The Filipino courts emphasized fair play despite the loss of the Japanese defense panel. Why? The Philippines was a newly-independent country, and wanted to show the world that despite the popular anti-Japanese feeling, it was capable of conducting fair trials. The Philippine government did not want to host a kangaroo court, and wanted to keep the process strictly within legal limits. Even after the incident involving the mauling of the chief Filipino prosecutor, the Philippine government appointed Filipino defense panel with one Japanese. One journalist noted that despite the strong anti-Japanese sentiment of the country, the Philippine government bent over backwards to give the Japanese representation.
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