On 28 May 2026, Dr Viviane Dittrich, Deputy Director of the Nuremberg Academy, delivered a keynote address at the International Symposium commemorating the 80th anniversary of the commencement of the Tokyo Trial. Speaking remotely, Dr Dittrich presented on "Remembering the Nuremberg Trial and the Tokyo Trial 80 Years On".
Reflecting on eight decades since the Tokyo Trial opened in May 1946, Dr Dittrich emphasised that this anniversary is not merely a moment of commemoration, but also an occasion to reflect, reappraise, and deepen understanding of two trials whose legacies are still forming. She underscored the importance of renewing commitment to the rules-based international legal order and to remembering what was built at Nuremberg and Tokyo — and why. Central was the conviction that the force of law must prevail over the law of force, that legal institutions must be enabled to function effectively, and that trust in multilateralism must be restored.
Dr Dittrich also highlighted the Academy's ongoing engagement with the history, relevance and legacies of the Tokyo Trial, including the international conference “70 Years Later: The International Military Tribunal for the Far East”, held in Nuremberg in May 2018, and the open-access edited volume The Tokyo Tribunal: Perspectives on Law, History and Memory published in the Nuremberg Academy Series.
The two-day symposium, held on 28 and 29 May 2026 in Shanghai and Nanjing, was organised by the Center for the Tokyo Trial Studies at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Panel sessions examined the Tokyo Trial from historical, international relations, and international law perspectives. Simultaneous interpretation was provided in English, Chinese, and Japanese. (vd)