A Reckoning

Philippine Trials of Japanese War Criminals
Erscheinungsjahr 2019
ISBN: 978-0-299-31860-4
Verlag: The University of Wisconsin Press

Buch, Englisch, 272 Seiten, Hardback, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm

Reihe: New Perspectives in SE Asian Studies

After World War II, thousands of Japanese throughout Asia were put on trial for war crimes. Examination of postwar trials is now a thriving area of research, but Sharon W. Chamberlain is the first to offer an authoritative assessment of the legal proceedings convened in the Philippines. These were trials conducted by Asians, not Western powers, and centered on the abuses suffered by local inhabitants rather than by prisoners of war. Her impressively researched work reveals the challenges faced by the Philippines, as a newly independent nation, in navigating issues of justice amid domestic and international pressures.

Chamberlain highlights the differing views of Filipinos and Japanese about the trials. The Philippine government aimed to show its commitment to impartial proceedings with just outcomes. In Japan, it appeared that defendants were selected arbitrarily, judges and prosecutors were biased, and lower-ranking soldiers were punished for crimes ordered by their superior officers. She analyzes the broader implications of this divergence as bilateral relations between the two nations evolved and contends that these competing narratives were reimagined in a way that, paradoxically, aided a path toward postwar reconciliation.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Militärgeschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Gewalt Völkermord, Ethnische Säuberung, Kriegsverbrechen
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Asiatische Geschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

- List of Illustrations
- Acknowledgments
- Note on Japanese Usage
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 War Crimes during the Occupation: The Picture That Emerges from the Trials
- 2 Rising to the Challenge: Assuming Responsibility for Trials
- 3 The Trials: Questions of Guilt and Innocence
- 4 Awaiting Their Fate: Sentence Reviews, Reprieves, and Executions
- 5 From Retribution to Resolution: The Journey from Executions to Pardons
- 6 Constructing Narratives and Assessing Impact
- Conclusion
- Epilogue
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index

Über Autor(innen)

Sharon Chamberlain is an independent historian. She lives in Washington, DC.