Judgement at Tokyo

The definitive account of the Tokyo war crimes trials of 1946-8, WWII and the beginning of the end of the European empires in Asia and the impact the settlement has had on post-war China and Japan, the wider history of East and South Asia - and of the world - to this day.

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SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 CUNDILL HISTORY PRIZE
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE

'Magisterial' – Max Hastings, The Sunday Times
'Monumental'– Rana Mitter, Times Literary Supplement

'Every so often, a new work emerges of such immense scholarship and weight that it really does add a significant difference to our understanding of the Second World War and its consequences. Judgement in Tokyo is one such, a monumental work in both scale and detail, beautifully constructed and written, leaving the reader not only moved but disturbed as well.' – James Holland, The Sunday Telegraph

'A work of singular importance . . . balanced, original, human, accessible, and riveting' – Philippe Sands, author of East-West Street

'Breathtakingly ambitious and unlikely to be bettered as a portrait of the trials and their place in postwar global history' – History Today

A landmark history of the postwar trials of Japan’s leaders as war criminals, and their impact on the modern history of Asia and the world.

In the weeks after Japan finally surrendered to the Allies to end World War II, the victorious powers turned to the question of how to move on from years of carnage and destruction. For the Allied powers, the trials were an opportunity both to render judgment on their vanquished foes and to create a legal framework to prosecute war crimes and prohibit the use of aggressive war. For the Japanese leaders on trial, it was their chance to argue that their war had been waged to liberate Asia from Western imperialism and that the court was no more than victors’ justice.

Gary J. Bass' Judgement at Tokyo is a magnificent, riveting story of wartime action, dramatic courtroom battles, and the epic formative years that set the stage for the postwar era in the Asia–Pacific.

'A comprehensive, landmark and riveting book' – The Washington Post, 'The 10 Best Books of 2023'