Beijing, CHINA / Storyteller / May 28, 2026 /
In the US National Archives, a film canister awaited the arrival of Chinese director Chen Yi’nan until 2015. Using a ballpoint pen to pry it open, Chen took out the reel and mounted it onto a projector. As black-and-white images flickered into view, a historical dialogue spanning time and space quietly began.
The reel is one of the voluminous materials that Chen collected to produce three documentaries, namely The Tokyo Trial, Asia Pacific War Crimes Trials and The Trials of Justice, over the period of the past 10 years.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Trial.
Chen told the Global Times that the Tokyo Trial had a profound impact on the contemporary structure and framework of international criminal law, as well as on relations among major countries of the world.
The documentaries were designed to present the history of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) from an international perspective, and foster a correct understanding of the war and its history within the global community from a legal standpoint, Chen noted.
Rare footage
Chen’s team has, for the first time, uncovered a large body of rare archival footage showing witnesses testifying in court at the Tokyo Trial. Among them are scenes of Hsiang Che-chun, China’s chief prosecutor at the Tokyo Trial, delivering an impassioned statement in English in the courtroom.
The materials discovered in the US National Archives also include film footage of US missionary John Magee testifying in court. Magee risked his life to document the Nanjing Massacre with a 16mm camera and later appeared in court as a witness.
To ensure that every historical detail was thoroughly substantiated, Chen and her team tracked down trial footage scattered across the world, amounting to the equivalent of 900 films.
They visited historical sites in Nuremberg in Germany, Tokyo in Japan, Hawaii in the US, and other locations.
They examined 20 million words worth of court records, identified 15,000 photographs of war criminals, court personnel, and participants, and reviewed more than 200 academic works in multiple languages.
Chen acknowledged that the biggest challenge was to present the historical events from vast amounts of fragmented materials and scattered clues.
“We had to ensure that every frame and every narrative is backed by verifiable evidence,” Chen said. “This is a matter of respect for history and our responsibility to the audience.”
Professor He Qinhua, former president of the East China University of Political Science and Law, said The Tokyo Trial documentary offers a broad perspective and presents this history in a rational and restrained manner from the standpoint of world peace, rather than expressing the resentment of a victimized nation toward the aggressor, Jiemian News reported.
In particular, He noted that the documentary’s excavation of primary archival materials is highly valuable and has a wide-ranging impact on both the international community and Chinese academia.
Chinese perspective
Chen said the documentary production team also uncovered at the US National Archives footage of the testimony from a witness in a Chinese private-sector enterprise.
Tong Shoumin, deputy general manager of then Shanghai Pudong Electric Company, appeared in court 47 times to testify at the Tokyo Trial, presenting extensive data and factual evidence.
“We brought the footage from the US back to Shanghai and confirmed its veracity with Tong’s son. The testimony had been ultimately accepted by the tribunal, demonstrating its commitment to justice,” Chen said.
On November 15, 2018, The Tokyo Trial documentary was screened at the McGowan Theater of the US National Archives, marking the first time the institution had shown a documentary produced by a major Chinese media outlet.
Chen recalled that the first snow of the season in the eastern US was falling that day, while inside the venue, the theater was packed to capacity.
“I told them, ‘These materials were originally collected from your archives. Today, we have finally been able to present this chapter of history back to you in its full form,’” she said.
The Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was an extraordinarily arduous struggle for both its military and civilians.
However, for a long time within the global narrative of the World Anti-Fascist War, China’s role as a major battlefield in the East has been significantly underestimated in Western discourse.
With new archival discoveries in the field of tribunal studies in recent years, it is time to let the world know a more detailed history, she said.
Source: Global Times:
Company: Global Times
Contact Person: Anna Li
Email: editor@globaltimes.com.cn
Website: https://globaltimes.cn
City: Beijing
Disclaimer: This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies (including product offerings, regulatory plans and business plans) and may change without notice. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.
Media gallery
