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Rating: 
Summary: A Much Neglected Subject
Review: I'm perplexed at the way the subject of Japanese war crimes has been so neglected. Many people are fearful of "Japan bashing," but this book can't be considered as such. Why? Well, the atrocities comitted by the Japanese in WWII had no real precedent. There is nothing inherent in Japanese culture that would cause people to act so brutally. From the Sino Japanese War, to World War I, the Japanese had earned a reputation for respecting their enemies. Their barbaric actions in WWII did not represent the norm, but a shocking aberration. This fact makes the subject all the more important. The Japanese war crimes should be remembered to remind us of how a civilized, humane culture can suddenly change for the worse. All countries are capable of this kind of change; no one is above the darker aspects of humanity. This book, as with all books about war crimes, reminds readers of the low levels that any nation can stoop to.
Rating:
Summary: A Much Neglected Subject
Review: I'm perplexed at the way the subject of Japanese war crimes has been so neglected. Many people are fearful of "Japan bashing," but this book can't be considered as such. Why? Well, the atrocities comitted by the Japanese in WWII had no real precedent. There is nothing inherent in Japanese culture that would cause people to act so brutally. From the Sino Japanese War, to World War I, the Japanese had earned a reputation for respecting their enemies. Their barbaric actions in WWII did not represent the norm, but a shocking aberration. This fact makes the subject all the more important. The Japanese war crimes should be remembered to remind us of how a civilized, humane culture can suddenly change for the worse. All countries are capable of this kind of change; no one is above the darker aspects of humanity. This book, as with all books about war crimes, reminds readers of the low levels that any nation can stoop to.
Rating: 
Summary: eye opener
Review: The first chapter was hard for me to get through. It was the politics...too many different Japanese names...too confusing. But after the first chapter, it is Riveting. Unbelieveable! Should be required reading. The bombing of Pearl Harbor, was the tip of the iceberg.
Rating:
Summary: Well Written, Well Researched
Review: We've seen the movies, the Hollywood glamour of Japanese POW camps in such movies as "Bridge over the River Kwai" and "Empire of the Sun". I had read hints of Japanese brutality, I knew about the rise of the military culture within the government and I, of course, knew of Bushido and the characteristic, xenophobic racism of the Japanese. But I was not prepared for the reality of the Japanese scourge upon the Orient. This fantastic book chronicles the war crimes of the Japanese soldiers and government from the very beginning of the Sino-Japanese conflict and the Rape of Nanking to the frenzied coverup when defeat became evident and the atomic bombs fell. The author relies heavily upon what was uncovered during the war crime trials of the Japanese hierarchy, as well as testimony from both Allied and Japanese soldiers. The brutality and inhuman conditions of the POW camps, the horrid transportation by ship, and the long death marches (the most famous of which, Bataan) inflicted upon the Allies, the Chinese, the Pacific Islanders, the Indians, and everyone who crossed the path of the Japanese are detailed so meticulously you can see the human skeletons, feel the agony of the raped and slaughtered Chinese, and weep for those prisoners burned alive or bayoneted only because their care had become a burden. I adore Japanese culture. Bushido is an honorable path for a warrior and the Samurai who practiced it, honorable men. But you cannot forget an atrocity for an honorable past or an affluent future. With all the candid and realistic portrayals of WWII in Europe and the Nazi concentration camps we have seen come out of Hollywood in the last decade, I am surprised that there is no accurate screen memorial to the millions fallen under the boot of the Japanese. This book is great for a WWII buff or student of Japanese or Asian culture.
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