Postwar Activity
On December 23, 1948, Hideki Tōjō and six other class A war criminals were hanged. The next day, all class A suspects who had not been indicted were released (aside from the 7 who were executed, 18 were given very long or life sentences.) Sasakawa and Kodama were among the many who were released. There is much speculation surrounding Sasakawa's release, while some suggest that there was simply not enough evidence to indict him of Class A war crimes, others believe it was due to a lack of resources available to carry out trials of all suspected war criminals. The two men subsequently chose different paths in life, but maintained their friendship until the death of Kodama in 1984.
Sasakawa became deeply involved in the post-war reconstruction, though he never again entered politics, but chose to use his considerable influence to bolster business and political parties. The most effective of his post-war activities was the creation of a philanthropy-oriented gambling industry that is still in existence today. Along with his friends Syngman Rhee, the Korean dictator, and Chiang Kai-shek, the Chinese nationalist leader, he founded the World Anti-Communist League. Among other coups, the league claims to have played a part in the 1966 overthrow of Indonesia's President Sukarno. He stated once: "I am the world's richest fascist."
Sasakawa is also known for his support of Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon in Moon's anti-communist activities.
Read more about this topic: Ryoichi Sasakawa
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