Moritake Tanabe: Japanese General Linked to Nanjing Massacre Executed After WW2

Moritake Tanabe was a Japanese major general whose wartime command roles tied him to atrocities in China and later led to his execution after World War II. Major General Moritake Tanabe was a key architect of one of the most horrifying atrocities of World War II: the Nanjing Massacre. A career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army, Tanabe rose through the ranks with discipline and education, graduating from the Army Staff College and later commanding units during Japan’s aggressive expansion into China. In 1937, as Chief of Staff of the newly formed 10th Army, Tanabe played a central role in Japan’s brutal campaign from Shanghai to Nanjing. After weeks of fierce combat in Shanghai, Japanese forces—under Tanabe’s coordination—advanced toward China’s capital. On December 13, 1937, Nanjing fell. What followed was an unspeakable wave of terror. For nearly two months, Japanese troops murdered, raped, and looted with impunity. Civilian men were machine-gunned by the thousands at the banks of the Yangtze River. Women, including children and the elderly, were raped and mutilated. Families were torn apart, and systematic massacres were carried out under the command structures that included Tanabe's forces. Despite attempts to minimize his role, Tanabe was not a passive figure. His army's actions during the massacre—and his failure to prevent or punish war crimes—marked him as culpable in the eyes of history. After further wartime service, including command in Japanese-occupied Sumatra, Tanabe was arrested by Dutch authorities after Japan’s surrender. In 1949, he was tried and sentenced to death—not for Nanjing, but for war crimes committed in the Dutch East Indies. Executed by hanging, Tanabe left behind a legacy of brutality and silence. His name is now inseparable from the dark legacy of Nanjing, a reminder of the unchecked cruelty that can accompany military conquest and dehumanization in wartime.This episode is part of the series Fate of Top Officials of Imperial Japan.Watch the full documentary and explore hundreds of historical films at:WorldHistory.tv