Hashimoto was the founder of Sakura Kai (Cherry Blossom Society), an ultranationalist society, in 1930. During the war, he was heavily involved with propaganda creation and dissemination. His military actions focusing on Japanese aggression in China, including the Mukden incident and the Rape of Nanking made him a prime candidate for prosecution. During the trial, E. Richard Harris served as his American Associate Counsel with Itsuro Hayashi as his Japanese Chief Counsel. His Japanese Associate Counsel comprised of Kunji Kanase, Kohei Iwama, Hachiro Okuyama, and Toshiko Sugai. The tribunal convicted him of counts 1 and 27. Sentenced to life imprisonment, he was paroled in 1954.
