Japanese war crimes

Before and during World War II, the Empire of Japan committed numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity across various Asian–Pacific nations, notably during the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War. These incidents have been referred to as "the Asian Holocaust" and "Japan's Holocaust", and also as the "Rape of Asia". The crimes occurred during the early part of the Shōwa era, the reign of Emperor Hirohito.

The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) and the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) were responsible for war crimes which resulted in millions of deaths, ranging from sexual slavery and massacres to unethical human experimentation, torture, starvation, and forced labour. Evidence of these crimes, including oral testimonies and written records such as diaries and war journals, has been provided by Japanese veterans.

The Japanese political and military leadership knew about its military's crimes, and it continued to condone them and it even justified them, and the majority of the Japanese troops who were stationed in Asia either took part in or justified the killings.

The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service participated in chemical and biological attacks on civilians during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II, violating international agreements that Japan had previously signed, including the Hague Conventions, which prohibited the use of "poison or poisoned weapons" in warfare.