September 2nd marked the 68th anniversary of Chinese victory in the War of Chinese People's Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and also the end of the Second World War. On this day, an 80-volume, nearly 50,000-page book detailing the Tokyo Trials of Japanese war criminals was released in Beijing.

Co-compiled by the National Library of China and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the book is the first full account of the trials held between May 3, 1946 and Nov. 12, 1948 to be published in China.

Zhou Heping, Curator, National Library of China, said, "Publication of the book provides the most fundamental, first-hand documents on the International Military Tribunal for the Far East for Chinese scholars and readers."

Analysts say the book also serves as evidence to support China in refuting Japanese right-wing forces' remarks on the history of Japanese aggression.

Zhou Heping, Curator, National Library of China, said, "The publication of the book enables scholar to make further research on the Tokyo Trails. It also serves as an important educational document."

Mei Xiao'ao, son of Mei Ru'ao, a member of the Tokyo Trials jury, welcomes the publication of the book, and says history should never be forgotten.

Mei Xiao'ao said, "My father said that he's not interested in revenge, but he believed that if we forget the history of suffering then there will be more waiting for us."

At Monday's launch event, the book's editorial board donated a copy of the book to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Central Archives, the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and the Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre.

The International Military Tribunal for the Far East formally prosecuted 28 Japanese Class-A war criminals, including Tojo Hideki, the former prime minister of Japan.

The tribunal lasted for more than two and a half years, with the court sentencing Tojo and six other criminals to death. It was the biggest post-WWII international trial in terms of scale and duration, surpassing the Nuremberg trials.

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