Webb began his tenure on the High Court of Australia in May 1946 . During his tenure , he was President of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East , the tribunal which tried Japanese war crimes from World War II , from 1946 to 1948 . Webb was involved in a minor scandal late in 1947 , in the leadup to the bank nationalisation case , the Government of Australia tried to recall Webb from Tokyo , by requesting General Douglas MacArthur to release him , because they believed that he would decide the case in a way that was favourable to the Commonwealth . However , after pressure from Justice Owen Dixon , Chief Justice John Latham contacted Webb and encouraged him not to leave Japan . On 12 November 1948 , after more than two years of trials , Webb , as President of the Tribunal , handed down the sentences on all of the people whom the Tribunal had found guilty . Webb said that the series of trials conducted in Tokyo were the most " important criminal trials in all history . " Webb retired from the High Court on 16 May 1958 after serving exactly twelve years on the bench
Japanese war crimes
Japanese war crimes
William Webb (judge)