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Tokyo 1946: the war crime trial that shaped Japan's future

Gary Bass revisits the Tokyo Trial of 1946-48, in which top Japanese leaders stood accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes against peace

Published: September 23, 2024 at 7:30 AM

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In 1946, as Japan stood in ruins at the end of the Second World War, an international trial was launched in Tokyo. It was a mammoth legal and political undertaking that lasted more than two years, as top Japanese leaders were tried by a panel of 11 international judges for war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes against peace. Historian Gary Bass is the author of the Cundill History Prize-shortlisted book on the trials, Judgement at Tokyo. As he tells Ellie Cawthorne, it wasn't just the fates of the defendants that were on line – but also Japan's reputation on the global stage.

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Gary Bass is the author of Judgment at Tokyo: World War II on Trial and the Making of Modern Asia (Knopf Publishing Group, 2023)

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Authors

Ellie CawthorneHead of content (audio)

Ellie Cawthorne is head of content (audio) at HistoryExtra

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