The Scars of War: Tokyo during World War II

The person who wrote this book was a civilian in Tokyo at the time of the war. The book consists of ten essays.

He believes the Tokyo War Crime trials were a farce. He says the judges were prejudiced. the procedures were flawed, and the judgment was faulty. It didn't indict the Emperor, it basically ignored Japan's own colonialism, it ignored the slaughter of Chinese and biological warfare (Unit 731), and it 'ignored the war crimes of the Allies' such as the firebombing and the use of the atomic bombs.

From 1945 to 1952 Japan was under military occupation by the U.S., and censorship was used, although not as severely as when the militaristic government of Japan was in control. The people were fed information that the government wanted they to know, although that information was often untruthful.

The author addresses why the Japanese people did not question their government. He says that everything went on behind closed doors. Also, he notes that Japanese politicians knew they could be assassinated if they tried to speak out, and the militaristic part of the government was too strong to fight against.

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