Robert Cribb and Sandra Wilson, "Twelve Japanese War Criminals and One Who Got Away" (U Hawaiʻi Press, 2026)

In this episode of New Books in Southeast Asian Studies, host Patrick Jory speaks with co-authors Professor Robert Cribb and Professor Sandra Wilson about their new book, *Twelve Japanese War Criminals and One Who Got Away*, published by the University of Hawaiʻi Press in 2026. The book examines 13 case studies of Japanese war crimes during World War II in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, challenging the dominant cultural explanations—such as Japanese militarism or 'priming'—that have long been used to account for these atrocities. Instead, Cribb and Wilson argue that war crimes were driven by the extreme pressures of war, military necessity, and the phenomenon of 'wartime license,' where individuals exploited the breakdown of normal social and legal constraints. Drawing on extensive archival sources—including trial records, military documents, and personal memoirs—the authors present a nuanced, empirically grounded analysis of how ordinary individuals, under extraordinary circumstances, became perpetrators of violence. The discussion covers harrowing cases such as the Bayonetting of Kalgon villagers in Burma, the Bataan Death March, medical experiments on POWs in Kyushu, and the cannibalism committed by Japanese stragglers in Mindanao. The book also explores the complex legacies of justice, including the uneven application of trials, the controversial case of Tsuji Masanobu—who escaped accountability—and the moral ambiguities of postwar repatriation and clemency. Ultimately, the authors emphasize that war crimes are not the product of inherent cultural traits but of systemic failures, individual choices, and the dehumanizing conditions of war. The episode concludes with a thoughtful reflection on the limits and successes of postwar justice. While acknowledging flaws—such as rushed trials, inconsistent sentencing, and questionable evidence—the authors maintain that the national military tribunals, unlike the Tokyo International Military Tribunal, were generally more focused on concrete crimes and fairer in their application. They also highlight the rare case of Ainoda Hajime, who later sought penance through medical service in the Philippines, as a symbol of possible reconciliation. The conversation underscores the importance of historical accountability, the dangers of oversimplified narratives, and the enduring relevance of understanding how individuals become war criminals in times of crisis. For listeners, the key takeaway is that war crimes are not inevitable outcomes of culture or ideology, but the result of context, opportunity, and moral failure under pressure.