From its invasion of Manchuria through to the Allies’ victory in 1945 the Japanese Imperial Army was guilty of widespread atrocities against its enemies and, in particular, the civilians of occupied countries. Massacre, human experimentation, starvation, forced labour and even cannibalism were commonplace during that period. It has been estimated that the number of deaths which resulted from these atrocities range from anything from three to fourteen million people.

Using this appalling record the author explains in graphic detail the cruelty of Japanese military forces, drawing attention to the impact on ordinary people. He explores the possible reasons why people committed such horrendous acts.

Seventy-eight years have passed since the surrender, yet the Japanese government has never squarely acknowledge their crimes, nor has it made an official apology. Over the years since, a handful of extreme right-wing elements in Japan has depicted the war and the atrocities as ‘the liberation of backward nations.’ They have attempted to reinterpret bloody massacres as 'a self-defensive holy war.'

As his father Hugh Lowry suffered grievously as a Prisoner of War on the infamous Thai/Burma Railway, the author knows first-hand of the lasting psychological and physical wounds suffered by victims of Japanese brutality. This disturbing book should serve as a warning that such extreme and widespread behaviour should never be repeated.

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• List of Images
• Map
• Preface
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 Unit 731
• Chapter 2 The Rape of Nanking
• Chapter 3 Murder in the Philippines
• Chapter 4 The Hong Kong Massacres
• Chapter 5 The Singapore Chinese Massacre (Sook Ching)
• Chapter 6 The Bangka Island Massacre
• Chapter 7 The Alexandra Hospital Massacre, Singapore
• Chapter 8 The Bataan Death March
• Chapter 9 The Thai–Burma Railway
• Chapter 10 Atrocities at Sea
• Chapter 11 Murder of Aircrews
• Chapter 12 The Sandakan Death Marches
• Chapter 13 Other Atrocities
  • Comfort Women 1938–1945
  • Cannibalism 1942–45
  • The Pingdingshan Massacre, September 1932
  • The Shanghai Massacres 1937
  • Quzhou Massacre 1940
  • Murder on Wake Island, December 1941
  • Atrocities on Guam, December 1941
  • The Tol Plantation Atrocities, Papua New Guinea, January 1942
  • The Parit Sulong Massacre, January 1942
  • The Ambon Island Atrocity, February 1942
  • Murder at Balikpapan, February 1942
  • The Selerang Barracks Singapore Killings, August 1942
  • Massacres on the Andaman Islands, 1942–1945
  • The Pig Basket Atrocity, October 1942
  • Ballalae Massacre, November 1942
  • The Double Tenth Massacre, Singapore, October 1943
  • Atrocities on Nauru, 1943–1945
  • Massacre on Palawan, December 1944
  • The Kalagon Massacre, July 1945
  • Operation Rimau Murders, Singapore, July 1945
  • The Loa Kulu Massacre, July 1945
• Chapter 14 The Kempeitai
• Chapter 15 War Crimes Tribunals, 1946–1951
• Chapter 16 Conclusion
• Bibliography