Paul Taucher

Takasaki Masamitsu was a suspected Japanese war criminal prosecuted by both the Dutch and Australian militaries after the Second World War. In both trials, he was acquitted, despite strong circumstantial evidence connecting him to several war crimes committed against Allied prisoners. Takasaki was also connected to several other war crimes, but never faced trial. Takasaki’s case provides a prime example of how suspects could exploit the system to escape successful prosecution in the post-war trials.