JUDGMENT INTERNATIONAL MILITARY TRIBUNAL FOR •rHE FAR EAST PARTB 1r CHAPTERV JAPANESE AGGRESSIONAGAINST CHINA SECTIONS I TO VII INCL. PARTB CHAPTER VI JAPAN'l::SE AGGRESSIONAGAINST THE u.s.s.R. CONTENTS Chapter v Pages 521 - '1'15 -· Chapter VI Pages 7'18 - au 521 PART B CHAPTER V JAFt.NESE .flGGRESSION AGUNST CHINA SECTION I I INVASION. &;•·QCQ,WATION IIF J.iANCh'llRIA THE CHINA 'VAR AND ITS FHASFS The war which Japan waged against China, end whiih the Japaneso leJders talsel7 described as the "China "Incident" or the "China Artair", began ~n the night ot 18 September 1931 and ended with the surrender ot Japan in Toky:o Ba7 on 2 September 1945. The tirat phase ot·this war consisted ot the invasion, occupation and consolidation by Japan ot that part ot China known as Manchuria, and ot the Province ot Jehol. The second phase. et thi1 war began an 7 Jul7 1937, when Japenese treopa attacked the wdled cit7 ot _111ranping near Peiping follo\'ling the 111.&arco Polo Bridge Incident", and con­ sisted ~t successive advances, each followed b7 brief periods of consolidati.on 1n preparation for turther advances into Chinese territory. Some of the Accused wore active in this w~r trom the.very beginning, s,~e participated as the w~r progressed. SHIRATORI stated during the course of his lecture, 11The Trend of the "Gre'!t war", which w~a published in the Diamond Eagazine for June 1940, 11 It is not.too much to say that the fuse Br the European ,ar was first attached by the China 1'Incident. 11 • JAFAN'S FOOTHOLD IR MANCHURIA AT THE BEGI~JNG OF TEE CHINA "-!AR The position of Japan in Manchuria as at 18 September 1931 is described by the Lytton Commission J.n terms with which the Tribunal entirely agrees, "These $22 "treeties and other agreements geve to Jepan en im,ortent "and unusual position in Menchurie. She eoverned the "leesed territory 11ith 'l'Jrecticelly full rights of so­ "vereignty. Through the South Menchurian Railway, she "edministered the railway areas, including severel towns "end large sections of such po:culous cities es Mukden "and Changchun; and in these ereas she controlled the "police, taxation, education, end public utilities. She "maintained ar·med forces in l!le.ny perts or the country1 "the K11entung Army in the Leesed Territory, Railway "Guerds in the rE•ilV!ey ·eree s, end Consular Police through­ "out the various l'istricts. This summery of the long "list of Japan's rights in Manchuria shows cleErly the "exceptional charecter. of the political, economic end "lefel rell'ltions crutec1 between thPt country end China "in Menchurie. There is probebly nowhere in the world "an exe.ct perellel to this situetion, no example of a "country enjoying in the territory of e neighboring Stete "such extensive economic encl administrPtive privileges, "A situation of this kind coull' possH1ly be maintained ""ithout leeding to incessant ccm'llicetions end c1isJ:).utes "if it were freely desired or ecc1cpted on both sides, "end if it were the sign end embodiment of e. well'"' "considered ,olicy of close colleboretion in th·e economic "end in the political st1here, But, in the e~sence of "these conditions, it cpuld only lead to friction end "conflict." The situation wes not "freely desired end ''cccopted on both sides_", end the friction inevitl'bly followed, By the use of force or the threet of f$rce, Jepan her secured concessions from Chine in the dE>ys of her weakness; the resurgent nationalism of China resented the losses which the decadent Empire of China had been unable to avoid. A more powerful factor, and ultimately the decisive factor in producing the friction, began to emerge as Japan, no longer satisfied with· the rights she had gained, S-Ought their enlargement o~ a scale which in the end involved the conquest of iianchuria. This policy on the part of Japan to seek enlargement of her rights and interests in China was first authoritatively annsunced in the time of the Tanaka Cabinet. THE TANAKA CABH'ET AND ITS "POSITiirE POLICY" The political atmosphere had been tense in Japan before the formation of the Tanaka Cabinet, which came into power in 192? advocating the so-called "Positive Policy" toward Ghina. The military group attributed what they termed the weakened conditi~n of Japan at that time to the liberal tendencies of the Government as evidenced by the "Friendship Policy" ad­ vocated by Foreign i::_inister Shidehara. The "Friend ship "Policy", which was thus displaced, had been in force since the Washington Conference of 1922. The "Positive "Policy", advocated by Premier Tanaka, was to expand an.i develop the special rights and privileFes, which Japan claimed to have acquired in Manchuria, through 1collaboretion with Manchurian authorities, especially V.arshal Chang Tso-lin, the CoJllJ'Tlander-in-Chief of the Chinese North-Eastern Frontier Army and Chief of the