Beijing Review: Remembering the history of Tokyo Trial so that tragedies never repeat

May 3, 2026 marked the 80th anniversary of the opening of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE), commonly known as the Tokyo Trial, which was established to deliver justice following World War II. The IMTFE held sessions from May 1946 to November 1948, during which it tried 28 Class-A Japanese war crime suspects. The tribunal played a significant role in promoting world peace, reestablishing international order, and upholding justice.

Eight months prior to this anniversary, an English book titled Tokyo Trial: Evidence and Judgment of the Nanjing Massacre was published by the Foreign Languages Press. The book was compiled by experts from the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders and the Institute for National Memory and International Peace Studies.

The publication includes historical archives and documents related to the IMTFE and the Nanjing Massacre, systematically presenting evidence of atrocities committed by the Japanese army in Nanjing. This includes judgments made by the tribunal regarding Class-A war criminals. Among the historical materials featured are the Charter of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, witness testimony, documentary evidence, transcripts of proceedings, and summaries.

As part of the book series Memories of World War II: The Nanjing Massacre, the publication maintains the original texts, acknowledging some inaccuracies concerning names and terms while providing explanations through footnotes. Daniel Filmus, a former education minister of Argentina, expressed his thoughts on the book, stating, "The Nanjing Massacre is one of the most horrific war crimes humanity has ever experienced. The condemnation of what happened in Nanjing and the example set by the Tokyo Trial are not sufficiently known in the West." He emphasized its importance for preventing similar events in the future.

Evandro Menezes De Carvalho, an international law professor at Fluminense Federal University in Brazil, described the book as a significant testimony. "As we turn its pages, we are confronted not only with facts, documents, and legal arguments, but with voices—voices of victims, of witnesses, and of those who refused to remain silent in the face of unimaginable cruelty," he remarked. He was particularly moved by a sentence in the book that asserts, "War, like a mirror, reminds people of the value of peace." Carvalho noted that the Tokyo Trial aimed to ensure accountability for crimes against humanity and uphold the dignity of human life.