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 with such vast study and weight that it truly offers a significant difference in our understanding of World War II and its aftermath. Judgement at Tokyo is such a work, a monumental effort in scale and detail, beautifully crafted and written, leaving the reader not only moved but also troubled.» – James Holland, The Sunday Telegraph

«A work of unique significance… balanced, original, human, accessible, and compelling» – Philippe Sands, author of East-West Street

An iconic story of the postwar trials of Japan's leaders as war criminals and their impact on modern history in Asia and the world. In the weeks following Japan's final surrender to the Allies to end World War II, the victors turned to the question of how to proceed after years of carnage and destruction. For the Allied powers, the trials were an opportunity to deliver justice to their defeated enemies and to establish a legal framework for the prosecution of war crimes and the prohibition of aggressive warfare. For the Japanese leaders on trial, it was their chance to argue that their war had been fought to liberate Asia from Western imperialism and that the court was nothing more than victor's justice.

Judgement at Tokyo by Gary J. Bass is a captivating, compelling story of wartime action, dramatic legal battles, and the epic landmark years that laid the foundations for the postwar era in the Asia-Pacific region.

«A comprehensive, iconic, and compelling book» – The Washington Post, «The 10 Best Books of 2023»
«Breathes ambitiously and is unlikely to be surpassed as a portrait of the trials and their place in post-war global history» – History Today

Pages: 912, Year of Publication: 0528, Dimensions: 16.5x16.5cm