Defending the Enemy – A Memoir of the Eyewitness Account of the The Tokyo Trials

From 1946-48 Elaine Fischel worked as part of the American legal defense team for the Tokyo Trials, defending the Japanese war criminals responsible for the torture and deaths of millions of civilians and prisoners of war.

In letters to her family at the time, the author as a young woman tries to explain her relationships with the defendants and her own surprise at the growing fondness she felt for many of the “villains” of WWII—particularly prime minister and general Hideki Tojo, known during the war as “Razor.”

Defending the Enemy is the story of a young woman who wants to make the most of her time in a country so full of beauty. Fischel interweaves the activities and intrigues of the trial alongside her tales of travel throughout Japan, her social engagements with high-ranking military and civilians, and her unique enduring relationships, such as her friendship with Emperor Hirohito’s brother, Prince Takamatsu. In doing so, Fischel illuminates the paradoxes inherent during this period in history.

Interested in learning more about the American involvement in the Tokyo Trials, click here for a closer look at Defending The Enemy.