Book Review: Judgment at Tokyo: World War II on Trial and the Making of Modern Asia

Regional Studies |

Author: Gary J. Bass
 
| Reviewed by Lieutenant Colonel Peter M. Erickson (US Army), PhD, Deputy G35, US Army Europe and Africa
 
Lieutenant Colonel Peter M. Erickson, PhD, provides a valuable overview of Gary J. Bass’s explanation of why the post–World War II Tokyo trials “were a relative failure.” He highlights how a lack of impartiality, the “legacy of empire,” and the judges’ backgrounds and motivations affected the trials. Erickson calls the book “a must-read for Defense community leaders who often wrestle with the strict legality of America’s tactical actions and the broader and deeper moral impacts of its strategic endeavors.”
 

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Keywords: World War II, Pacific, Tokyo trials, justice, war crimes