Chapter 30 29. The "speech" of the Allied Commander and the "reason" of the presiding judge
History has warned people that any aggressor and crime of aggression will be punished by conscience and the law. This is especially true for the crimes committed by Japan in the Nanjing Massacre. A hundred years or a thousand years later, this inhuman crime will still not be easily erased, let alone someone trying to cover up and deny it.
For a militaristic country with an aggressive nature like Japan, the Nanjing Massacre must be brought out frequently, because the people who made this tragedy and their descendants have never been willing to admit their crimes.Just like the last moment of World War II, when the leaders of the Allied Powers announced a full-scale counterattack against the three Axis powers of Germany, Italy and Japan at the Yalta Conference in 1945 and ordered them to surrender, the Japanese remained indifferent and continued to fight wildly and peacefully The world is struggling, and the subsequent announcement issued by the leaders of the United States, Britain, and China in Potsdam near Berlin clearly stated that "our military power, backed by our firm will, if fully implemented, will definitely destroy the Japanese army completely. can be avoided, and the mainland of Japan will eventually be completely destroyed."With such a severe warning, the vicious Japanese went their own way, refused to surrender, and not only continued to resist in China and other Asian battlefields, massacring civilians, but also formulated the "local decisive battle" and "100 million pieces of jade" plans, that is, they were ready to pay 100 million Japanese human life in exchange for the last struggle.
Under such circumstances, in the early morning of August 6, 1945, the United States dispatched a B-29 bomber to drop the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, turning the entire Hiroshima into a sea of flames.Even so, the Japanese still refused to surrender.
On the afternoon of August 8, 1945, Molotov, the People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union summoned the Japanese ambassador to the Soviet Union Sato and informed him that because Japan continued its war of aggression and refused to accept the Potsdam Proclamation, the Soviet Union fulfilled its obligations to the United Nations. It was announced that from the early morning of the 9th Far Eastern Time, the Soviet Union would consider itself at war with Japan.The time difference between Moscow and the Far East is just a few hours. When Molotov notified the Japanese ambassador, it was already close to the early morning of the 9th in the Far East. It was less than half an hour after Molotov announced the notification to the Japanese ambassador, that is, at 00:10 on August 9th. At 12:00, the 1.5 million troops of the Soviet Far East Army entered Northeast China at lightning speed and delivered the final blow to the Japanese Kwantung Army.Before the Japanese even reacted, their trump card army had already collapsed.
On the same day, the United States dropped another atomic bomb on Nagasaki Island in Japan, and at the same time carried out a larger-scale punitive bombing of Tokyo, the capital of Japan...
On August 15, 1945, the Emperor of Japan had to announce the surrender. Obviously, Japan announced the truce and surrender under strong pressure. It was not willing to raise its hands and make a minimum self-reflection on its crimes of aggression. They have been unable to treat the history and crimes of aggression against China correctly, leaving a curse.If the heart of evil is not lost, the crime can of course be lightened or omitted.
Today, when we have historical and territorial disputes with Japan, we often refer to the famous "Potsdam Proclamation" because two provisions of the Proclamation are very clear and firm: one is to reaffirm the "Cairo Declaration" It pointed out that after the war "Japan's sovereignty will be limited to Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku and other small islands we decide"; ".
There are a lot of chaos in Asia today, especially the problems between China and Japan. Most of them are because the United States and Japan deliberately ignored the above two extremely important contents, which led to various disputes between countries and contradictions.The world should know where the root of the disaster lies.
Let's start with the situation at the end of World War II.
It should be said that the Allied Powers and the newly established UN agency were very timely and active in liquidating the crimes committed by the governments of Germany, Italy and Japan that launched the fascist war. In the second half of 1945, the victorious countries of World War II, apart from being busy with their own healing of war wounds, began to implement specific actions to "clean up" the defeated Germany, Italy, and Japan.
European countries are responsible for "cleaning up" Germany and Italy; the United States, China and other key "cleaning up" Japan.
