M27

Morotai Trial M27 was an Australian war crimes trial conducted on Morotai between 21 and 29 January 1946. The case concerned the murder of two Royal Australian Air Force airmen, Hutton and Lockyer, who were captured by the Japanese during the Second World War and subsequently executed.

Two members of the Kempeitai were charged in connection with the killings. Following the presentation of evidence, the court found Sergeant Okada Tomiyoshi guilty and sentenced him to death by shooting, while Sergeant Hondo Kazuma was acquitted. The differing verdicts reflected the court's assessment of the evidence against each accused and the requirement to establish individual criminal responsibility. This page summarises the trial, the accused, the verdicts, the sentence imposed and the surviving archival records, including the Judge Advocate General's report.