New York, Oct. 26 (Jiji Press)–China opened at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Monday a photo exhibition marking 80 years since the start of the so-called Tokyo Trial, which prosecuted Japanese leaders at the time of World War II. The exhibition, titled “Justice and Peace for All Humanity” and organized by China’s mission to the United Nations, runs through Friday and features courtroom photographs of the trial, formally called the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, and materials related to the so-called Nanjing incident, among other items. China has recently stepped up a campaign accusing Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration, which it claims is promoting a new form of militarism. At the opening ceremony for the exhibition, Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations Fu Cong said the event is intended to remind the world that aggression must not be whitewashed. He argued that Japanese right-wing forces are questioning the legitimacy of the Tokyo Trial and attempting to gloss over Japan’s history of aggression. Fu also criticized Japanese cabinet ministers’ visits to Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japanese war criminals along with the war dead and is therefore regarded as a symbol of the country’s past militarism, and a recent easing of Tokyo’s restrictions on defense equipment exports. An official at Japan’s U.N. mission told Jiji Press that the Japanese government “has rebutted China’s claims, which are factually incorrect.” While declining to elaborate, the official said, “Japan will continue to communicate its position and views to international society in a timely and appropriate manner.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