On January 19, 1946, General MacArthur, the five-star general of the U.S. Army, who was carrying out the mission of "comprehensively transforming Japan" in Tokyo, Japan, signed a "special statement" on the trial of Japanese war criminals:
Whereas the United States and its allies, which oppose the illegal war of aggression by the Axis Powers, have repeatedly stated that they want to bring war criminals to trial;
Whereas the Governments of the Allied Powers fighting against Japan announced at Potsdam on July 26, 1945 that, as a condition of Japan's surrender, all war criminals, including those who mistreated Allied prisoners, must be severely tried;
Whereas the instrument of surrender signed in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945, Japan, as a signatory country, has accepted the conditions of surrender stipulated in the "Potsdam Proclamation" by order of and on behalf of the Emperor and the government of the country;
Whereas the Emperor and the Government ruling over Japan must submit to the command of the Supreme Allied Commander in accordance with the Instrument of Surrender, the Supreme Allied Commander has the power to take appropriate measures to implement the terms of the Instrument of Surrender;
Whereas the undersigned of this statement has been designated by the Allies as Supreme Allied Commander to accept the surrender of the armed forces of Japan;
In view of the fact that the governments of the United States, Britain, and Russia reached a consensus in Moscow on December 26, 1945, to implement the terms of Japan's surrender, China also agreed that the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces would issue all orders to implement the terms of surrender.
Therefore, as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces, I, MacArthur, in order to implement the requirements of the surrender conditions on severely punishing war criminals, now according to the authorization, hereby issue the following orders and regulations:
Article 1 The International Military Tribunal for the Far East is specially set up for the purpose of trying individuals, groups, and persons prosecuted with dual identities, including crimes against peace.
Article 2 The composition, jurisdiction and functions of the court shall be interpreted in accordance with the Charter of the International Military Court for the Far East approved by the Commander-in-Chief today.
Article 3 Nothing in this Order shall prejudice any international, national or occupational courts or commissions established or to be established in Japan or in member states of the United Nations with which Japan was at war with Japan for the trial of war criminals and other The courts exercise judicial power.
The above is posted by myself, Tokyo, January 19, 1946.
In 1919, he served as the principal of the United States Military Academy at West Point, led the commander-in-chief of the Pacific Southwest Theater that defeated Japan, and signed the Japanese surrender agreement on behalf of the United Nations. The content of the statement is clear and firm.In fact, MacArthur can also be called a writer. His "Memories of the Past" was once listed as a designated textbook by famous military academies around the world.He is also a passionate speaker who speaks 5 languages including French, German, Italian, Spanish and English.His speech - "Duty-Honor-Country", has inspired many generations of American soldiers and young people-
Responsibility—Honor—Country.
These three sacred terms solemnly remind you of what you ought to be, what you might be, and what you must be.They will lift your spirits, build courage when you seem to be losing courage, restore faith when there seems to be no reason to believe, and generate hope when you are almost hopeless.Unfortunately, I have neither eloquent words, poetic imagination, nor gorgeous metaphors to explain their meaning to you.The skeptic must say that they are no more than a few nouns, a slogan, a pompous phrase.Every pedant, every demagogue, every cynic, every hypocrite, every troublemaker, and, I am sorry to say, other eccentric personalities, must try to belittle them, and even To mock and ridicule.But these terms do what they do: shape your essential traits so that you will be the defender of the future; make you strong enough to recognize your own cowardice and stand up to your own timidity.They teach you to have self-respect and perseverance when you fail; be humble when you win, don't use words instead of actions, and don't seek comfort; face pressure and difficulties, and bravely accept challenges; learn to stand tall in the wind and waves, but Show sympathy for the victims; discipline yourself before others; have a pure heart and lofty goals; learn to laugh, but don’t forget how to cry; look forward to the future, but don’t ignore the past; be prudent, but don’t overdo it. Serious; be humble, remembering the simplicity of true greatness, the humility of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.They give you strength of will, quality of imagination, vigor of feeling, a rejuvenation from the depths of life, courage to overcome timidity, a willingness to take risks rather than comfort.They create within you wonderful and unexpected hopes, and inspiration and joy for life.This is how they teach you to be a soldier and a gentleman.
