This is John Batchelor. A conversation with Professor Gary Bass, his new book, Judgment at Tokyo,

World War II on Trial in the Making of Modern Asia.

This is the war crimes trial for the Japanese Imperial Army, Navy, and Government officials

1946 to 48, leading to some executions, others imprisonment.

What is important here is that war crimes were broken down into categories and Class A was making

aggressive war.

Here's Gary to explain. What we understand as war crimes today,

monstrosities, ill conduct, murder, and mayhem, that was Class B. Class A is far more important in

1946 to 48 because that begins at the government level, the ruin. Here's Professor Bass. So generally when people think

of Class A you just think major war criminal but what it actually means is

those accused of aggressive war.

So because the decision to launch aggressive war

to invade China, to grab Indochina,

to attack the United States at Pearl Harbor. Those are top-level decisions.

The decision, class A war criminals are the most senior people and that include

tojo they go after everyone who was in his cabinet at the time of Pearl Harbor

including a man named to go chicanori who was actually the foremost voice within the Japanese government arguing against attacking Pearl Harbor, but he is nevertheless sort of rounded in with the cabinet.

And the focus is on the military, especially the army, the Japanese army, even more so than the Navy,

is extremely bellicose.

There are also civilian ideologues,

prime ministers, foreign ministers in there.

And it's a, as well as a bunch of generals, including General Matsui

...