At 4 p.m. on March 20, 1946, an airplane landed at Atsugi Naval Airfield in Tokyo.
It's the cherry blossom season in Japan, and the mountains are full of wind and flowers.
But at this time, the man who stepped off the plane did not have the heart to enjoy the scenery in front of him.
He came specifically to pay off a debt, a blood debt concerning tens of millions of his compatriots who died.
This person is Mei Ruzhang, who is known as the "first judge of China".
Figure | Movie "Tokyo Trial"
At the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, the Allies held a grand reception banquet for Mei Ruxuan. At the banquet, Gu Yuxiu gave him a luxuriously decorated three-foot-long sword.
Mei Ruxuan bowed deeply, grabbed the sword with both hands, and resigned:
"Red pink sends beauty, sword gives strong man, but unfortunately I am not a strong man, and I am ashamed."
"On behalf of forty-five million Chinese people, and tens of millions of compatriots who died, you have come to the capital of this aggressor country to punish the culprits. The magnificent things under the heavens, with this as the most important, the king is not a strong man, who is a strong man? ”
After hearing these words, Mei Ruxuan immediately drew her sword out of its sheath and said excitedly:
"Since I have been entrusted by the people of my country, I will certainly do my best to act according to the law and will never let the culprits of the war escape justice!"
At that time, Mei Ruxuan was already 42 years old, and she had already passed the age of confusion.
But when he later recalled the past, he said that the moment he held the sword, his heart was like a 22-year-old. The coldness of the hilt of the sword, after many years, the feeling is still clear.
He vowed to carry this cold air
- To cleanse the invaders of their sins in order to soothe the lives of those who have been devastated.
This is Mei Ruxuan's mission to Tokyo.
Although the battle of cold guns and artillery on the battlefield is far away, a bloodless war in the courtroom is about to begin.
After the gunshots, there is no winner, so it is even more necessary to punish the people who "shoot first".
Although Japan had signed the instrument of surrender, on the other hand, it had no intention of taking responsibility for the scourge of the war.
They offered to try war criminals privately, but in fact they sought to exonerate them.
This move immediately aroused strong indignation and dissatisfaction in the international community.
In the blink of an eye, more than 380 Allied warships sailed toward Tokyo Bay and sent troops to the island to be stationed all over Japan. The commander-in-chief of the US military personally ordered a large-scale search for war criminals.
It was finally decided that the Far Eastern Military Tribunal, represented by 11 victorious powers, would be appointed by one judge each to try 28 Japanese Class A war criminals.
Figure | Military Tribunal for the Far East
However, China has made a mistake in this matter.
The country has been weak and poor for a long time, where to find people with both wisdom and ability, and shoulder the heavy responsibility of being ashamed of the country?
Who can go, and who dares to go?
At this time, Mei Ruxuan, who was serving as a professor in the law department of Fudan University, was mentioned and selected.
Perhaps even Mei Ruxuan herself did not think that the little hairy child who had to learn English while collecting dung would one day in the future "go out for the country" in this way.
Mei Ruzhang was born in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, to an ordinary peasant family. Since he was a child, Mei's father has been extremely strict with their brothers and sisters, and they must get up early every day and work and study as well.
Because of her hard work and talent, Mei Ruzhang, who has just turned 12 years old, was admitted to the Tsinghua Preparatory Class (the predecessor of Tsinghua University) with excellent results.
After studying in Beijing for 8 years, he went to the United States to study under the financial support of Geng, and in only 2 years, he successfully obtained the Bachelor of Arts qualification from Stanford University.
However, at that time, if China wanted to catch up with the process of Western civilization, the promotion of legal science and legal system was indispensable, but the country was still almost blank.
Thinking that what she had learned could be used by the country, Mei Ruxuan resolutely decided to change her major and continue her studies.
Figure | Mei Ruxuan's former residence
He went to the University of Chicago's Law School to study law, and with amazing perseverance and ability, he earned the title of Juris Doctor in just two years.
That year, Mei Ruxuan was only 24 years old.
But it is already a rising star in academia.
He refused all the high-paying offers abroad and returned to the war-torn motherland to teach.
Wherever she went, Mei Ruxuan would earnestly warn students that the completion of some domestic universities and their own qualifications to study abroad were related to foreigners' use of China's "Gengzi indemnity" with the intention of cultivating a generation of people who were revered from outside.
Therefore, the Chinese people must understand the "clear shame".
"Shame" China's scientific and technological culture is not as good as Western countries, and "shame" China's contemporary universities are not as good as Western universities.
Only by constantly striving to be strong can we have the opportunity to turn the situation around.
Whether it is knowledge and strength, or fist patriotism.
As a leading legal expert in China, Mei Ruxuan is the best candidate to join the trial team.
Figure | Mei Ruxuan asked for a letter of resignation
But at this moment, he could not have imagined that a trial of the aggressor by the righteous side would be carried out so hard.
Even he almost "died in a foreign land".
