Japanese War Crimes during World War II: Atrocity and the Psychology of Collective Violence

A challenging examination of Japanese war crimes during World War II offers a fresh perspective on the Pacific War―and a better understanding of reasons for the wartime use of extreme mass violence.

The 1937 Rape of Nanjing has become a symbol of Japanese violence during the Second World War, but it was not the only event during which the Japanese used extreme force. This thought-provoking book analyzes Japan's actions during the war, without blaming Japan, helping readers understand what led to those eruptions. In fact, the author specifically disputes the idea that the forms of extreme violence used in the Pacific War were particularly Japanese.

The volume starts by examining the Rape of Nanjing, then goes on to address Japan's acts of individual and collective violence throughout the conflict. Unlike other works on the subject, it combines historical, sociological, and psychological perspectives on violence with a specific study of the Japanese army, seeking to define the reasons for the use of extreme violence in each particular case. Both a historical survey and an explanation of Japanese warfare, the book scrutinizes incidents of violence perpetrated by the Japanese vis-à-vis theories that explore the use of violence as part of human nature. In doing so, it provides far-reaching insights into the use of collective violence and torture in war overall, as well as motivations for committing atrocities. Finally, the author discusses current political implications stemming from Japan's continued refusal to acknowledge its war-time actions as war crimes.

• Covers the full expanse of Japanese war crimes during the Second World War from 1937 to 1945

• Examines the social and political reasons for an increase in the severity of the violence the Japanese used against women and foreign soldiers during the war

• Explains how political relations between the United States and Japan were responsible for increased violence against American soldiers

• Discusses hotly contested issues surrounding the denial of war crimes by the Japanese and the resulting impact on regional and international relations

• Serves to stimulate discussion about the evaluation of mass violence and genocide