CCTV news: According to the "Chinese Embassy in the UK" WeChat public account, on June 16, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the UK released a series of questions and answers on the 80th anniversary of the Tokyo Trial (Part 1).
Q: This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trial. What does China think of the historical and legal significance of the Tokyo Trial?
Answer: From May 1946 to November 1948, the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, composed of representatives from 11 countries including China, the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union, conducted a just trial against the Japanese militarists for launching a war of aggression and committing serious war crimes.The trial went through 818 sessions, with 419 witnesses appearing in court, a total of 4,336 pieces of evidence, and nearly 50,000 pages of English trial records. It exposed the war atrocities committed by Japanese militarism in many Asian countries, convicted Japanese militarism of launching a war of aggression, confirmed the illegality of Japan's colonial aggression in World War II from the perspective of international law, and nailed fascist war criminals to the pillar of shame in human history forever.
The Tokyo Trial examines human conscience and judges historical justice. The historical justice it carries cannot be denied, its legal validity cannot be challenged, and the cornerstone of the post-war international order it laid cannot be shaken.
The Tokyo Trial is an important pillar of the post-war international order, and its judgments are binding under international law.The Charter of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East clearly stipulates that the court has the power to try Japanese war criminals guilty of crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity; it further stipulates that the court's judgment is binding on Japan under international law, and Japan must recognize and implement the trial results.
The legal effect of the Tokyo Trial did not come out of thin air. The "Cairo Declaration", "Potsdam Proclamation" and "Japan's Instrument of Surrender" are important international legal documents. The three formed a complete legal chain and constituted the international legal framework that restrained Japan after the war.The Cairo Declaration made it clear that Japan must return the Chinese territory it stole, deprive Japan of all the islands it captured in the Pacific after World War I, and stipulated that Japan's territorial scope was limited to the four major mainland islands and small islands determined by the Allies.The "Potsdam Declaration" reaffirmed the legal validity of the provisions of the "Cairo Declaration" and clearly required Japan to completely disarm, eradicate militarism, not maintain industries that can be used for rearmament, and severely punish war criminals.The "Japanese Instrument of Surrender" states that Japan must "faithfully implement the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration".Any violation of the Potsdam Declaration is an illegal act in violation of international law and will have serious legal consequences.
Accepting the judgment of the Tokyo Trial is a prerequisite for Japan’s return to the international community after the war.Today, 80 years later, the legacy of Japanese militarism has not yet been cleared up and is growing secretly.Faced with the historical conclusion and irrefutable evidence of the Tokyo Trial, Japan's right-wing forces vigorously denied, distorted, and even beautified the crime of aggression, tampered with history textbooks, and instilled a wrong view of history into Japanese society.Mr. Mei Ru'ao, the Chinese judge in the Tokyo Trial, once said, "Forgetting the sufferings of the past may lead to disasters in the future."If anyone or any force tries to overturn the verdict of aggression by overestimating their own capabilities, they will be resolutely resisted by peace-loving people all over the world and will be put on the trial stand of history again.
