Newly Discovered "Sutton Archives" from the Tokyo Trial Reveal Four Aspects of Atrocities Committed by the Japanese Invaders in China
The Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall has newly acquired Tokyo Trial archives, directly exposing the atrocities of the Japanese invaders in China The Sutton diary and Chinese reports mutually corroborate historical materials, revealing evidence of crimes such as germ warfare, and are worth a look
Recently, the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders has newly acquired a batch of Tokyo Trialrelated archives, including diaries written by Sutton about 80 years ago and several reports from China. Following preliminary study by experts, the materials are believed to have come from David Nelson Sutton, the U.S. deputy prosecutor during the Tokyo Trial, and they reflect the crimes committed by the Japanese invaders in China from multiple perspectives.
Sutton came to China with the international prosecutorial team in 1946 and carried out investigations in Shanghai, Beiping, Chongqing, Nanjing, and other places, collecting testimonies and statistical data, and meeting with relevant witnesses and officials to prepare evidence for the Tokyo Trial. The archives show that the materials focus on four types of atrocities: largescale massacres, atrocities against civilians, clues to germ warfare, and the issue of promoting the circulation of opium and narcotics in occupied areas.
Researchers said that these diaries and reports can corroborate existing historical materials and have important value as primary historical sources. The memorial hall believes that these original records further supplement the details of evidence collection during the Tokyo Trial period and provide more direct historical evidence for understanding the atrocities of the Japanese invaders in China.