Special interview with Mr. Henry Stokes and Mr. Kase Hideaki

It was utterly stupid to accept
the Tokyo Trials’ Views of History
Kokumin Shimbun (The People’s Newspaper), September 25
The book entitled Falsehoods of the Allied Nations’ Victorious Views of History, as
Seen by a British Journalist (Shodensha, New Books) has now become a best seller. Theauthor is Mr. Henry Scott Stokes, former Tokyo Bureau Chief of The New York Times,
who was close to Mishima Yukio. The book was translated by Fujita Hiroyuki, amember of this paper’s discoursing committee. In May this year, the Kyodo News
distributed a fabricated article claiming that the translator “added lines to deny theNanking Massacre without the author’s consultation,” in order to disgrace this book. Mr.
Stokes talks with Mr. Kase Hideaki, who co-authored Why did the United States Wage aWar against Japan with Mr. Stokes (published by Shodensha). They are interviewed by
Fujita of the Discoursing Committee.

Fujita: The book Falsehoods of the Allied Nations’ Victorious Views of History, as Seen1

by a British Journalist has now become a best seller, selling over one hundred thousand
copies and being much talked about.
Stokes: Probably, I am the first person among Europeans and Americans to publish thiskind of book. My book positively supports the view asserted by the Japaneseregarding the Tokyo Trials, the Nanking Incident, the Comfort Women and other issues.
Kase: It must be utterly shocking to read a book which says “As a historical fact,‘Nanking Massacre’ never existed”. The Kyodo News distributed an article claiming thatlines were added to deny the Nanking Massacre without the author’s consultationworldwide, trying to impede the publication of this book.
Stokes: The Kyodo News asked the publisher whether they would stop publishing thebook and recall copies.
Kase: On the very next day following the distribution of the article, the publisher put inits homepage the author’s view both in Japanese and English with the author’ssignature.
Stokes: The contents are as follows. 1) Various reports based on Kyodo News are wrong
and they do not reflect the author’s opinion, 2) The cross-head of Kyodo News whichsays “Best-seller translator added lines to deny Nanking Massacre without author’sconsultation” is not true, 3) The report which says the author and the translator,Hiroyuki Fujita, lacked communication regarding book contents is wrong and far fromthe truth, 4) It was reported by the Kyodo News that the last 2 lines of the Japanesetranslation of Chapter 5 regarding what happened in Nanking on December 1937 did
not reflect the author’s view. The Kyodo News made a big deal out of it. The author’s
opinion is: The so-called “Nanking Massacre” never took place. The word “Massacre”
is not right to indicate what happened. It was originally a propaganda tool of the KMTgovernment, and 5) The above statements are all based on my opinion. The publisher,Shodensha, and the author agreed that we have no need to make any corrections for the2 lines in question at this stage.
Kase: With the prompt response taken, even notably anti-Japanese Japan Times put Mr.
Stokes and translator Fujita’s opinions against reports based on Kyodo News.
Stokes: The Wall Street Journal substantially put refutation against the Kyodo News
reports. The Times also printed Mr. Fujita’s opposite opinion even though in a package
report entitled Japan heading for the Right”.
Fujita: Mr. Stokes, what do you think of the fall of Nanking?
Stokes: When I wrote this book, I evolved my argument based on English-version
books by Professor Kitamura Minoru and Professor Higashinakano Shudo(www.sdh-fact.com Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact). Now, I feel what2

late Mr. Tanaka Masaaki( What Really Happened in Nanking: The Refutation of aCommon Myth http://www.sdh-fact.com/CL02_1/7_S4.pdf ) claimed is most
realistically appealing. As I myself, too, did experience covering on the spot theVietnam War and the Kwangju Incident in South Korea, I feel what Tanaka-sensei saysis truly realistic. One other person I feel realistic sympathy with is Mr. Ara Kenichi( The Nanking Hoax: A Historian Analyzes the Event of 1937
http://www.sdh-fact.com/CL02_1/67_S4.pdf ). He, too, makes us feel as if we werewitnessing actual scenes.
Kase: Mr. Ara directly interviewed officers who actually fought in Nanking andreporters who were actually there, which makes us believe their remarks are true. Mr.
Masaaki Tanaka served as secretary for General Matsui Iwane, who was commander ofthe battle over the capture of Nanking.
Stokes: In commanding in the battle in which the Emperor’s Army tried to capture theenemy’s capital, with the world intently watching, General Matsui Iwane thoroughly
carried out rigid administrative discipline. Even under such circumstances, GeneralMatsui shed tears on receiving reports from the military police that there were acts
committed violating the military discipline in some parts.
Kase: Mr. Stoke, what do you think actually took place in Nanking?
Stokes: The so-called “Nanking Massacre” is a propaganda plot, not a historical fact. AsI mentioned during the interview by the Kyodo News, there was no massacre in Nanking.
What happened in Nanking should not be described in terms of a massacre. There weresome violent acts committed here and there. Fact is that by the Japanese Army’s captureof Nanking, peace and order were restored in Nanking and the then estimatedpopulation of 200,000 increased to 250,000 in a month.
Kase: Mr. Stokes said “there were not many combats actually taking place in Nanking”
in a report article printed in Yukan Fuji (Evening Paper Fuji), which must havesurprised many people.
Fujita: Fierce battles were fought until the Japanese Army actually entered the Nanking
Castle. There were nearly 1,600 killed in action on the Japanese side.
Kase: Mr. Stokes refers to the fact that Chiang Kai-shek of the Kuomintang government
and Tang, military commander, ran in the face of the enemy, which led Chinese officers
to quit fighting and run away, discarding their military uniforms. Compared to heroic
battles fought in Palau and Iwo-jima Island by the Japanese Army, it must have seemed
to Mr. Stokes that in spite of the valiant words spoken by Chiang Kai-shek that theywould defend the capital to the death, very few fierce battles were fought.
Stokes: I think the major reason lay there why Nanking was treated in such a special

