We Talk: Tokyo Trials at 80 | How Russians see Japan's WWII brutality

The International Military Tribunal for the Far East convened on May 3, 1946, marking the beginning of a historic trial. After two and a half years of proceedings, the court handed down 25 convictions and seven death sentences. The Tokyo Trials stand as a watershed in judicial history, sending a clear message to war criminals: aggression is a crime, and justice will ultimately prevail.

The year 2026 marks the 80th anniversary of the Tokyo Trials. On this occasion, a CGTN stringer in Russia interviewed several locals to explore how they view Japan's World War II atrocities.

Journalist Andrei Murtazin pointed out that, unlike the widely discussed Nuremberg Trials, the Tokyo Trials have not received sufficient attention in school curricula. History education has largely focused on the crimes of Nazi Germany, leaving people with little knowledge of the Tokyo Trials and their details.

When asked about Russian awareness of the brutal acts committed by the Japanese military, Murtazin cited two major historical events: the Nanjing Massacre, in which many Chinese were brutally killed; and Japan's bacterial and biological weapons experiments on the Chinese. These acts, he says, have been clearly identified as crimes against humanity.

Murtazin emphasized that everyone must rememberhistory and condemn those criminals who inscribed themselves into world history through inhuman acts. Remembering what happened 80 years ago is crucial, because those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

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