Hisao Tani: Japanese General Executed for the Nanjing Massacre

World History: True Stories of the 20th Century · May 15, 2026 · 14m

Hisao Tani was an Imperial Japanese general held responsible for atrocities committed during the Nanjing Massacre and later executed for war crimes. Lieutenant General Hisao Tani was one of the senior Japanese commanders responsible for atrocities committed during the Second Sino-Japanese War, including the Nanjing Massacre of 1937—one of the worst war crimes of World War II. This documentary examines Tani’s military career, his role in Imperial Japan’s campaigns in China, and his responsibility for mass violence against civilians. Born in 1882 in Okayama Prefecture, Tani rose through the…