3manner, unlike other battlefields. Chinese soldiers took off their uniforms and turned
into ordinary-clothed soldiers. The Japanese Army was obliged to deal with them. It is
recorded that the number of executed ordinary-clothed soldiers and irregular prisonersof war amounted to more than 6,800.
Kase: The execution of these prisoners of war was carried out duly followinginternational law. At that time neither the Kuomintang government nor the League of
Nations nor any countries criticized the execution at all.
Stokes: Certainly, the execution was carried out according to international law, but still
the number was extraordinarily large. I feel that was a tremendously sad fact. However,as I explained during the interview with the Kyodo News and also with the Examining
Organization of Japanese Press, in the background of what brought about such terrible
circumstances were involved not only the Japanese Army but also the KMT government
and the Chinese Communist Party, and the primary responsibility rested upon ChiangKai-shek’s Kuomintang government.
Fujita: Mr. Stokes, you have often and voluminously referred to the Tokyo Trials.
Stokes: I have been to the former court of the Tokyo Trials for many times. I also visitedthe place with Mr. Fujita when I was writing this book. I heard from many people
concerned with the Trials that the atmosphere at the court in Ichigaya when the trials
were in progress was so wicked and filled with poisonous air. The Tokyo Trials was arevenge play produced by MacArthur.
Kase: Mr. Stokes says, “MacArthur was a self-centered narcissist and produced himself
in a manner of a film producer.” His production policy of teaching civilization to thesavage Japanese was full of conceit and deception.
Stokes: In the Tokyo Trials, what took place was completely different from American
values which hold such virtues as justice and fairness. Proof materials which theJapanese side had submitted were almost totally rejected, while whenever a testimonialstatement favorable to Japan was made, the simultaneous interpretation was stopped andthe part was deleted from the court records. In the first place, MacArthur had nojurisdiction to open the Tokyo Trials at all. “Crimes against peace” had never existed
before the Tokyo Trials and clearly such a law was made after the event. In such a court
hardly worthy of the name, seven war-time leaders of the defeated country weresentenced to death by hanging as the so-called Class A war criminals. After the War,Japan has accepted historical views based on the Tokyo Trials, which is utterly absurd.
Kase: The Tokyo Trials came to be criticized later by MacArthur himself, who issued
the very court decree, and by Chief Justice Webb and all the judges and U.S.
government authorities at that time. As Mr. Stokes writes, Japan accepted “judgments”,

4but not the “trial” or “justice”. Nevertheless, it is a most deplorable situation that Japan
continues to maintain political and diplomatic stance as if Japan has consistently
accepted the historical views presented at the Tokyo Trials ever since right after the Warto this day.
Stokes: Since the Tokyo Trials was a totally absurd and unjustified event, the historicalviews based on the Tokyo Trials were nothing more than propaganda, contrary tohistorical facts. Having written Falsehoods of the Allied Nations’ Victorious Views ofHistory, as Seen by a British Journalist, I feel all the more confidently that myconviction is right. We must get rid of the Tokyo Trials’ historical views by all means. I
am ready to do whatever little I can contribute in order to sweep out the Tokyo Trials’
historical views, from the standpoint of a British journalist.
Kase: We, the Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact, will further appeal
Japan’s position to the world, continuing to substantially send more information inEnglish. We feel really encouraged and happy that the world’s topflight journalist likeMr. Henry Stokes will join us in the task of disseminating the truth to the world. We
sincerely hope that Mr. Stokes will continue to use his pen to the full.
Fujita: Lastly, let us know what you are planning to publish.
Stokes: At present, works are simultaneously under way to publish several talk booksincluding ones with Mr. Ueda Takehiko, formerly of the Hochi Newspaper and with Mr.
Fujii Iwaki. A talk book with Mr. Kase is also well progressing for publication.
Kase: I am planning to publish a talk book with Mr. Stokes by the end of this year. The
main topic is that Japanese culture is the greatest in the world.
Fujita: Thank you very much for having shared your busy time with us today.
(Photo: Mr. Henry Stokes on the right and Mr. Kase Hideaki on the left)

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