What kind of soldiers are you leading?Is he reliable?Are you brave?Does he have what it takes to win?You're all familiar with his story, the story of an American soldier.My assessment of him was formed years ago on the battlefield and has not changed since.I thought of him then as the noblest man in the world; I still think of him that way now.He was not only a man of the finest military morals, but also one of the purest.His name and prestige are the pride of every American citizen.In his youth and prime of life, he gave all the love and loyalty endowed by human beings.He needs no praise from me or anyone else, for he has written his autobiography on the breast of his enemies with his own blood.However, when I think of his perseverance in disaster, his courage in the flames of war, and his humility in victory, I can't help feeling full of praise.He has been a great example of a successful patriot in history; he will be a teacher of emancipation and liberty in the future;In dozens of campaigns, on a hundred battlefields, and around a thousand campfires, I have seen his image be etched in his image by the enduring spirit, the patriotic self-denial, and the invincible determination. in the hearts of his people.From one end of the world to the other, he has been deeply intoxicated by that brave wine.
As I hear these songs from the chorus, the eyes of my memory see the shambling squadrons of the First World War, weary under the weight of soggy knapsacks from wet dusk to drizzly dawn Marching unbearably, with heavy ankles stepping deeply on the muddy road shaken by shells, fighting the enemy to the death.With blue lips and mud, trembling in the wind and rain, they were driven from their homes before their enemies, and many were driven to the judgment seat of God.I don't know they were born noble, but I know they died honorably.They never hesitated, without resentment, full of confidence, and kept fighting until they saw the hope of victory.All for them—duty—honor—country.They have been bleeding, sweating, and crying as we stumble along the path of finding light and truth.
Twenty years later, on the other side of the world, they faced the dark and dirty foxholes, the gloomy and smelly trenches, the wet and dirty tunnels, the scorching sun, the torrential rain, Desolate jungle trail.They endured the anguish of long separations from their loved ones, the rampant spread of tropical diseases, and the horrors of Bingxuan.Their steadfast defence, their swift and precise strikes, their indomitable purpose, their total and utter victories - eternal victories - always accompany their final battle in pools of blood.In battle, the eyes of those pale and emaciated people always solemnly follow the slogan of Duty-Honor-Country.
These few terms contain the highest moral principles and will stand the test of any ethics or philosophy that is propagated to improve the moral standard of mankind.What it advocates is the right thing, what it stops is the false thing.The warrior above all performs the greatest act of religious practice—sacrifice.In battle, in the face of danger and death, he manifests the qualities that the Creator bestowed upon man when he created him according to his will.Only the gods can help him and support him, which cannot be replaced by any physical courage or animal instinct.No matter how horrific war may be, it is the noblest evolution of mankind to have warriors ready to die for their country when they are called upon.
Now, you face a new world - a world in change.Sputnik enters interstellar space.Satellites and missiles marked the beginning of another era in the long history of mankind—the space age.Natural science tells us that in 5 billion years or more, the earth was formed; in 3 million years or more, human beings were formed; and that there has never been a greater and more amazing evolution in human history .We must discuss things not only from the present world, but also from an incalculable distance, from the mysterious universe.We are acquainted with a new and boundless world.We talked about incredible topics: controlling the energy of the universe; harnessing the power of the wind and tides; creating unprecedented synthetic substances to supplement or even replace ancient basic substances; purifying seawater so we can drink it; Bases; preventing disease to extend life by hundreds of years; regulating the air to equalize the distribution of heat and cold, sunshine and rain; spaceships landing on the moon; the main target in war is not limited to the enemy's armed forces, but also its civilians; The most fundamental contradictions of the malevolent forces of certain galaxies and planets; those dreams and fantasies that make life the most gripping of all time.
