Barak Kushner, Men to Devils, Devils to Men: Japanese War Crimes and Chinese Justice (Harvard UP, 2015)
Barak Kushner\u2018s new book considers what happened in the wake of Japan\u2019s surrender, looking closely at diplomatic and military efforts to bring \u201cJapanese imperial behavior\u201d to justice. Men to Devils, Devils to Men: Japanese War Crimes and Chinese Justice (Harvard University Press, 2015) focuses on the aftermath of the Japanese war crimes, asking a number of important questions: \u201cHow did the Chinese legally deal with Japanese war crimes?\u201d and \u201cWhat were the Japanese responses, and [how] did these processes shape early Cold War Sino-Japanese relations?\u201d Two ways of reconsidering history shape the study. First, Kushner reframes Japan as a decolonizing empire, not just a defeated country. At the same time, he looks at the \u201cshifting landscape of the concept of law in East Asia\u201d and its impact on relations in the region during this period, especially in terms of international law and associated notions of accountability. These two broad historiographical re-orientations motivate an extraordinarily thoughtful and detailed treatment of the ways that conflict between the KMT and the CCP, and relations of both with other global powers, shaped the notion and history of war crimes trials. It\u2019s a clearly written and compellingly argued account that\u2019s also a pleasure to read!\n\nTo hear our conversation about Barak\u2019s previous book Slurp!: A Social and Culinary History of Ramen \u2013 Japan\u2019s Favorite Noodle Soup, see here.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices\nSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/law