Wwii Signed Photo of Imates of Sugamo Prison Tojo

Stellar signed photo of Sugamo Prison inmates, signed by Japanese Prisoners including Hideki Tojo! This is the third of three lots from this Veteran sourced items. Excellent. History:Sugamo Prison was built in 1895, using the prisons of Europe as a model. By the 1930s it became known for housing political prisoners, including many communists and other dissenters who fell foul of the Peace Preservation Laws in the 1930s and 1940s. Allied spies were also incarcerated there, including Richard Sorge, who was hanged in the prison on November 7, 1944. The prison also was used to hold captured Allied officers during World War II as well as airmen. The prison was not damaged during the bombing of Tokyo in World War II, and was taken over by the Allied occupation forces during the occupation of Japan to house suspected war criminals as they awaited trial before the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. After the conclusion of the trials, Sugamo Prison was used to incarcerate some of the convicted and was the site of the execution of two Japanese Prime Ministers included among seven inmates sentenced to death by hanging on December 23, 1948. The prison was also the execution site for 51 Japanese war criminals who were condemned in the Yokohama War Crimes Trials, while a further 803 convicted in the trials served their prison terms there. The last 7 executions were carried out on April 7, 1950. The original compound was only 2.43 hectares (6.0 acres) in size. The construction of exterior fencing expanded the facility to double the original size. After being captured and re-purposed by Allied forces, the facility was operated by the United States' Eighth Army. Under the U.S. occupation, Sugamo Prison was administered by 400–500 soldiers. There were approximately 2500 military personnel assigned to duty at the prison, but no more than 500 at any given time. The prison was operated by occupation authorities from December 1945 to May 1952. The structure housed some 2000 Japanese war criminals during its operation. The prisoners ate Japanese food prepared by Japanese personnel and served by the prisoners themselves. There were occasions when former Prime Minister Hideki Tojo served food to all other Class A prisoners. Some of the vegetables used in the meals were grown within the compound. On May 31, 1958, the last 18 Japanese war criminals still serving time in Sugamo Prison were paroled. After the end of the occupation of Japan, Sugamo Prison passed to Japanese civilian government control. Most of the remaining war criminals were pardoned or paroled by the government. In 1962 its function as a prison ended. In 1971 the prison buildings were dismantled. Notable inmatesIva Toguri D'Aquino: American-Japanese suspected collaborator known as "Tokyo Rose". Sentenced to 10 years in prison in the United States for treason, which she served in the United States. Released in 1956, and pardoned in 1977. Died in 2006. Minister of Foreign Affairs Yosuke Matsuoka: Died in prison in 1946, before he could be brought to trial. Marshal Admiral Osami Nagano: Died in prison during his trial in 1947. Vice Minister of Munitions Nobusuke Kishi: Ran plundering of China, planned and ran the war, key deputy to Tojo, Later Prime Minister (LDP) 1957–1960: Released after charges dropped in 1948. Died in 1987. Matsutaro Shoriki, secretary of the Political Police in Tokyo, later media mogul, LDP politician, Chief of the Information Department of the Interior Ministry: Released in 1948 after charges dropped. Died in 1969. Yoshio Kodama, drug trafficking operations and Intelligence agent in China, rear admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, Yakuza head: Released in 1948 after charges dropped. Died in 1984. Japanese fascist leader Ryoichi Sasakawa: released in 1948 after charges dropped. Died in 1995. Ambassador Toshio Shiratori: died in prison in 1949. General Yoshijiro Umezu: Chief of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff. Died in prison in 1949. Prime Minister Kuniaki Koiso: also an IJA general and Governor-General of Korea. Died in prison in 1950. Lieutenant General Shigeru Sawada: released in 1950. Died in 1980. Minister of Foreign Affairs Mamoru Shigemitsu: Paroled in 1950, and died in 1957. Lieutenant General Takaji Wachi: paroled in 1950 and died in 1978. Minister of Foreign Affairs Shigenori Togo: died in prison in 1950. Lieutenant General Isamu Yokoyama: Convicted of having command responsibility for vivisection and other human medical experiments performed at the Kyushu Imperial University on downed Allied airmen. Sentenced to death in 1948, but later reprieved. Died in prison in 1952. Prime Minister Hiranuma Kiichiro: paroled in 1952, and died a few months later. Lieutenant General Sadae Inoue: paroled in 1953 and died in 1961. Advisor Koichi Kido: Paroled in 1955, and died in 1977. Field Marshal Shunroku Hata: paroled in 1955 and died in 1962. General Jiro Minami: Governor-General of Korea. Paroled in 1954 and died in 1955. Ge