On the day of departure, nearly ten authoritative Chinese media, such as the Central Daily, the Declaration, and the Ta Kung Pao, simultaneously published headlines on prominent pages to honor the heroes:
"Liquidate the blood debt!" Judge Mei Ruxuan flew to Tokyo today! ”
Figure | Originated from the TV series "Eastern Battlefield"
Tens of millions of eagerly awaited eyes burned behind her, and Mei Ruxuan's every step towards Tokyo was intolerable.
However, the lack of diplomacy between weak countries has never been an empty phrase.
Before the trial began, Mei Ruxuan had already started his "first battle" - the dispute over the judge's seat.
At that time, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces designated australian judge William Weber as the president, and the first seat on the right of the president belonged to the American judges, and the judges of various countries debated endlessly as to how the remaining seats should be arranged.
In particular, who should belong to the second seat to the left of the President?
Seats symbolize discourse. President Weber was close to the Anglo-American faction and had the selfish intention of arranging for them to be his right and left hands.
Mei Ruxuan firmly opposed it, believing that it was most fair to arrange the seats according to the order in which the "Japanese Letter of Surrender" was signed.
Figure | Derived from the documentary film "Tokyo Trial"
But until the rehearsal of the process the day before the trial, Weber still chose to ignore Mei Ruxuan's proposal and arbitrarily announced the seat of judges in various countries.
Mei Ruxuan immediately took off her robe, angrily left the table, and refused to practice. His move frightened everyone present.
President Weber personally came to Mei Ruxuan's office three times.
The first time he advised the Anglo-American countries to be more familiar with the common law system, out of consideration for the convenience of their work; the second time he threatened, which may lead to unpleasant Sino-US relations; the third time he deceived, saying that the rehearsal was only temporary and could be adjusted again during the formal trial.
Mei Ruxuan was still unmoved, every inch of seat, but the relationship was the justice of 35 million wronged souls.
In the end, President Webb was forced to compromise and change the seating arrangement, winning a key second seat for China.
Figure | In the Tokyo Trial Court, the seventh from the left is Mei Ruxuan
Immediately afterward, Mei Ruxuan ushered in the real second "hard battle" - the trial of war criminals.
Because the Tokyo trial adopted the common law system, that is, the principle of presumption of innocence and the attribution of doubtful interests to the defendant.
Therefore, whether there is substantial evidence, whether the evidence is strong, and whether it will be refuted by the other side has become the only criterion for determining the name of the war crime.
But the Japanese war criminals were too cunning.
Immediately after the surrender, in order to avoid the liquidation of the war, all evidence was destroyed in situ, including the private diaries of soldiers and officers.
As a result, during the Tokyo trial, no confidential report of Japan's premeditated invasion of China could be found, and no paper orders from Japanese war commanders could be found.
Armed with hundreds of lawyers' defense teams, Japan's 28 Class-A war criminals are increasingly fearless and loudly proclaim their innocence.
They argue that there is no "invasion" of China, but only a "dispute" like brotherhood;
They are arrogant, saying that it is perfectly justified to start a war, and they are always ready to "make a comeback";
If the Chinese side wants to tear up the ugly face of Japanese war criminals and convict them, it can only rely on the procuratorial side to find its own evidence.
But at that time, including the translators, the Chinese procuratorial team was only 17 people.
Mei Ruxuan had no choice but to think of a way to apply to the Allied Headquarters to open the seized archives of the Japanese Army Ministry and find "incriminating evidence" in the vast pile of materials.
Later, he recalled the day and night when he wrote the verdict:
"In those days, we were like bugs that had burrowed into thousands of pieces of evidence and international codes, crawling around in them every day, for fear of missing something important."
Finally, in the face of overwhelming evidence, 28 Japanese Class-A war criminals were found guilty one by one, but this was far from over.
Therefore, in the Tokyo trial, Mei Ruxuan's final and most difficult contest was to make war criminals punish the law.
Although all the judges acknowledged the numerous evil deeds of Japanese war criminals, due to their different positions, there was a great disagreement over the sentencing and disposition.
President Weber suggested that all war criminals be exiled to desert islands; France, because of its abolition of the death penalty, did not support the execution of war criminals; Indian judges even said that the world should learn to be magnanimous and understandable, and advocate acquittal...
Figure | Indian Judge of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East — Radabinod Barr
What is the point of the trial if war criminals cannot be sent to the guillotine? Where is the dignity of the Chinese people?
Mei Ruxuan was so anxious and sleepy that in order to try his best to persuade other judges, he was anxious to produce white hair on his sideburns.
Finally, he held up the case file in his hand, and his eyes slowly swept over the crowd, and Li Se asked:
"The Japanese army robbed, raped, set fires, killed, and if these war criminals were not punished in the most severe way, who would dare to guarantee that the specter of Japanese militarism would not be revived again!"
"Which gentleman here would dare to make such a guarantee?"
The waves are pulled hard, and the ground is loud.
The day of the vote came as scheduled, and Mei Ruxuan clenched her fists under the negotiating table, almost holding her breath.
In case, the result did not go as expected, he had already made a plan in his heart:
Only when the sea dies can we thank the people of the country.