To meet all these great changes and developments, your task will become more determined and inviolable, and that is to win our wars.Your profession demands nothing more than courageous devotion at this critical moment of life and death.All the rest of the public purposes, public projects, public needs, great or small, can be found to be accomplished in other ways; and you are trained to fight, and it is your business to fight—determined to win.The clearest goal in war is to win, which cannot be replaced by anything.If you fail, the country will be destroyed, so the only thing to follow in your career is Duty-Honor-Country.Others will be entangled in disputes at home and abroad that distract people's minds, but you will stand peacefully and quietly in the distance, as the guardian of the country, as a lifeguard in the raging tide of international conflicts, as a fighter in the arena filled with gunpowder scholar.For a century and a half, you have defended, guarded, and protected the sacred traditions of liberation and liberty, rights and justice.Let ordinary people debate the merits of our government: whether our national strength is exhausted by chronic deficits, whether the paternalistic tradition of the Federation is too powerful, whether the power group is too arrogant, whether the politics are too corrupt, whether the crime is too rampant, Are moral standards lowered too low, taxes raised too high, extremists too radical, and our individual freedoms as complete as they should be.These great national problems have nothing to do with your profession, nor do they need to be solved by military means.Your signposts—Duty—Honor—Country, are ten times brighter than a lighthouse at night.
You are the link that connects all institutions of our nation's defense system.When the war alarm sounds, great officers will emerge from your ranks who will hold the destiny of the country in their hands.No one has ever beaten us.And if you do the same, millions of souls in uniforms of olive and brown and blue and gray will rise from under their white crosses, and with a voice of thunder will cry out the magic slogan -Duty-Honor-Country .
That doesn't mean you are warmongers.Instead, the warrior above all prays for peace as he bears the deepest wounds and scars of war.However, we often hear the warning words of the wise and wise father of philosophy, Plato: "Only the dead can see the end of war."
The twilight of my life is near, and the twilight has come, and my former splendor and honor are gone.They disappeared with the afterglow of the longing for the past career.The memories of the past are wonderful and beautiful, soaked with tears and comforted and caressed by yesterday's smiles.I listened vainly, longing for the faint, enchanting melody of the reveille, of bugles, and of the distant drumbeat of war drums.
In my dreams, I vaguely heard the roar of cannons, the firing of muskets, and the strange and mournful groans on the battlefield.However, memories of later life often bring me back to West Point.My ears echoed, repeated: Duty—Honor—Country...
The law is harsh and cruel, and it is necessary for war criminals who have caused the destruction and pain of countless lives in other countries. This is related to the dignity of all innocent victims and sovereign countries.
At the moment when the executioners who launched the fascist war laid down their weapons, none of the victorious countries that had suffered from the war had forgotten one particularly important thing: arresting war criminals—the leaders who led and launched the fascist war.
On September 11, 1945, General MacArthur issued the "No. 1 Arrest Warrant" for the arrest of Japanese Cabinet Prime Minister Hideki Tojo during the war.At 4 o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, Major Rolls of the Allied Forces rushed to Tojo's residence with a group of American military police.
"What are you doing here?" The window on the second floor opened suddenly, and a bald man who had lost his luster leaned out of the window, and asked the American military police quite bluntly.
"Are you General Hideki Tojo?" Major Rouss said politely, "We are ordered by General MacArthur to report to the Allied Forces Command."
"I'm sorry, I won't meet anyone without an order from our government!" Hideki Tojo said, shrinking his head in and closing the window tightly.Just when Laws and other gendarmes were at a loss, there was a "bang" gunshot upstairs...
"It's broken!" Rouse knew something was wrong, and immediately led his troops into the house, went up to the second floor, and found Hideki Tojo's room.At this moment, Hideki Tojo, wearing a short-sleeved sweatshirt, was lying on his back on the rocking chair in front of the desk, with a ball of blood gushing out from his left chest...
"Hurry up! Ambulance!" Routh ordered his men, and carried Tojo Hideki downstairs with several gendarmes.
"I...wasn't wrong, Dadongya...war is...just..." Hideki Tojo didn't die, but kept chanting these words on the way to the hospital.A month later, his injuries improved significantly and he was formally imprisoned.
