Chinese delegation made contributions in the Tokyo trial

This file photo shows the IMTFE courtroom. [Photo exclusively provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE), established by the Allies after World War II, started trying 28 Japanese military and government officials for war crimes in Tokyo on May 3, 1946.

The Tokyo trial convened 11 justices from 11 countries and lasted for about two and a half years until November in 1948. During the trial, 419 witnesses attended and over 4300 pieces of evidence were admitted.

In the Tokyo trial, the Chinese delegation, headed by Chinese judge Mei Ruao, made important contributions to the smooth progress of the trial with hard work and great care.

To confirm the accusation against Iwane Matsui, the commander of the expeditionary force sent to Central China for his involvement in the Nanking Massacre in 1937, Qiu Shaoheng, the secretary of the Chinese delegation, went back to China with two Americans for further investigation.

Later, Qiu brought Wu Changde and Xu Chuanlu, two survivors of the massacre and witnesses such as an American professor of Nanking University and a British missionary. Those witnesses provided precise testimonies to prove the defendant guilty.

The measurement of the penalty was disputed among the judges. Mei Ruao insisted on applying stern sanctions towards Japanese criminals in accordance with the law. "Otherwise we would disobey the spirit of the Potsdam Proclamation," said Mei.

At the end of the Tribunal, seven defendants were sentenced to death by hanging, and were executed at Sugamo Prison in Tokyo on December 23, 1948. Another sixteen defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment.

The photo is exclusively provided to chinadaily.com.cn by Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and cannot be used without permission.