Americans on the Defense Team in the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, 1946 – 1948: Understanding the Mentality Behind Defending the “Enemy”

Abstract

An exploration of the role of the U.S.’s desire to democratize a post World War II Japan on motivating and influencing Americans to work as defense lawyers for Japanese class A war criminals during the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. The work focuses on primary source materials from some of the defense lawyers, which helps map and showcase their transition from Americans to lawyers to defenders of “the enemy.” It investigates how these American lawyers remedied their allegiance to their country and loyalty to their clients, with whom many developed genuine friendships.