The Tokyo Trials: Justice endures

Eighty years after the opening of the Tokyo Trials, their legacy lives on. At an international symposium held in Shanghai and Nanjing to mark this 80th anniversary not long ago, historians, legal scholars, former diplomats and policymakers from across Asia and beyond discussed the historic significance and practical relevance of the Tokyo Trials.

Regrettably, such discussions are rarely seen in Japan's media. And that silence reveals a deeper reality. For decades, the Tokyo Trials have been a target of Japanese historical revisionists, who dismiss the verdict as "victors' justice" and attempt to dilute memories of wartime aggression. In that sense, the message from the symposium carries particular weight: time passes, but the legacy of the Tokyo Trials does not fade.

I. Beyond the verdict

During the symposium, Cheng Zhaoqi of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Wang Xiumei of Beijing Normal University and historian Wang Chaoguang all revisited the significance of the Tokyo Trials. They argued that the judgment laid the bedrock for a fundamental postwar principle: war should be constrained by the power of law. Their shared view was that the commitment to preserving peace and saving civilization, together with the principles of international law, served as an important foundation for postwar international justice and international order.

Former Malaysian ambassador to China Majid Khan echoed that point. According to him, in a world facing increasingly complex global challenges, the deeper value of the Tokyo Trials lies not simply in punishing past crimes, but in encouraging humanity to pursue peace and justice. When suffering is remembered and inspires restraint, respect for human dignity and international cooperation, history delivers lasting value.

Besides, Viviane Dittrich of the International Nuremberg Principles Academy and Xu Chi of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences noted that the trials, covering much of East and Southeast Asia and involving dozens of peoples and former colonies, were in essence a cross-cultural judicial practice. Following the model of Nuremberg tribunal, the trials marked the first time that non-Western nations, as equal prosecuting states, held an empire accountable for its crimes of aggression, a landmark in both postwar justice and international law.

II. China's contribution

Brazilian scholar Cássius Chai reviewed the pivotal role of Chinese prosecutors in rendering immense human suffering into legally admissible evidence and testimony. Their work helped foster a critical understanding: aggression is by no means a mere political act, but a legal fact subject to judicial scrutiny and accountability. Moreover, Chinese prosecutors refused to allow aggression to be defined by diplomatic formalities alone. What matters is not whether an aggressor formally declares war, but whether it deliberately plots, prepares for and perpetrates hostile actions. Had international law been hijacked by the aggressor's crafted rhetoric, its deterrent power would have been rendered meaningless.

Several speakers also pointed to China's postwar approach to Japanese war criminals. Historian Jin Yilin talked about the Association of Returnees from China organized by former Japanese war criminals repatriated from China and the active role it has played in promoting peace and China-Japan friendship. It is particularly worth noting that of nearly a thousand repatriated war criminals, only one later retracted his confession. This is nothing short of a miracle in human history.

III. Reflection and warnings

In response to Japanese far-right forces' invocation of the principle of legality, Professor Leng Xinyu pointed out that the principle cannot undermine the legitimacy of the verdict. By accepting the Potsdam Proclamation and Instrument of Surrender, Japan is legally obliged to honor the binding commitments contained therein.

Multiple participants warned that historical revisionism remains a persistent force in Japan. Liao Shiping of Beijing Normal University observed that attempts to deny the significance of the trials have become a long-running undercurrent in Japanese society. Ironically, such attempts only demonstrate how relevant the trials remain. Revisionists cannot escape history—and their struggle only shows why.

Japanese scholar Hiroshi Shiratori described the Tokyo Trials as a foundation of Japan's postwar pacifism. He warned that growing military buildup and rising defense spending risk repeating the mistakes of history.

Professor Masataka Mori offered an even starker warning. Japan's far-right forces continue portraying the verdict as a one-sided judgment by the victors, claiming that Japan fought a war of self-defense rather than aggression. These narratives are increasingly accompanied by visits to the Yasukuni war shrine, military rearmament and attempts to revise the constitution.

As a high-level Chinese diplomat Qi Dahai noted, acts to undermine the verdict's legitimacy with claims of "retroactive law" or "victors' justice" ultimately seek to cover up the history of aggression and evade responsibility. Should such revisionism go unchecked, the lessons of history could be forgotten altogether.

IV. Justice endures

Eighty years on, the world has undergone a sea change. Yet the principles affirmed in Tokyo still serve as cornerstones of the postwar international order. Aggression is a crime. Atrocities must be punished. Peace requires accountability. As some in Japan seek to whitewash aggression, blur historical responsibility and weaken the conclusions reached after World War II, it becomes more imperative to defend historical truth.

The participants in Shanghai and Nanjing reached a simple conclusion: the Tokyo Trials are not a past chapter in history. The verdict remains a reminder of what will happen when militarism goes unchecked, and why peace must be defended through both memory and law. That is precisely why, eighty years on, justice delivered at the Tokyo Trials has not expired—and why it never will.

The author is a commentator on international affairs, contributing regularly to Xinhua News, Global Times, China Daily, CGTN, etc. He can be reached at shaoxia2019@163.com.