BERLIN - The Simon Wiesenthal Center ranks Germany, Italy and the U.S. as the most successful at investigating and prosecuting Nazi war crimes over the past year.

In its annual report covering April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012, released Thursday, the center said there was a fivefold increase in convictions from its previous report, from two to 10. Nine of those convictions were in Italy and one was in Germany.

As of April 1, 2012, the center's Jerusalem office said at least 1,138 investigations, including preliminary inquiries, were being carried out in 10 countries, with the largest number in Germany at 528, Poland at 458, and 74 in the U.S.

Failing grades were given to 11 of 42 countries surveyed, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Estonia and Ukraine, for their lack of indictments or convictions.

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