7. Shūmei Ōkawa
via ummatanwasatan.net
Shūmei Ōkawa had a gifted mind. He spoke five languages soundly, had earned a Ph.D. in philosophy, and was an acclaimed writer. Described by the Allies as the “Japanese Goebbels”, Ōkawa played a key role in Japan’s Axis involvement in World War II. As the leader of the Japanese propaganda machine, his numerous articles and books were extremely influential in pre-war Japanese culture.
When he was tried as a war criminal, Ōkawa behaved like a lunatic. He sat barefoot, shouted loud random things at inappropriate times, tapped the bald head of the former Japanese prime minister; all while wearing pyjamas. The Tokyo Tribunal surmised that he was mentally ill, and dropped all charges against him. Each of his fellow countrymen on trial were either hanged or imprisoned. Later, in the mental hospital, Ōkawa completed the very first Japanese translation of the Quran. He was released in 1948.
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