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Japan Times
16 hours ago
- Japan Times
Diaries of a Japanese war criminal reveal 'how irrational war truly is,' son says
On June 19, 1945, a U.S. firebombing raid on the city of Fukuoka killed over 1,000 people and changed the course of one man's life. The next day, Army Paymaster Kentaro Toji, grieving the loss of his mother in the attack, volunteered to execute four captured American airmen. Convicted as a Class B/C war criminal after the war, Toji was initially sentenced to death in 1948, but later had his sentence reduced to life imprisonment and was released in 1958. 'War is a cycle of senseless victimization and perpetration,' said his third son, Katsuya Toji, 71, in an interview from Fukuoka. He spoke as he held the wartime diaries his father wrote while imprisoned at Tokyo's Sugamo Prison — extensive records totaling more than 3,000 pages. Kentaro Toji | Courtesy of Katsuya Toji / via Jiji According to court documents and personal records, Kentaro Toji came across the men about to be executed on June 20, 1945, at the former Western Army Headquarters in Fukuoka as he was preparing a coffin for his mother. He volunteered to carry out the beheadings of four captured B-29 crew members, reportedly driven by grief and anger from the bombing. Following Japan's surrender, Toji was imprisoned at Sugamo and kept a detailed diary from August 1946 to October 1952. His writings document not only the legal proceedings and daily life behind bars, but also his reflections on family and justice. 'Death by hanging! That was the sentence handed down to me,' he wrote on Dec. 29, 1948. 'It felt like I was sinking quietly into the bottom of a deep sea.' In the same entry, he wrote that he had believed the executions had been formally sanctioned by military disciplinary procedures, and noted that orders had been given for three of the four killings. Still, he wavered between seeking a retrial and accepting his fate. Katsuya Toji speaks during an interview in the city of Fukuoka in May as he shows the diaries his father Kentaro had written while in prison as a war criminal following World War II. | Jiji On Jan. 1, 1949, he wrote: 'If this is the price of war, a sacrifice for the advancement of humanity, or the result of an infinite karmic cycle, I accept it.' When the Korean War broke out in 1950, Toji noted how even the American guards at Sugamo were being dispatched to the front. On July 14, 1950, he wrote, 'I can't bear the thought of young soldiers around the age of 20 dying one after another under North Korean fire,' before concluding simply: 'I hate war.' In one exchange written in the diaries, a prison guard asked Toji how he had felt at the time of the executions. 'Before I volunteered, I was truly angry,' he admitted, also recounting how his wife had admonished him, saying that the executed airmen 'must have had wives and children, too.' After his release, Toji installed Jizo statues in his garden to honor the men he had executed. In his later years, he frequently welcomed Asian exchange students into his home and supported them. 'We caused harm to other Asian countries,' he told his son. 'That must never be forgotten.' Toji died in 1983 at age 68. Until the end, he maintained that 'it is unjust and wrong for the victors to judge the defeated.' 'If that becomes the norm, no one will be able to surrender,' said Katsuya. 'My father's diary reveals just how irrational war truly is.' Translated by The Japan Times
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israeli airstrike hits Iranian news studio during live broadcast
Four bombs dropped by Israeli aircraft struck the headquarters of Iranian state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran News Network during a live broadcast in Tehran on June 16. Israeli officials took immediate credit for the attack as Iranian officials called the incident a 'war crime'.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Israeli strike on Iranian state TV fills studio with dust and debris during live broadcast
Dust and debris filled an Iranian state television studio and an anchor rushed off camera Monday when an Israeli strike hit during a live broadcast, an hour after Israel issued a warning for the area of Tehran where the station is located. Sahar Emami, an anchor at the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network, was seen hurrying off-camera as the screen behind her cut out. People on set were heard saying 'Allahu akbar," the Arabic phrase for God is great. The broadcast quickly switched to pre-recorded programs. Soon, Emami came back live from another studio and was seen speaking with another anchor. Images showed smoke and flames in the sky. The station later said that the building was hit by four bombs. Israel's defense minister took immediate credit for the attack. 'The Iranian regime's propaganda and incitement broadcasting authority was attacked by the IDF after a widespread evacuation of the area's residents,' Israel Katz said in a statement. 'We will strike the Iranian dictator everywhere.' Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesman for the Iranian foreign minister, condemned the strike, calling on the international community to demand justice from Israel for its attack on the media. 