At the same time, American military police and armed personnel were busy arresting war criminals identified by the Allied forces in Tokyo and various parts of Japan every day, and this work continued until the end of 1945.Matsui Iwane, the key criminal in the Nanjing Massacre, was arrested on September 19.A week earlier, he had also brazenly told American reporters: "As for me, although I was ordered to serve as the commander in charge of the Shanghai Expeditionary Army and the Central China Front Army during World War II, and commanded the Battle of Songhu and the Battle of Nanjing, according to the spirit of the "Potsdam Proclamation" , this cannot be regarded as a 'war crime', so I have a clear conscience." It is a pity that Matsui Iwane's understanding of the "Potsdam Proclamation" is extremely limited. The shaking continued, obviously he hadn't expected it.
The crimes of trying Japanese war criminals must be ruthless and serious.Such a major "trial of the century" is arduous and difficult. Although the crimes of war criminals are obvious to all, the application of all procedures and legal provisions must be strict and rigorous, and there must be no mistakes. It is an extension of human justice.
Regarding how to try the war criminals of the world wars, before the Chinese people and the people of the world tried the Japanese war criminals, they had the opportunity to see a precedent, that is, the Nuremberg Trial of German fascists in Europe.This trial was earlier than the Tokyo trial and officially opened on November 20, 1945.
This "melancholy and solemn" court in Nuremberg lasted nearly a year, and finally sentenced 12 Nazi leaders to hang and dozens of others were given severe sentences.Later, more than 800 important Nazis were tried to death, and the special judicial battle to find those Nazis who escaped the Nuremberg trial for crimes during World War II continued for decades.
Hitler committed suicide, so he was not tried, but the Nuremberg Judgment gave him the most thorough and fair moral trial.
Since Japan surrendered later than Germany, the trial of Japanese war criminals was relatively late.The trial experience in Nuremberg guided and helped the Tokyo Trial to a certain extent.The Tokyo Trial held 818 sessions, with 48,000 pages of court records, 419 people testified in court, presented more than 4,000 pieces of documentary evidence, and the verdict was 1,213 pages long. trial".
Regarding the Tokyo Trial, from the very beginning, Japan has released a lot of words, and it seems that some people have been questioning its reasonableness and legitimacy.
On May 3, 1946, the Tokyo International Tribunal opened for the first time. As the prosecutor general, Mr. Keenan of the United States expressed his respect for the "reasonability" of the trial of Japanese war criminals in Tokyo, including the Japanese war criminals present. The court made a statement.This famous jurist told people all over the world, including the Japanese, in a loud and passionate voice——
Mr. President and Judges of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East:
As Attorney General for the prosecution, I offer you an overview of the legal theory by which we will proceed with this indictment and present the facts that will establish that each of the defendants committed the crimes set forth in the indictment, which It is my duty under the charter of the court...
We have good reason to say that this trial is one of the most important ever.It is very important to the 11 nations that are here on trial, and these 11 nations have established orderly governments, including 1/2 of the population of the earth; it is equally important to the unborn generations of other nations and all nations Important because these lawsuits can have far-reaching consequences for world peace and security.
It is crucial that the prosecution clearly state its purpose at the outset of the proceedings.Our general purpose is to carry out legal procedures in an orderly manner; our specific purpose is to do our best to contribute ultimately to preventing the scourge of aggressive wars.
Mr. President, this is no ordinary trial, for this trial is an integral part of the steadfast battle of civilized society to prevent the destruction of the entire world.This threat to the world does not come from natural forces, but from the deliberate planning of individuals and small groups who seem willing to bring the world to its premature end for their insane ambitions of world domination.
This is a strong assertion, but there are so many facts that we find ourselves unable to describe it in softer terms.
A small group of people throughout the world, including the accused, decided to take matters into their own hands and impose their evil wishes on the entire human race.They declared war on civilization.They make the rules and decide issues.They are determined to destroy democracy and its foundations - liberty and human dignity.They were determined to get rid of the government of the people, of the people, and for the people and establish what they called a "new order."To achieve this, they joined forces with Hitler's clique.They are formally united by treaty and are proud of it.As listed in the indictment, together they planned, prepared, and launched a war of aggression against democratic countries.