Administration of l'anchuria and Jehol. Premier Tanaka also declared that although Japan would respect the sovereignty of China over l-.'anchuria and would do every­ .thing possible to enforce the "Open Door.Policy" in China, she was tully determined to see that no state et attaira arose in Manchuria which would disturb the lecal tranquility and put Japan's vital interests in ,eO'l)ardy. The Tanaka Government placed great emphasis upon the necessity ot Ngarding Kanchuria_as distinct trom the rut ot China and declared that, it disturb­ ances spread to Manchuria and Mongolia ttdal other 9arts et Shina, Japan would defend her interests in those districts by t0rce. The policy thus involved an e,­ presaed intention to secure turther rights 1.n a foreign cpuntry and an implied claim ot right to preserve in- • ternal peace alld order in that foreign country. AGITATION IN SUPPORT Ql THE "POSITIVE POLICY" SUch organizations as the Xokurtukai (Black Dragon Society) and the Xokuhonsha (Foundation ot the State Society) as well as such writers as Dr. Okawa .(the former Accused) agitated strongly 1n Japan tor ·the enforcement ot Japan's special rights and privileges in Ch~• by force or arms it necessary. The Black Drag~ Society had been formed on 3 February 1901 at Kanda, Japan, to promote natiQ'lal­ ism and anti-Russian and anti-Korean sympathies. It had advocated annexation or Korea, and in general supported the expansionist aspirations or Japan. The Foundation or the state society had been formed on .!O December 1920 to toster the spirit or nationalism and disseminate propaganda. It kept in close touch with the military and published a magazine te present its ideas to the public. HIRANUW. was President and ICOISO and ARAKI were Mefbers or the Society. Dr. Okawa was a trusted employee or the South Manchurian Railw~y Compaey, and had been a Director et the East Asia Research Institute established by the Railway Company to study the economic situation in Manchuria. He had published several books before the toratation or the Tanaka Cabinet. "Sato Shinen 1 s Ideal 'State", published by him 1n 1924, statedt that according to Sato, Japan being the first country in the world to be created, it was the t~undation ot all nations and therefore had the divine mission to rule all nations. The book advocated the occupation of Siberia to prevent the southward advance of Russia, and the occupation of the South Sea Islands to prevent the northward advance or Britain. He published, "Asia, "Europe and Japan", in 1925. In that book 1 be maintained that the League or Nations was organized to maintain eternally the status quo and further domination ot the World by the Angl~-saxons. He predicted that a war between the East •nd the West was inevitable. Provi­ dence was trying to elect Japan as the champion or Asia, he asserted. Japan should endeavor to fulfill that ·sublime mission by developing a strong materialistic spirit, he advised. Dr. Okawa had been the organizer of many societies including the Kochisha, one principle of which was the liberation of the colored races and the unification or the World. The political phil~sophy or Dr. Okawa had appealed to certain or the Military who had adopted him as their spokesman among the civilians and often invited· him to deliver lectures at the Army General Starr meetings. Dr. Okawa became inti­ mately acquainted with the Accused KOISO, ITAGAKI, DOHIHARA and other Army leaders. THE TSINAN INCIDENT Marshal Chang Tso-lin, having declared Manchuria independent of the Central Government of China at the time of the Washington Conference and made himself maste~ of Ma~ehurio, decided to extend his authority further into China proper and moved his headquarters to Peking. The policy of the Taijaka C~binet, being based· on the pla~ of collaboration with the Marshal, depended on the suc­ cess of the Marshal in maintaining his leadership in Manchuria. Premier Tanako repeatedly advised the Marshal to abandon his ambitions to extend his authority outside Monchuria1 but the Marshal resented and refused this advice Civil war between Chang Tso-lin and the Nationalist Government if Ch~na followed. In the spring of 1928, whe~ the nationalist armies of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek were marching on Peking and Tientsin to drive out the army of Chang Tso-lin, and force it back into Manchuria, Premier Tanaka issued a declaration to the effect thnt Japan would maintain peace and order ia Manchuria and was prepared to prevent a state of affairs which would endanger the interests of Japan in Manchuria. The Premier then sent a message to the Chinese generals in effect telling them that the Japanese would oppose any invo.sion of Manchuria, including the definite statement that the Japanese would prevent defeated troops or those in pursuit from entering Manchuria.