'The world is watching: targeting Iran's news agency #IRIB's office during live broadcast is a wicked act of war crime,' Baqaei wrote on X. Videos circulating on social media show that the IRINN building, known as 'the glass building,' is still burning. There has been no official report on casualties from the incident. An anchor said on air that a few colleagues had been injured, but that their families should not be worried. The network said its live programs have now been transferred to another studio, which resembles that of radio studios.. An hour earlier, the Israeli military had issued an evacuation warning affecting up to 330,000 people in a part of central Tehran that includes the country's state TV and police headquarters, as well as three large hospitals. The IDF has issued similar evacuation warnings for civilians in parts of Gaza and Lebanon ahead of strikes. The warning came on the fourth day of the conflict, when the Israeli military claimed it had achieved air superiority above the Iranian capital and could fly over the city without facing major threats. Iran, meanwhile, announced it had launched some 100 missiles and vowed further retaliation for sweeping attacks on its military and nuclear infrastructure that have killed at least 224 people in the country since Friday. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel and more than 500 injured, Israeli officials said, after Iran launched more than 370 missiles and hundreds of drones. The Committee to Protect Journalists said it was 'appalled by Israel's bombing of Iran's state TV channel while live on air." 'Israel's killing, with impunity, of almost 200 journalists in Gaza has emboldened it to target media elsewhere in the region,' Sara Qudah, the Middle East representative for CPJ, said in a statement. According to the U.N. and CPJ records, Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed at least 173 journalists and media workers since October 2023.
News24
4 days ago
- Politics
- News24
Iran condemns Israeli attack on state TV as 'war crime'
AFP Iran condemned Israel's attack on a state TV building in Tehran on Monday as a 'war crime', and called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to take action. The strike on the offices of IRIB during a live broadcast was a 'wicked act' and a 'war crime', said foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei. 'The UNSC must act now to stop the genocidal aggressor from committing further atrocities against our people,' he added. An Israeli attack on Monday hit the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) building, cutting off live coverage immediately. The blast occurred as the presenter was live on TV lambasting Israel before she was seen leaving the live broadcast, Iranian media reported, sharing a video of the incident. Live coverage resumed shortly after. ⚡️🇮🇷🇮🇱BREAKING: Israel just bombed Iran State TV IRIB's building during live news coverage. — Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws) June 16, 2025 The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also condemned the attack, calling it 'inhuman, criminal and a terrorist act.' After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel on Friday launched a surprise attack, saying it was targeting Iran's nuclear and military facilities. So far it has killed at least 224 people in the Islamic republic, including top military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. Iran has retaliated with barrages of drones and missiles that have killed at least 24 people in Israel, according to the latest figures from the prime minister's office. Iran does not recognise Israel and has long accused it of carrying out sabotage operations against its nuclear facilities, as well as assassinating its scientists.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Iran says Israel's attack on its state TV building is a war crime
Iran has condemned Israel's attack on a state television building in Tehran as a 'war crime', and called on the UN to take action. The strike on the offices of IRIB during a live broadcast was a 'wicked act' and a 'war crime', said a foreign ministry spokesperson. 'The UN [security council] must act now to stop the genocidal aggressor from committing further atrocities against our people.' An Israeli attack hit the building as a presenter was speaking live, saying that the studio was filling with dust after 'the sound of aggression against the homeland.' Suddenly, the sound of an explosion could be heard, and the presenter hurried off-camera as dust and debris appeared in the studio. Cries of 'Allahu Akbar' ('God is greatest') could be heard off-screen and the broadcast abruptly switched to prerecorded programming. Live coverage resumed shortly after. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps condemned the attack, calling it 'inhuman, criminal and a terrorist act'. After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, on Friday Israel launched a surprise attack, saying it was targeting Iran's nuclear and military facilities. So far it has killed at least 224 people in Iran, including top military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. Iran has retaliated with barrages of drone and missiles that have killed at least 24 people in Israel, according to the latest figures from the prime minister's office. Iran does not recognise Israel and has long accused it of carrying out sabotage operations against its nuclear facilities and killing its scientists.
