surprise attacks, for waging aggressive war during World War II. Under his command, Burma POWs were forced into slave labor and suffered atrocities committed by troops under the direction of Kimura. As a result of these actions, the tribunal found Kimura guilty of counts 1, 27, 29, 31, 32, 54 and 55 and sentenced him to death. During the trial, he was represented by American Associate Counsel Joseph C. Howard. Tokisaburo Shiohara served as his Japanese Chief Counsel with Koretsune Tatsumi, Akira Abe, Tameo Hongo, and Tadakatsu Tanaka operating his Japanese Associate Counsel. He was executed at Sugamo Prison on December 23, 1948. Controversially, he was later enshrined, along with 13 other convicted defendants, at the Yasukuni Shrine.