They are willing to handle people as slaves and hostages.This meant that the murder, subjugation and enslavement of millions of people was of little consequence to them.This includes plans and plots to massacre old people and children all over the world, and exterminate entire societies as unimportant to them.It would cause the premature wilting of the young flowers of the world, including their own, which was of no consequence to them either.
Treaties, agreements, and pledges are only words and scraps of paper in their minds, and have no deterrent influence on their attempts.Their purpose is to bring force to this world.They think in terms of force and conquest, completely ignoring the ends of justice.Millions of people can die in this cause; the resources of nations can be destroyed.All of this is irrelevant in their crazy plans to conquer and control East Asia, and with that plan, eventually control the entire world.This is the gist of their plot.
We now face the question: is reality a harsh reminder that today our civilization is reaching a critical juncture where it is forced to stand by and allow these atrocities to go unchecked?
Our times are different from those of the past, and no one needs to be reminded of that.Today, and more importantly tomorrow, and henceforth, war will be total war.There is no territorial limit to war today or tomorrow.Victims will be young and old; armed and unarmed.No family, be it the metropolis or the remotest hamlet, is immune to its devastation.It has become so true that future wars will threaten not only the continuation of civilization, but the survival of any living creature, that repetition seems superfluous and trite.The question of peace, which humanity has long desired, has now reached an important crossroads.For destructive power as we know it, even at a very primitive stage, has reached such a scale, but it is only at the most developed stage of our human imagination that we can deal with reality.We who are at this crossroads are actually now answering a question: "To be or not to be."
The answer to this question will require endless patience, tolerance and the most honest effort to reach understanding and agreement.We consider only one aspect of the question, what can we do in this court, with the rights given us, to contribute in a just and efficient manner to preventing future wars?
Our purpose is one of prevention or deterrence.It has nothing to do with such petty, petty goals as vengeance and revenge.But we do hope that in these proceedings those individuals who have caused such scourges to humanity will be branded criminals as ordinary felons and punished accordingly.This may have a deterrent effect on future similar aggressive wars based on them, which is not impossible.
Our specific purpose in these trials is therefore to confirm the widely recognized principle that individuals in official or other positions in a country who plan aggressive wars, especially wars in violation of treaties, pledges, and agreements, are common criminals .Should and will be punished for centuries by all nations for murderers, bandits, pirates and robbers.
We maintain that murder committed (by war) is always incompatible with justice and law.We hereby argue that the crime of planning and waging war and thereby destroying millions of lives is as much a crime as planning and launching the murder of one individual life.
We further maintain that an oath of allegiance to a nation's laws and constitution does not confer immunity from punishment; nor does the description of a war that takes millions of lives as an "incident"; likewise, claim to promote the aspirations of the nation , and thus their conduct was justified, and such an interpretation cannot create immunity.
We believe that the facts and particulars cited and submitted before this Court will show that these defendants, who controlled the government or influenced its conduct, violated the laws in force and the treaty obligations of the State of Japan.
We will further show beyond doubt that each of these defendants was fully aware that the war they were planning, preparing, and waging would result in the destruction of human life, not only on the battlefield, but in homes, hospitals, and orphanages, in factories and fields land; the victims will be young and old, healthy and sick, men, women and children...
These defendants waged declared and undeclared wars of aggression, or waged wars in violation of international law, international treaties, and undertakings.A similar lawsuit is going on at Nuremberg!A number of other defendants are sitting in the dock.We do not pay attention to these defendants, except to show this Court that they shared the aims of the Nuremberg defendants and allied themselves in their attempt to conquer the world.
