A9

A9

A BBC Radio 4 dramatisation

Summary

Article 9 of the Tokyo Judgement at the end of WWII withdrew from the Japanese constitution the state's right of belligerency. Traumatised and guilt ridden for having killed enemy soldiers in war, Bernard has to attempt to coerce his children to continue his life's work, and makes their awaiting inheritance dependent on their abandoning their present careers and dedicating their lives to the promotion of A9. 1948: Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. The right of belligerency of the State will not be recognised. Starring David Warner, Rebecca Saire, Oliver Cotton, Deborah Findlay, Jonathan Tafler, Ewart James Walters, and Malcolm Tierney. Directed by Eoin O'Callaghan.

About the author

Helen Cooper

Helen Cooper is an author and illustrator whose work includes classic picture books such as The Bear Under the Stairs, Pumpkin Soup, The Baby Who Wouldn’t Go to Bed and Tatty Ratty. Her books have been translated into 30 languages and won many awards including the Library Association Kate Greenaway Medal – twice.

More recently she has collaborated as a writer with other illustrators. Notably, Saving the Butterfly, illustrated by Gill Smith, which was published in 2022. She has also written and illustrated children’s MG fiction and the latest – The Taming of the Cat – published in October 2023.
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