New Books in Japanese Studies Robert Cribb and Sandra Wilson, "Twelve Japanese War Criminals and One Who Got Away" (U Hawaiʻi Press, 2026)
Apr 1, 2026
Sandra Wilson, a historian of modern Japan, and Robert Cribb, an expert on Southeast Asian wartime violence, discuss their book on thirteen wartime trials. They explain their archival methods and collaborative approach. They cover trial records, contested defenses, command responsibility, cases from massacres to cannibalism, and the roles of colonial subjects in wartime abuses.
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War Pressure And Wartime License Drove Atrocities
- War pressure and misjudged military necessity explain many atrocities more than ideology.
- Sandra Wilson and Robert Cribb argue thin forces, poor logistics, and perceived tactical need led to excessive violence and 'wartime license'.
Calgon Massacre Bayonets Hundreds And Sparks 'Double Standard' Defense
- The Calgon village massacre in Burma ended with hundreds bayonetted and bodies thrown in wells.
- Ichikawa defended military necessity and superior orders and invoked Allied bombing as a double standard; he was convicted and executed.
POW Camp Doctor Sent Men To Death On Thai Burma Railway
- Dr Nobusawa, a pediatrician turned POW-camp doctor, selected mildly ill prisoners to send to work on the Thailand-Burma Railway.
- He sometimes refused to cooperate with captive medical staff and was found guilty of sending men to their deaths and executed.