Literally, then, if our observations are correct, we must make an important decision that could determine the continuation or end of humanity.If this proposition is true - and we doubt that any thinking person would consider it an exaggeration - there is no doubt that we are in a new and crucial age.For those who demand precise, established precedent to guide action, we will point out that this (judgment for waging aggressive wars) is not at all a new concept.From prehistoric and primitive societies, through the Middle Ages to the present day, there has always been a procedure of one kind or another to punish the organizers of aggressive wars.
"The creation of an international statutory tribunal and the privilege of allowing such war criminals the privilege of defending themselves and claiming their innocence is the apex of culture and the ideals of modern civilization of tolerance that have solidified and crystallized," Keenan said. Here, his eyes fell on the war criminals such as Hideki Tojo and Iwane Matsui. He noticed that their heads were slightly raised and their eyes were colliding. They seemed to breathe heavily, but soon their loose chests were pressed again. Heavy stones were thrown, because these war criminals saw the sternness in the eyes of the Chinese judges present that had never changed...
Keenan's tone became a little soothing and low:
"Today, we begin our mission with humility, but with great honesty, to do our work. Because for such a critical purpose, we must act impartially. As we in the prosecution believe, if we fail to act An honest effort, to do our part, and if the victorious nation fails to do all the right things to stop the forces that are destroying the world, that in itself constitutes an unforgivable crime. Our only fear is a lack of the intelligence and intelligence to do our job well ability, because the responsibility itself is very demanding."
"Thank you, Mr. President." Keenan concluded his first part of the statement "The Significance of the Trial".There is no doubt that his statement is too brilliant!It leaves both the victor and the defeated country, the victim and the perpetrator, both the prosecution and the defense, speechless.
This is a poem written by the British metaphysical poet Donne in the 17th century, and the American writer Ernest Hemingway placed it on the title page of his "For Whom the Bell Tolls".Now, this poem is reverberating and shaking in the minds of Matsui Iwane and other executioners of the Nanjing Massacre, and the wailing of the god of death stirs every nerve of them.Matsui Iwane, who was trying to be calm, twitched the corner of his mouth slightly. Although it was extremely subtle, it still did not escape the sharp eyes of the judges of the International Military Tribunal, especially the Chinese judges.
"Mr. President, now I state the following..." Attorney General Keenan spent two days presenting the first summary report on the prosecution of Japanese war criminals in court. In addition to the "significance of the trial", there are The five aspects of "the gist of the defendant's crime", "an overview of the jurisprudence of the trial", and "the legal provisions violated by the defendant" can be described as pointing to every word, and every sentence is bloody.Aiming at the different views held by a few people at the time between Japan's national responsibility for launching a war of aggression, battlefield crimes in individual regions, and individual responsibility for war criminals, it made a strong refutation from legal and factual basis.He pointed out: "Every nation has an inalienable right to self-defense. But war of aggression is not on that ground. War is a criminal thing. It is not an exaggeration to describe the war of 1937 as one of the greatest disasters to befall mankind. So waging a war is not only a crime, it is the culprit of war crimes. In its global scale, it is different from a specific war crime that violates a law of war. It is the total accumulation of all evils. If it is possible Imagine a war fought in the most humane and chivalrous manner, and waging this war, if it is an unjust war, is still a crime. It is a crime against peace." Keenan pointed out the "Nanjing Massacre" nature: the Japanese army's "systematic and merciless massacre, rape, and torture of tens of thousands of prisoners of war, civilians, women, and children, and the wanton, large-scale destruction of homes and property completely exceeded any possible characteristics. Often referred to as 'The Rape of Nanking,' this operation is without precedent in the history of modern warfare." Keenan went on to point out: "Nanjing is just one of many cities. As part of their aggressive plans, the Japanese committed在特点和规模上几乎难以置信的、严重的暴行，在占领中国城市时寻求摧毁（中国）人民抵抗意志。”显然，“南京的浩劫”，是名副其实的反人类罪。
审判战犯的法理定性和依据，从心理上给了当时的日本和日本战犯们重重的一击。接下去的是漫长而艰难的法庭审理，历时两年有余，可谓“旷世之战”。而这场法庭上的“旷世之战”，又一次让南京人民心口上的伤疤流血……