Repatriation and release of Japanese war criminals 1946-1958: Southeast Asia, Japan and the Great Powers

The project investigates issues of politics, diplomacy and reconciliation in the repatriation and release of Japanese war criminals convicted in level B and C trials in Southeast Asia after Japan's defeat in 1945 and held in local prisons. This process required negotiations amongst Japan, newly (or soon-to-be) independent Southeast Asian countries and departing colonial powers. The diplomatic discussions and public debates on the contentious issues of repatriation and release cast new light on the construction of an international order in Southeast Asia during the post-war and early Cold War eras and on the place of Japan and the great powers in that order. The project will produce a jointly authored book and several sole-authored articles.