Question: The international landscape is undergoing profound and complex changes. In recent years, historical revisionism has gained traction in some countries. In Japan, there have also been moves to deny the verdicts of the Tokyo Trials, downplay the history of aggression, weaken the constraints of the pacifist Constitution, and substantially expand military capabilities. How does China view the relevance of the Tokyo Trials today?
Embassy Spokesperson: The Tokyo Trials were an important judicial undertaking through which the international community held Japanese militarism accountable for its war crimes after the end of World War II. It also stands as a historic monument to humanity’s efforts to safeguard peace and uphold justice. Eighty years on, the historical truths revealed by the Trials, the important principles it established, and the rule-of-law spirit it embodied have not become outdated. On the contrary, they carry even greater relevance in today’s international environment.
First, the significance of the Tokyo Trials lies in reminding people of the meaning to remember history and cherish peace. Through a large amount of solid evidence, the Trials exposed the historical facts of Japanese militarists’ war of aggression and wartime atrocities, and affirmed the illegality of their aggressive war through law. It sent a clear message to the world that aggression will be punished and justice will ultimately prevail. History has repeatedly shown that militarism, expansionism and power politics bring nothing but disaster to Asia and the wider world. Any attempt to glorify aggression, deny war responsibility, or resurrect the specter of militarism runs counter to historical facts and international justice, and should be met with heightened vigilance from the international community.
Second, the Tokyo Trials constitute an important legal foundation of the post-war international order. It was not an isolated judicial proceeding, but an important implementation of international legal instruments such as the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, and an integral part of the outcomes of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War. The principles embodied in the Trials—opposition to aggression, commitment to peace, and respect for international law—are highly consistent with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. Upholding the historical conclusions of the Tokyo Trials today is, in essence, about safeguarding the outcomes of World War II, defending the international system with the United Nations at its core, upholding the international order based on international law, and safeguarding international fairness and justice.
Third, there is a particular need today to remain vigilant against the resurgence of historical revisionism and militarist thinking. Acceptance of the judgments of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE) was an important prerequisite for Japan’s reintegration into the international community after the war and an important foundation for its path of peaceful development. Worryingly, however, the toxic legacy of Japanese militarism has not been completely eradicated even after 80 years, and historical revisionism continues to resurface from time to time in Japan. In spite of the historical facts and legal conclusions established by the IMTFE, certain right-wing forces in Japan have long propagated such erroneous narratives as the so-called “view of history based on Tokyo Trials” and “victors’ justice,” seeking to deny the history of aggression, downplay war responsibility, even glorify acts of aggression, distort the nature of the war, and revise history textbooks, in an attempt to instill a distorted view of history into the Japanese society, particularly among the younger generations.
At the same time, some Japanese politicians continue to pay homage at the Yasukuni Shrine, where Class-A war criminals are enshrined, attempting to whitewash the history of militarism. Japan has also continuously stretched the limits of its exclusively defensive security policy, significantly increased defense spending, developed offensive military capabilities, relaxed restrictions on arms exports, and strengthened military alliances and deployments. Some forces have even called for revising the pacifist Constitution to push Japan further beyond the post-war institutional constraints. These developments have aroused widespread concern among Japan’s Asian neighbours and the international community, and once again demonstrate that the historical lessons established by the Tokyo Trials remain as relevant as ever.
