Initiated in 1946, the Tokyo Court sentenced 7 high-ranking members of the Japanese military to the death penalty for war crimes
2026 will mark 80 years since the opening of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, also known as the Tokyo Tribunal. This Court was the Asian equivalent of the Nuremberg Tribunal, which tried high-ranking Nazi members for crimes against humanity and war crimes. At the Tokyo Court, the defendants were members of the Japanese government and army that attacked China in 1937 and the Philippines and Indonesia throughout World War II (1939-1945).
The date in itself is an important historical memory for the Chinese, the people who suffered most from proven atrocities committed by Japanese troops who occupied part of the country for 14 years. But the date is even more emblematic given the current state of relations between China and Japan. Since the end of last year, with the rise of the prime minister (Liberal Democratic Party, right), the political basis of diplomatic ties between the countries has been undermined.
The crisis began for 2 reasons, and both have a direct connection with the Japanese Prime Minister.
In November, Takaichi declared that he would help Taiwan militarily in the event of a Chinese attack on the island. Few statements are as sensitive to the Chinese government as an indication that it would get involved in any issue in the China-Taiwan relationship. As expected, Beijing condemned Takaichi’s speech and, since then, the 2 governments have not spoken directly.
The other side of the crisis is Takaichi’s own campaign flag. The prime minister was elected with a speech about remilitarizing the country and has already put forward agendas to enable growth in its industry and military arsenal. Takaichi is reversing the so-called “Fukuda Doctrine”, created in 1977 and which was a promise that Japan would not return to being a military power and reinforced its “pacifist” Constitution promulgated in 1946.
In recent months, the Japanese government:
- revoked the 60-year-old ban on the export of lethal weapons – the country is now able to sell defense equipment such as fighter jets, missiles and warships to allies;
- in a province facing the Chinese coast
- accelerated the military expansion program started in 2023 that aims to double Japan’s defense spending to 2% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product).
China closely monitors the neighboring country’s movements. The Chinese government has stated on several occasions that Japanese efforts to reinvigorate its military industry represent a threat to peace in Asia. It found a partner in Russia that it also considers a serious risk to Japanese remilitarization.
It is in this context that China is preparing a series of events to honor the deaths of millions of soldiers and civilians in the war against Japan. In addition to promoting international awareness of the history of the Tokyo Tribunal, Beijing aims to garner more support to prune the Takaichi government.
TOKYO COURT AND THE NANKING MASSACRE
From May 3, 1946 to November 12, 1948, a Court of 11 judges from 11 different nationalities who fought against Japan – China, the United States, the Soviet Union, France, the United Kingdom, India, New Zealand, the Philippines, the Netherlands, Australia and Canada – judged 28 Japanese authorities who participated in the 2nd Sino-Japanese War (1931-1945) and the 2nd World War.
Of this total, 25 were tried until the end of the process, 2 died before the verdict and one was considered unaccountable due to insanity. Of the 25 found guilty, 7 were sentenced to the death penalty, 16 to life imprisonment, one to 20 years in prison and another to 7 years.
The main name among the defendants was that of the Japanese Prime Minister from 1941 to 1944, Hideki Tojo. In September 1945, Tojo tried to kill himself before being captured by US troops, but he was rescued and survived until he was tried in court. He was hanged in December 1948.
The main controversy surrounding the Tokyo Court was the non-criminal prosecution of the Emperor of Japan, Hirohito. In his court testimony, Tojo stated that Hirohito was aware of Japanese war plans, including the attack on the US base at Pearl Harbor.
However, Hirohito was not targeted by the court. The main thesis about the decision not to put the emperor in the dock is that the US pressed to spare him, as they saw Hirohito as the only figure capable of leading a peaceful transition in post-war Japan.
Among all the crimes that the Tokyo Tribunal has looked into, the most famous is the Nanking Massacre. The massacre was a period of approximately 6 weeks marked by extreme violence by Japanese troops after the capture of the then Chinese capital, Nanking, on December 13, 1937. It is estimated that more than 300,000 civilians and unarmed soldiers were killed, while tens of thousands of women were victims of rape.
In the image, flowers laid at the Nanking Massacre Victims Memorial
Nanjing currently has dozens of memorials to the massacre and the event is widely studied in Chinese schools. The main memory space for the victims of the massacre is the Memorial for the Victims of the Nanking Massacre by the Japanese Invaders.
Since 2014, China has held a national mobilization event in memory of the deaths in Nanking.
The massacre has already been the subject of several Chinese productions. The most recent was the film “Dead to rights” (“Nanjing: Luz na Escuridão” in Portuguese) released in July last year, already in the context of a campaign for the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and in the World Anti-Fascist War – names used in China for the clashes. The film had a box office gross of US$423 million (R$2.1 billion).
