Descendants of Mei Ru'ao look back on the Tokyo Trial: "Youth should understand the history of the country"

China News Service, Nanchang, November 7 (Reporter Li Yunhan Huashan) This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trial. On the 7th, on the occasion of the 122nd anniversary of the birth of Chinese judge Mei Ru'ao of the Tokyo Trial, Mei Ru'ao's daughter Mei Xiaokan and son Mei Ru'ao revisited Mei Ru'ao's former residence in Nanchang, Jiangxi, to recall their father's past and look back on the Tokyo Trial.

On the same day, the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trial and Judge Mei Ruao’s Legal Culture Academic Exchange Conference were held in Nanchang. The participating experts and scholars conducted exchanges on Mei Ru'ao's contribution to international law, the historical significance of the Tokyo Trial and the enlightenment of the rule of law.

On May 3, 1946, the International Military Tribunal for the Far East opened in Tokyo, Japan, to try Japanese Class-A war criminals from World War II, known in history as the "Tokyo Trial." Mei Ruao participated in the trial as a Chinese judge. The trial lasted for two and a half years, with a total of 818 hearings. Seven Japanese Class-A war criminals, including Hideki Tojo, were sentenced to death.

In Mei Xiaoao's childhood memories, her father rarely talked about this experience. Mei Xiaoao recalled: "My father had a calm temperament and rarely spoke loudly. After returning home from get off work, he often read books and newspapers alone. There was a strong reading atmosphere at home."

Mei Xiaoao said that it was not until many years after his father's death that he gradually deepened his understanding of his father as relevant commemorative articles were published one after another and he consulted the manuscripts and books kept at home. Since the mid-1980s, he has continued to participate in the compilation and commemoration of historical materials related to the Tokyo Trial, and has also witnessed the continuous deepening of research in this field.

"Young people living in a peaceful environment should also understand the history of the country." Returning to her hometown, Mei Xiaoao was pleased to see that her former residence was being maintained and more and more people were participating in research. He believes that there is still a need for further in-depth research on the Tokyo Trial, not only to remember history, but also to spread the spirit of the rule of law and legal knowledge.

Mei Xiaokan couldn't hide his excitement when he came again to the place where his father was born and spent his childhood. “I am very happy to see academic exchange activities held in my hometown and many young people participating in them.”

Cheng Zhaoqi, director of the Tokyo Trial Research Center at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, said in the exchange that the Tokyo Trial investigated Japan's aggression and the atrocities that accompanied the aggression, and had an important impact on international law, international judicial practice, and the post-war international order. Commemorating and studying the Tokyo Trial today still has practical significance.