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Landmark Law Cases and American Society
The Tokyo Rose Case: Treason on Trial
Iva Ikuku Toguri (1916-2006) was an American citizen, born on the 4th of July. Her parents, first-generation Japanese Americans, embraced their new nation and raised Iva to think, talk, and act like a patriotic American. But, despite her allegiance to the United States, she was forced to spend most of her adult life denying that she was a traitor or that she was World War II's infamous Tokyo Rose.
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Iva was nursing an ailing aunt in Japan. Prevented from returning to home, she was viewed with suspicion by the Japanese authorities. They hounded her to renounce her American citizenship, which she adamantly refused to do. Pressured to find employment, she joined Radio Tokyo. Known as Orphan Ann, she did nothing more than emcee brief music segments on "The Zero Hour" during the war's last two years. She was never called "Tokyo Rose" by anyone and was but one of only a dozen or so English-speaking females heard on Japanese airwaves.
In need of money to return home after the war, she made the mistake of allowing herself to be interviewed by two ambitious journalists who were certain that she was the Tokyo Rose, even though she denied it. The published story brought Iva to the attention of American authorities who tried and convicted Iva for treason, despite the lack of evidence and a reluctant jury. She was then stripped of her citizenship and sent to prison.
Yasuhide Kawashima's account of Toguri's trials are deeply rooted in Japanese language sources, American legal archives, and the cultures of both nations. He identifies heroes and villains in both the United States and Japan and also highlights broader the internment of thousands of loyal Japanese Americans, the meaning of citizenship, the nation's commitment to the idea of fair trial, the impact of tabloid journalism, and the very concept of treason.
Iva was eventually pardoned in 1977 by President Gerald Ford—she was the first person in U.S. history to be pardoned for treason—and had her citizenship restored. Yet when she died in 2006, obituaries continued to identify her as Tokyo Rose. Kafkaesque in its telling, Kawashima's tale provides a harsh reminder that the law does not always render justice.
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Iva was nursing an ailing aunt in Japan. Prevented from returning to home, she was viewed with suspicion by the Japanese authorities. They hounded her to renounce her American citizenship, which she adamantly refused to do. Pressured to find employment, she joined Radio Tokyo. Known as Orphan Ann, she did nothing more than emcee brief music segments on "The Zero Hour" during the war's last two years. She was never called "Tokyo Rose" by anyone and was but one of only a dozen or so English-speaking females heard on Japanese airwaves.
In need of money to return home after the war, she made the mistake of allowing herself to be interviewed by two ambitious journalists who were certain that she was the Tokyo Rose, even though she denied it. The published story brought Iva to the attention of American authorities who tried and convicted Iva for treason, despite the lack of evidence and a reluctant jury. She was then stripped of her citizenship and sent to prison.
Yasuhide Kawashima's account of Toguri's trials are deeply rooted in Japanese language sources, American legal archives, and the cultures of both nations. He identifies heroes and villains in both the United States and Japan and also highlights broader the internment of thousands of loyal Japanese Americans, the meaning of citizenship, the nation's commitment to the idea of fair trial, the impact of tabloid journalism, and the very concept of treason.
Iva was eventually pardoned in 1977 by President Gerald Ford—she was the first person in U.S. history to be pardoned for treason—and had her citizenship restored. Yet when she died in 2006, obituaries continued to identify her as Tokyo Rose. Kafkaesque in its telling, Kawashima's tale provides a harsh reminder that the law does not always render justice.
- GenresHistory
208 pages, Paperback
First published May 29, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 26, 2025
There is no question that this is an extremely disturbing case, and result of racial prejudice and a trial conducted by a second rate and prejudicial justice - Judge Roche. Far from being 'traitorous' Iva Toguri (who probably was never the eponymous "Tokyo Rose" at all) showed herself, under Japanese pressure to be a patriot for her country of birth, the USA.
This is a good read - and for anyone interested in the history probably a must read. However, as a study of a landmark law case I was underwhelmed by the legal analysis both on the case itself and its relation to the wider treason context.
Still, a worthwhile book and the concluding chapter on the (probably remote) prospect of a posthumous "Coram Nobis" application is an intriguing teaser that, perhaps, the law may in fact overturn the legal finding of treason (there was a pardon by President Ford in 1977).
This is a good read - and for anyone interested in the history probably a must read. However, as a study of a landmark law case I was underwhelmed by the legal analysis both on the case itself and its relation to the wider treason context.
Still, a worthwhile book and the concluding chapter on the (probably remote) prospect of a posthumous "Coram Nobis" application is an intriguing teaser that, perhaps, the law may in fact overturn the legal finding of treason (there was a pardon by President Ford in 1977).
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April 3, 20234/23
previewed for library / 7th grade project use: too close text, too dense writing for 7th grade use. Return to it someday to actually read? the graphic novel was pretty good.
previewed for library / 7th grade project use: too close text, too dense writing for 7th grade use. Return to it someday to actually read? the graphic novel was pretty good.
July 7, 2016
Kawashima does a reasonable job of covering the facts of Toguri's life and the case. He does tend to wander. Rather than stating a problem that was addressed by law or case law after Toguri's trial, he offers a slightly frenetic digression on the issue.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews