China to publish books on Tokyo Trials

BEIJING - China on Wednesday started compiling a collection of books revivifying the historical trial of Japanese war criminals after World War II.

The collection is composed of 80 volumes, titled "The Court Records of the International Military Tribunal for The Far East," will present the full process of the court's trial from May 3, 1946 to November 12, 1948. It will include presentations of the prosecution and defense, as well as the verdict.

The compilation will be carried out by the National Library of China and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and will be published in succession.

The collection will serve as a powerful "weapon" and evidence for refuting Japanese right-wingers' distortion and denial of Japan's invasion on China, said the national library's curator Zhou Heping.

It will also provide historical and legal evidence for settling existing disputes as well as help conserve historical documents, Zhou said.

Researchers from the national library and the SJTU sifted through nearly 50,000 pages of trial records in 2011. They found another 7,000 pages concerning the trial in April, in the Untied States.

These documents make up all necessary original documentation of the trial, laying the foundation for compiling the collection, Zhou said.