meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The John Batchelor Show

PREVIEW: From a two-hour conversation with Gary Bass, author of the challenging and gripping Judgment at Tokyo: the professor explains how the infamous PM Tojo failed at pistol shot suicide when the American authorities were at the door.

The John Batchelor Show

John Batchelor

Society & Culture, Arts, News, Books

4.52.8K Ratings

🗓️ 14 December 2023

⏱️ 3 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

PREVIEW: From a two-hour conversation with Gary Bass, author of the challenging and gripping Judgment at Tokyo: the professor explains how the infamous PM Tojo failed at pistol shot suicide when the American authorities were at the door in Occupied Japan.

1930 Tokyo


Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

The new Samsung Galaxy Z-Flip 5 and Chromebook are better together.

0:07.0

Take hands-free selfies which automatically sync to your Chromebook, ready to edit, and access

0:11.6

recent chrome tabs across both devices.

0:14.0

The new Galaxy Z Flip5 and Chromebook, better together.

0:18.0

Available on Sky Mobile.

0:20.0

Bluetooth and internet connection required.

0:22.0

You must be signed into the same Google account on both your phone and Chromebook.

0:27.0

This is John Batcher. What follows is a short exchange with Gary Bass, Professor Gary Bass, whose new book sold out at Amazon,

0:35.5

judgment at Tokyo is about the war crimes trials held in Tokyo,

0:40.4

1946 to 1948.

0:42.8

Toto was the prime minister, the cabinet officer, most blamed during the war and afterwards

0:49.5

for the attack on Pearl Harbor and the depredations by the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy.

0:55.7

When the decision was made to arrest Ojo, he was at home out of uniform, waiting for it.

1:01.8

And this is the explanation Gary Bass provides for why the suicide

1:07.3

attempt didn't work. It's odd but there it is and Professor Bass who's read all of the trial testimony 50,000 pages has a

1:19.5

convincing case that Tojo wanted to be recognized.

1:24.4

That's why he says he didn't shoot himself in the head,

1:26.4

which usually leads to death.

1:28.1

Not always.

1:29.2

So here's Gary Bass, judgment of Tokyo on Tojo's man responsible for tens of thousands, hundreds of

1:37.5

thousands of death, Tojo's failure to commit suicide.

1:42.4

He is, he's, he's very good at killing a lot of people, he's not very good at killing himself.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from John Batchelor, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of John Batchelor and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.