About

The Pacific War Crimes Trials Digital Archive

The Pacific War Crimes Trials Digital Archive (PWCT) gathers primary source materials from three distinct post-World War II war crimes proceedings in the Pacific theater: the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (the Tokyo Tribunal), the United States military commissions for so-called "Class B" and "Class C" cases at Yokohama, Manila, and elsewhere, and the Soviet trial of former Japanese servicemen at Khabarovsk. Although these proceedings produced an enormous documentary record, the collective historiography of the Pacific trials remains relatively thin compared with the Nuremberg Tribunal in Europe.

This archive draws together photographs, exhibits, trial transcripts, defense briefs, judgments, and personal papers held by the University of Virginia Law Library's Special Collections, supplemented by complementary materials from partner institutions. The aim is to make these records discoverable, searchable, and linkable to support legal-historical research, classroom teaching, and the broader public record.

What you can browse

The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE)

Informally known as the Tokyo War Crimes trial, the IMTFE lasted two and a half years, from April 29, 1946 to November 12, 1948. Established to try senior Japanese officials accused of crimes against peace, conventional war crimes, and crimes against humanity, the IMTFE set significant precedent in international law but is comparatively under-studied. The IMTFE materials gathered here come from six donor collections: Williams Photographs, Morgan, Carrington-Williams, Phelps, Sutton, and Tavenner.

The Von Bergen Papers

Records of the postwar U.S. military commissions in Yokohama and elsewhere, drawn from the working papers of Edward H. Von Bergen, an American defense counsel. The Von Bergen materials document the day-to-day conduct of cases involving alleged mistreatment of prisoners of war, civilian internees, and other wartime conduct that fell outside the IMTFE's jurisdiction. Content forthcoming as the Von Bergen records are converted to the new archive format.

The Soviet Trial at Khabarovsk

Materials on the Trial of Former Servicemen of the Japanese Army Charged With Manufacturing and Employing Bacteriological Weapons, held in the Soviet Union in December 1949. This collection includes the published trial proceedings and supporting evidence.

Browsing the archive

• Collections. Curated views of each major donor collection within the IMTFE materials, plus the Von Bergen and Soviet collections. Each collection page presents the documentary record on its own terms (folders, exhibits, photographs).
• People. Individuals named throughout the materials — defendants, defense counsel, prosecutors, judges, witnesses, and others — with their associated documents.
• Subjects. Topical entries covering events, places, organizations, and themes that recur across the proceedings.
• Search. A full-text search across titles, descriptions, transcribed text, and metadata.

Project Team

The archive is developed and maintained by the Arthur J. Morris Law Library at the University of Virginia School of Law. Inquiries about the collections, technical issues, or proposals for new materials may be directed to the project team at the contact information below.

Special Collections

U.Va. Law Library, 3rd Floor
580 Massie Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903
Phone: 434-243-6703
Email: archives@law.virginia.edu

The original materials described in this archive are held in the Special Collections of the Arthur J. Morris Law Library. Researchers may schedule on-site visits through the Special Collections department.