One vote, two votes, three votes... Six votes! In the end, with a slight advantage of 6 to 5, only one vote, the 7 leaders of Japanese war criminals were sentenced to hanging.
Mei Ruxuan, win!
China, win!
The Tokyo Century Trial began on May 3, 1946, and ended on November 12, 1948.
It lasted two years and seven months, and the number of hearings reached 818 times, which was the largest international trial in human history.
And during this period more than 900 days and nights.
However, few people know that Mei Ruxuan has suffered pressure and suffering for this "narrow victory" situation, as well as the painstaking efforts and efforts she has made.
What is even more unknown is that Mei Ruxuan, who went to Tokyo, had actually just been newly married, but had to be separated from his wife.
Mei Ruxuan has the habit of writing a diary every day, and during his stay in Japan, the contents of his diary are basically descriptions of the work of the court, or express the sadness and indignation that there is nowhere to vent in his heart.
But there is one article that is particularly special, full of paper full of deep affection.
Mei Ruxuan wrote in her diary:
"Today is the first anniversary of my marriage to Wanru, and I don't even know where she is now; maybe she has left Chongqing and is on her way to Shanghai; maybe she is still in Chongqing, maybe she has arrived in Shanghai."
China's transportation difficulties make me miss her infinitely, and I constantly remember the scene of last year and today. Our separation made her suffer a lot more, and I was very uneasy in my heart.
Today's events are really coincidental and I am very excited. It was on this day that I received her first letter from China, and what was even more peculiar was that I was wearing the white shirt I wore last year and today, and the red tie I wore last year.
Such small things are so competitive, it is too childish. Mencius said that the adult should not lose the heart of his child. However, I am exaggerating too much..."
Figure | From - Very Story Collection "My Father Tried Japanese War Criminals"
The words are still endless, but the words are full of worries about his wife.
Specially put on the clothes of the wedding ceremony day, and deliberately disguised as unintentional, like a shy child, carefully hiding his love.
However, the enemies of the country have not yet been repaid, and there is not enough room for too many children and daughters.
He could only specially pick out a jewelry box with exquisite patterns, and asked a friend to bring it back to China and send it to his wife.
Etiquette is light and affectionate, and thousands of miles call for peace.
Later, according to the children's recollections, her father Mei Ruxuan rarely took the initiative to talk to them about the ups and downs that happened in that year.
Instead of imagining the wise and confrontational side of their father, they are more familiar with the "old naughty boy" who is full of childlike fun and loves to accompany them to play blindly.
His son Mei Xiaoxuan recalled that when he was a child, he was addicted to reading the picture book of "Journey to the West", and he insisted on pointing to the top beam and pillar in the room, holding it and climbing up, saying that it was a needle for the god of the sea.
Unexpectedly, when I woke up the next day, I found that the pillar had been painted white by my father, and there was a line written on it: "Ruyi golden hoop stick, weighing thirteen thousand five hundred pounds."
The two fathers and sons laughed and leaned forward and backward, but the mother couldn't help but jump to her feet in anger.
Figure | Anthracene-Suzhou Photo | Brian Flaherty ©
After growing up and understanding things, the son also secretly asked his father who voted for it and who voted against it at that time?
Mei Ruxuan refused to let go until his death, and he made a vow of secrecy, and as promised, he kept this secret until the end of his life.
When re-sorting the diary information left by his father, Mei Xiaokan, as a son, said:
"I think I found my father, why they were worried, why they had to resolutely and sadly hold the belief that they would die in the sea." That is, they have in their hearts something bigger than the sky - the responsibility of home and country. They cherish it immensely, and the international status that the nation has sacrificed in exchange for it, and they are extremely looking forward to the rebirth of the nation after the fire. ”
Today, the black silk robe worn by Mei Ruxuan and the manuscript of the Judgment of the Tokyo Trial are quietly displayed in the National Museum of China.
When Mei Ruxuan angrily took off her robe and did not give in to the competition for the seat;
President Weber once lamented: "Your country should be proud to have fighters like you." ”
Mei Ruxuan replied lightly: "I am not a fighter, I am just a judge, a Chinese judge." ”
But it is precisely because there has been such a Chinese judge.
To this day, hundreds of millions of Chinese can still see in him the dignity of a great power that must not be insulted, and the echo of law and justice.
We should always remember.
Source:
1. Documentary Film "Tokyo Trial"
2. The Chinese Justice of the Tokyo Trial in the Documentary "Family Affairs" - Mei Ruxuan
3. Very Story Collection "My Father Tried Japanese War Criminals"
4. The Mark of Time "Punishing the Devil: Secrets of the Tokyo Trial"
5. Sina News, "How did Chinese judge Mei Ruxuan, who participated in the Tokyo trial, perform at trial?" 》
6. Archives, 1946, Chinese occupation forces in Japan
7. "Oral Narrative" Tokyo Great Trial - Mei Ruxuan
8. TV series "Eastern Battlefield"
The text is the original reading of the National Library, please contact the author for reprinting
Cover from: Movie "Tokyo Trial"
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Author: Xuan Yi