The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE)—the Tokyo Trial—opened on May 3, 1946, to deliver justice after World War II. From May 1946 to November 1948, the IMTFE tried 28 Class-A Japanese war crime suspects. The Tokyo Trial was significant to resuming world peace, reestablishing international order and upholding justice. An English book, “Tokyo Trial,” was published to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the IMTFE. Below are comments on this book and related articles.
Daniel Fernando Filmus
Former Minister of Education of Argentina
Professor of sociology and education at University of Buenos Aires
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.
That is why the publication of this book on the Tokyo Trial is so important. So are the harrowing testimonies of those who experienced the Nanjing Massacre. For that reason as well, when I read the book, I was deeply impacted. And they also made an impact on those at the Tokyo Trial, who were able to convict those responsible, as well as those who had looked the other way and later acknowledged that these events had occurred.
For this reason, I have also decided, personally, to include this text in my course at the University of Buenos Aires. It is an essential and necessary text, not only because of what happened to Chinese citizens, but also to ensure that it never happens again anywhere in the world.
For that reason, I would also like to suggest that the text be translated into Spanish. I think this is important, because Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world—not only in Latin America, but in many parts of the world—so that people can have access to these testimonies, and understand not only the allegations relating to the massacre, but also the justice rendered in Tokyo.
We insist that the purpose of the book and of spreading its content is to ensure that this never happens again.
Eric Foster
Nephew of U.S. journalist Helen Foster Snow (1907-97)
Last year, I did a book review of the Tokyo Trial book. The book features many testimonies and the evidence of what really took place. What’s important about this book is that it shows the actual evidence, with the countries all coming together to organize these trials and shows the evidence and the procedures of how they did it.
What’s significant about this book is it enables not just us, but the international community and the future generations to know about this history so that we don’t have it repeated again in the future.
Einar Tangen
American commentator
Senior fellow at Center for International Governance Innovation
The Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders offered two essays that deal with the circumstances surrounding the trial—very detailed, almost daily, of what happened.
But what it boils down to is you had resources that were inadequate. This was not for lack of effort by the prosecution team. Men like Colonel Thomas H. Morrow, David Nelson Sutton, and prosecutor Higgins worked tirelessly, often sleeping only a few hours per night. They were overwhelmed.
Between the announcement of surrender and the formal surrender, during that period, the Japanese Government went through and just eviscerated all of the evidence that they could find. This made it very, very difficult because all you had were the anecdotes, the testimonies of individuals who had been harmed or had seen things. The result was not a failure of will but a failure of process—bureaucracy, lost opportunities, and an inevitably incomplete picture of Japan’s crimes. So in the end, justice was only partial.
And to this day, there has been no formal acceptance of the full impact of what Japan has done. And today we face situations where similar ideas about fascism, about ultra nationalism, about “my country is superior to your country,” are arising. So the lessons of the Nanjing Massacre are still relevant today.
The importance of remembering and documenting exactly how these cases came about, what they represented and how they were prosecuted is so that we can do better. We must take an open-eyed look at the evidence, the process, and be absolutely certain that in the future we will do better.
Evandro Menezes De Carvalho
Recipient of the Chinese Government Friendship Award
Professor of international law at Fluminense Federal University in Brazil
Chief Executive Editor of China Hoje
The book Tokyo Trial: Evidence and Judgment of the Nanjing Massacre is not simply a historical account. It is a testimony. A testimony to suffering, to courage, and above all, to the enduring responsibility of humanity to remember.
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.
These voices transcend time. They speak to us today, reminding us that history is not distant, it lives within us. One sentence in this work resonates deeply, “War, like a mirror, reminds people of the value of peace.” This is not only a reflection. It is a warning. A warning that peace cannot be taken for granted, and that forgetting is the first step toward repetition.
The Tokyo Trial was an attempt to affirm that justice must follow atrocity. That those responsible for crimes against humanity must be held accountable, and that the dignity of human life must stand above power, above war, above silence.
But beyond the courtroom, beyond the legal judgment, there is something even more fundamental: memory. To remember is not to cultivate hatred. To remember is to honor the victims, to restore their humanity, and to reaffirm our collective commitment to peace.
Nanjing is not only a place of mourning, it is also a place of reflection and of hope. A hope that humanity can learn, that justice can evolve, and that peace can prevail. –The Daily Mail-Beijing Review news exchange item
