M26

Morotai Trial M26 was an Australian war crimes trial conducted on Morotai between 16 and 18 January 1946. The case formed part of the series of prosecutions arising from the murder of Royal Australian Air Force airmen Hann, Walters and King on Talaud Island. Lieutenant Colonel Komura Takewo, the only staff officer at the headquarters of the Katsura Force, 57th Independent Mixed Brigade, was charged with responsibility for issuing the operational instructions that led to the executions.

The prosecution alleged that, after Colonel Koba sought instructions on the fate of the captured Allied airmen, headquarters replied with the signal Genchi Shobun ("dispose of locally"), which was interpreted as an order to execute the prisoners. Evidence also showed that, following the Japanese surrender, officers falsely informed American forces that the airmen had been transferred to Manado, despite knowing they had already been executed. Lieutenant Colonel Komura was found guilty and sentenced to death by shooting, the sentence being carried out on Morotai on 16 March 1946. Although the Judge Advocate General expressed some personal doubt when considering Komura's petition, he concluded that there were insufficient grounds to disturb either the conviction or the sentence. This page summarises the trial, the evidence, the legal issues concerning command responsibility, the conviction and the surviving archival records, including the Judge Advocate General's report.