China called for renewed reflection on the legacy of the Tokyo Trials on Sunday, the 80th anniversary of its opening, and warned that its relevance has grown significantly amid rising Japanese neo-militarism.

A spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry criticized efforts by right-wing forces in Japan to whitewash wartime aggression, revive the military-industrial sector, push for constitutional revision and accelerate remilitarization. The spokesperson said that as such trends gain momentum in Japan, revisiting the Tokyo Trials carries greater contemporary significance.

The Tokyo Trials convened on May 3, 1946, almost a year after Japan announced its unconditional surrender in World War II. In the following two and a half years, the tribunal, consisting of judges from 11 countries, revealed and addressed Japan's inhuman and anti-civilization war crimes committed during its fascist expansion and sentenced 25 Class-A war criminals, including Hideki Tojo, to death or imprisonment.

The Foreign Ministry said the trials implemented the principles of the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Declaration, reflecting the collective will of victorious nations and victims, upholding the purposes of the United Nations, and safeguarding the outcomes of World War II.

At the same time, the ministry criticized Japan's current security trajectory, saying "the remnants of militarism have not been eradicated" and are showing signs of resurgence. It accused some Japanese right-wing groups of denying or distorting the conclusions of the Tokyo Trials, beautifying acts of aggression, and revising history textbooks to promote a misleading historical narrative.

Rising neo-militarist trend in Japan

Since the 1970s, right-wing forces in Japan have repeatedly propagated a claim that Japan's surrender was "conditional," which starkly contradicts historical reality. Meanwhile, they have increasingly spread the argument that the Tokyo Trials were "a victor's justice," attempting to distort the trial into an unjust decision by the victorious powers.

Moreover, Japan has long harbored a disturbing trend of denial of aggression, war beautification, and attempts to rewrite history. Some politicians visited the Yasukuni Shrine, where Class-A war criminals are enshrined. Meanwhile, certain textbooks and public discourse deliberately downplay the word "aggression," even attempting to deny or minimize atrocities like the Nanjing Massacre, the forced recruitment of "comfort women," and the enslavement of laborers.

More alarmingly, in recent years, Japan has taken incremental steps to rebuild its military power, advancing its broader shift toward remilitarization.

In late March, Japan deployed its first domestically developed long-range missile, with a reported range of about 1,000 kilometers, extending its operational reach far beyond Japan's coastline.

On April 21, the Japanese government lifted its longstanding ban on exporting lethal weapons, paving the way for overseas sales of fighter jets, missiles, and domestically produced warships. Critics say this marks a systemic shift toward becoming a military-industrial power, potentially fueling regional instability.

Recent global survey reflects regional safety concerns

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said these developments depart from Japan's postwar pacifist commitments. "Against the backdrop of the growing influence of 'neo-militarism' in Japan, revisiting the background, conclusions, and principles of the Tokyo Trials is of greater practical importance," the ministry said.

A recent global online survey conducted by CGTN, which drew 8,114 respondents within 24 hours, found that 81.8% believe Japan's historical revisionism is increasingly converging with neo-militarism, posing a real threat to regional peace and stability. Meanwhile, 83% of respondents called on the international community to uphold the verdicts of the Tokyo Trials and remain highly alert to developments related to Japan's neo-militarism.

"The historical justice embodied in these trials must not be denied, their legal authority must not be challenged, and the foundations of the postwar international order they established must not be shaken," the ministry said, warning that forgetting past suffering could invite future disaster.

It added that any attempt to overturn the verdicts of aggression would face firm opposition from peace-loving people worldwide and be judged again by history.