During the Second World War Japanese soldiers committed several different war crimes, including the kidnapping and raping of women or the mistreatment of POWs. In relation to the war crime trials after 1945 these perpetrators were interviewed by the Allied powers and could reflect on their acts during the war. How they perceived their own role for the named eruptions of violence is the main focus of the present book. It takes a closer look at the self-perception and the apologetical narratives of war criminals within the Japanese Army to explain how ordinary Japanese men explained their crimes against humanitiy once the Second World War was over.

Frank Jacob, Global History Faculty of Social Science Nord University, Norway.