The Knights of Bushido: A History of Japanese War Crimes During World War II Paperback – Illustrated, July 19, 2016

Awesome informative, reading.

Excellent primer on the atrocities the Japanese armed forces committed during World War II, with reviews of the pre-war & war terror the Japanese inflicted on China & it's people, including "The Rape of Nan King" in particular, where it is estimated between 250,000-300,000 men, women and children were murdered by the Japanese conquerors while the military leaders turned a blind eye & often sadistically encouraged the accompanying horrors of torture, mutilation and rape. The book is fairly explicit in it's description of the depravity of the Japanese military from the top on down, which included regular episodes of cannibalism, not done out of necessity, but done to celebrate victory. The beginning of the book contains a fairly brief but concise chronology of the gradual military take-over of the country & finally, of the emperor himself. I had never learned the story of how Japan came to be the despicable imperial power it was before & during WWII, so it was very enlightening for me to discover the parallels between Japan & Germany, specifically in how the people of both countries were propagandized and coerced into obedience & even devotion to their national "cause". In the case of Germany, it was the cause of the Arian "Master Race". In the case of Japan, it was also the cause of the master race (Japanese & the ancient code of Bushido) that would "liberate" and ultimately control all of Asia. Much of the writing contains quotes straight from court trial documents, providing a large measure of objectivity to the corresponding analyses. Younger generations are being told that America paralleled the imperial nature of Japan, and our young are being fed much misinformation regarding many historical facts surrounding the war in the Pacific. This book brings out the truth of the barbarity of the Japanese and the blind obedience of the citizens who partook of that barbarity & hatred of non-Japanese. Contrast that with America (and of course others), who had mercy upon the Japanese people & helped put that country back on it's feet after the war! There is no comparison with America, even when considering the re-location camps here in the states. This book helps to dispel the myth that the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima & Nagasaki were cruel and unnecessary. The book reminds the reader through the stating of many statistics, just how extensive the depravity of the Japanese was - from Nan King to Australia. It also describes the devious nature of the Japanese politicians & military in taking advantage of the European War theater & in manipulating events in their quest to control all of Asia. The book in no way claims to be an exhaustive source on any of the subjects it covers. It contains numerous references to more in-depth reading for those interested in knowing more about a particular area. The last section of the book is devoted to short bios & overviews of court proceedings & verdicts given to the major war criminals tried by the British-led tribunal. Several popular war-crimes defense strategies are also discussed, along with reasons why they were not accepted as valid by the tribunal. I would give the book 5 stars except that there are some instances where readers might get confused as to whether they are encountering the author's comments, or court testimony or some other quote - it is not always clearly noted (it could be a problem only in the kindle version - I don't have the hardcopy version). All in all, this was a very good book, and I will continue using it for reference to other reading materials.

Amazing how man’s humanity is forgotten during war. Horrific, tragic, shameful, shocking… how historical ideology when used improperly to benefit others over their own becomes sanctioned massacre!The photos and illustrations are images that you will not forget. You are left wondering as you look at these images of how and why; just because these people were the “undesirable” in the minds of the military.Unforgettable. Lessons that we as humans must learn from and never forget.

Very good in detail although after a while the concentrating on the atrocities becomes repetitious. There is a lot of information, but the reading becomes tiring.

There are other books documenting Japanese atrocities such as Daws’ Prisoners of the Japanese and Weller’s First to Nagasaki, yet none have as many testimonies as The Knights of Bushido. The book focuses mainly on British and Dutch prisoners including colonials from India, Australia, Canada, Indonesia, etc. Still, there are numerous descriptions of events in the Philippines, Taiwan, China, and Japan.What Lord Russell details is stunning. From the time that Japan began fighting in China in 1931 until Japan surrendered in 1945, the pattern changed little. Civilian populations were raped and killed, often deliberately massacred to instill fear or to demonstrate Japanese racial superiority. Prisoners, whether military or civilian, were often summarily executed or retained for slave labor. They rarely had access to any medical care and were always inadequately fed and (as they say today) hydrated.The Knights of Bushido includes photographs, much testimony, and selections from many incriminating Japanese documents. Lord Russell is not being sensational. Every detail is carefully documented. I understand now why so many sources on the Pacific War refer to this book. The reader realizes, too, upon completing the book that the information contained in it just scratches the surface. Everywhere Japan conquered from the Russian border to the Nicobar Islands, from Melanesia to the home islands, their treatment of the local population and prisoners (including civilians) was cruel and ruthless.Russell devotes a chapter to the war crimes trials. There was enough documentation still in existence to show that extermination was a protocol and mistreatment of civilian populations and prisoners was policy.

great read on a topic much overlooked during WW2.