Judgement at Tokyo
World War II on Trial and the Making of Modern Asia
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Narrated by:
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Simon Vance
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By:
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Gary J. Bass
About this listen
A FINALIST FOR THE 2024 CUNDILL HISTORY PRIZE
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE
A Best Book of the Year in The Economist, Prospect, The Telegraph, TLS, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, and Foreign Affairs
'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 at 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
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'
'Breathtakingly ambitious and unlikely to be bettered as a portrait of the trials and their place in postwar global history' – History Today
Critic reviews
What It’s About
Bass tells the story of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East — the “other Nuremberg” — where Japan’s wartime leaders were put on trial. Through his detailed research, he unpacks not only the crimes themselves but also the fierce debates about what justice should look like after such devastation. Listening to it, I found myself drawn into the clash of ideals, egos, and national interests that shaped the trial.
You get vivid portraits of figures like General Douglas MacArthur, who oversaw the entire process; Radhabinod Pal, the Indian judge who rejected the legitimacy of the tribunal; and the many prosecutors and defence lawyers struggling to define “crimes against peace” in a world still reeling from war.
Why It’s So Engaging
As a listener, what struck me most was how Bass balances storytelling with scholarship. The narration captures the solemnity and tension of the courtroom, and Bass’s writing gives a real sense of moral urgency. It’s not just a book about who was guilty or innocent — it’s about how the world tried, for the first time, to use law to make sense of unimaginable cruelty.
There’s something powerful about hearing it rather than reading it. The audiobook gives space for the gravity of the arguments to sink in. The pauses, the tone shifts, and the emotional weight of witness testimony make it feel less like reading history and more like sitting in the gallery of the courtroom itself.
What Stayed With Me
Bass doesn’t let anyone off easily. He exposes the contradictions of Allied justice — how colonial powers tried Japanese leaders for crimes they themselves had committed elsewhere — and he explores how Cold War politics began to shape the pursuit of justice even before the ink on the peace treaties was dry.
I found myself reflecting on the sheer ambition of the trial: the attempt to build an international legal order out of the ashes of empire. It’s both inspiring and unsettling. The book leaves you asking uncomfortable but necessary questions about who gets to define justice — and for whose benefit.
My Takeaway
Judgment at Tokyo is long and demanding, but it rewards every minute. It’s part legal drama, part political history, and part moral inquiry. What I appreciated most was how it reminded me that the story of post-war justice isn’t just a European one; it was fought over and defined in Asia too.
For anyone who enjoyed works like Nuremberg: Infamy on Trial or East West Street, this is essential listening — a work that’s both monumental and deeply human.
Justice, Memory, and Power: Reading Judgment at Tokyo
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The narrative skillfully weaves between accounts of incidents, testimonies and the judicial infighting at each stage of the trial. The aftermath is explored, contextualising some of the current geopolitical landscape, examining whether the trials were effective in highlighting wrongdoing and evoking change.
Thorough, informative and interesting
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Fascinating history
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Great book
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Fascinating
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