The Tokyo War Crimes Trial: The Pursuit of Justice in the Wake of World War II

Harvard East Asian Monographs #299

by Yuma Totani

This book assesses the historical significance of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE)―commonly called the Tokyo trial―established as the eastern counterpart of the Nuremberg trial in the immediate aftermath of World War II.

Through extensive research in Japanese, American, Australian, and Indian archives, Yuma Totani taps into a large body of previously underexamined sources to explore some of the central misunderstandings and historiographical distortions that have persisted to the present day. Foregrounding these voluminous records, Totani disputes the notion that the trial was an exercise in “victors’ justice” in which the legal process was egregiously compromised for political and ideological reasons; rather, the author details the achievements of the Allied prosecution teams in documenting war crimes and establishing the responsibility of the accused parties to show how the IMTFE represented a sound application of the legal principles established at Nuremberg.

This study deepens our knowledge of the historical intricacies surrounding the Tokyo trial and advances our understanding of the Japanese conduct of war and occupation during World War II, the range of postwar debates on war guilt, and the relevance of the IMTFE to the continuing development of international humanitarian law.

Genres: History, Japan, Japanese History, World War II, Law, Asia, Nonfiction

350 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Born and raised in Japan, Professor Totani received her B.A. in History of Art from International Christian University (Tokyo, Japan), 1995; M.S. in Politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, 1997; and Ph.D. in History from the University of California, Berkeley, 2005. She was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, Harvard University, 2005-06, and she is currently an associate professor in the Department of History at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Reviews

[DeltaXIII]

Heartbreaking. Frustrating. Insightful.

[Toby Mathers]

"The Tokyo War Crimes Trial: The Pursuit of Justice in the Wake of World War II" by Yuma Totani deserves great appreciation. Firstly, it effectively outlines the relationship and comparisons between the Tokyo Trials and the Nuremberg Trials that preceded them. Secondly, it provides a thorough examination of the pre-trial construction of the trials themselves, covering the selection of judges, defense lawyers, and the prosecution team. Thirdly, and most importantly, it is written in a highly compelling manner, making complex scholarly literature accessible and comprehensible to a broader audience.

This book sheds light on the varying narratives of the trials and alludes to how deficiencies in international law continue to persist amidst current wartime activities, constrained by geopolitical limitations.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in international law and the role that the United Nations and international treaties play in the aftermath of war. It also offers insights into the legal frameworks that have been developed since the two trials to limit violent conflicts for the sake of humanity.

[Kevin Eisenhuth]

A very dry read when discussing the actual moments of the trial but an excellent read on the post trial sentiments and changing attitudes towards its legacy.