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A victory for history, but a moral defeat for Chinese nationalists; Tokyo's 'Hundred-head' trial ends.
posted Sunday, 28 August 2005
| Historians and campaigners for the correct presentation of Sino-Japanese history gave a collective cheer on Tuesday,
while 'war weary' Japanese diplomats issued a sigh of relief, as Judge
Doi Akio of the Tokyo District court threw out a 'defamation' suit
launched by relatives of two of Japan's most notorious war criminals,
and dismissed their claims for compensation. Brining an end to a two
year long trial that could have had explosive consequences for Japan's
already fragile relationship with neighboring China had it gone the
other way. |  |
The case centred on the validity of a series of faux-sporting sporting column articles printed in Japan during the late 1930s in which two Japanese soldiers, Mukai Toshiaki and Noda Tsuyoshi, bragged about a contest held between them to see who could be the first to behead 100 Chinese in combat and about their 'skills' in close combat. Subsequent articles provided a running score for their competition.
.東京日日新聞 (Tokyo Daily News), 13 December.
(Note: Image uses traditional Japanese right-left formatting)
In their suit, the relatives sought to have Japan's courts declare the original reports of the incident, made by Japanese journalists, to have been fabricated; a move that would have effectively forced the erasure the incident from official accounts of Japanese history, and its reassignment to an urban myth. Such an outcome would likely have caused outrage in China.
The relative's suit also called for the awarding of 36 million Yen in compensation for defamation of character and damage to family honor, and an injunction on the publication of several books, articles and essays that have covered the incident since it was first brought to light.
Speaking in regards to the trial, Judge Doi said that Mukai and Noda's relatives had no grounds upon which to refute the claims made by and against their ancestors, and that the recognized view of events is to stand.
Historically, there have been a number of attempts to disprove all or part of the events of the 'hundred head contest', none have so far stood up to official scrutiny inside Japan.
Jubilation and Humiliation
Though extensively a domestic matter which in itself does little more than maintain the status quo of accepted history, Judge Doi's ruling does however serve as a powerful message that provides good and bad tidings for a number of groups in China and Japan.
All claims made against the defendants were thrown out by the courts.
Not The whole Truth?
Although Mukai and Noda 's guilt is accepted as being historical fact in Japan, Judge Doi noted during the case that some aspects of the contested newspaper reports on the 'contest' were inaccurate or had been inflated for the purposes of propaganda, though not sufficiently so as to cast doubt on guilt of the perpetrators or the occurrence of the 'hundred head contest'.
Most of the inconstancies relating to reports of the ‘hundred head contest’ are considered to be ‘boastful exaggerations’ and include a claim by one of the soldiers to have cut a Chinese soldier in two by splitting his steel helmet with his sword; something that would have been impossible with the mass-produced, largely ceremonial, swords used by the sub-Lieutenants in their killing spree, and which would have likely critically damaged even a well produced sword.
Mukai and Noda?
At the time of the killings, Mukai Toshiaki and Noda Tsuyoshi were both Katagiri Unit Sub-Lieutenants from the 9th Infantry Regiment of the 16th Division of the Japanese army.
After the war neither escaped justice, both Mukai and Noda were sent to ????? (The Sugamo Detention Center) before being tried for their crimes. They were subsequently sentenced to death and their executions were carried out on 28 January 1948.
Contrary to popular belief in China, the majority of the Japanese war criminals, who where not killed during the course of the war, were tried and executed or imprisoned as warranted by their crime. In reality very few war criminals escaped punishment by war crimes tribunals, and many of those that did, did so by committing suicide, an act that is often regarded as a confession of guilt in Japan.
As with modern war crimes tribunals, Japan played little or no part in the judicial process against its war criminals. External bodies, largely US driven, decided guilt, innocence, and punishment; a fact that has stirred controversy of its own over the years. In Contrast, the European war crimes tribunals were far more multi national.
Allied and Chinese war crimes tribunals largely operated independently, with China establishing 13 war crimes tribunals relating the invasion and occupation. Between them, China's tribunals heard 650 cases and resulted in the conviction of 504 Japanese. Of the 504 convictions announced by the Chinese tribunals, 149 resulted in the imposition of the death penalty.
Western Hypocrisy?
Controversially, 東京日日新聞 was not the only newspaper to carry the reports on the contest.
A faux-sports column, glorifying the killing and promoting them as being a triumph of Japanese close combat skills, was also published in the American owned and edited English language newspaper the Japan Advertiser.
Like the Japanese owned newspapers, the Japan Advertiser also gave a running 'head count' of the two soldier's killing sprees, and presented the criminal slayings of Chinese soldiers and prisoners as a display of Japanese prowess in combat with a sword.
The Japan advertiser published two reports, one on 7 December 1937 and one on 14 December 1937. Both glorified the 'contest'.
To date, the 'Hundred head Contest' stands as a warning to world militaries as to what can happen when order is allowed to break down, and as to what happens when officers allow their troops to descend to the level of a rabble by failing to maintain rigid discipline.
Despite the warnings provided by history, incidents similar to the 'hundred head contest' have continued to occur thought the world, including during the Hutu-Tutsi conflict in Rwanda, the US 'intervention' in Vietnam, and the recent conflicts in Kosovo and the wider Balkans region.
Further Reading - 本多勝一 (Honda Katsuichi)
Of particular relevance are 南京への道 (Road to Nanjing) and 中国の旅 (Travels in China).
Some titles may be difficult to obtain in English.
Note
The Japan Advertiser has undergone a number of mergers and name changes and as such the name Japan Advertiser is used above for reasons of familiarity and association with the stated stories, which where first printed on 7 December 1937, and not for reasons of historical accuracy or accuracy in the present day.
The Japan Advertiser was not targeted in the lawsuit.
Contrary to popular belief, the 'hundred head contest' was not part of the events at Nanjing (as variously named) and should be considered a separate incident.
(Note: Image uses traditional Japanese right-left formatting)
| Although
the incident, known colloquially as the 'hundred head contest', has largely been accepted as an historical fact in Japan since the time that it was first reported in 1937, it was challenged two years ago by three of the soldier's surviving relatives, including Mukai Chieko; the daughter of Mukai Toshiaki, who launched a legal suit claiming that the incident had been invented by journalists to use as propaganda, and that the 'false accounts' published about it had brought unjust shame on their families. |  Case Plaintives |
The relative's suit also called for the awarding of 36 million Yen in compensation for defamation of character and damage to family honor, and an injunction on the publication of several books, articles and essays that have covered the incident since it was first brought to light.
Speaking in regards to the trial, Judge Doi said that Mukai and Noda's relatives had no grounds upon which to refute the claims made by and against their ancestors, and that the recognized view of events is to stand.
|
|
"The lieutenants [Mukai and Noda] admitted the fact that they raced to kill 100 people." Judge Doi, Tokyo District Court |
|
Historically, there have been a number of attempts to disprove all or part of the events of the 'hundred head contest', none have so far stood up to official scrutiny inside Japan.
Jubilation and Humiliation
Though extensively a domestic matter which in itself does little more than maintain the status quo of accepted history, Judge Doi's ruling does however serve as a powerful message that provides good and bad tidings for a number of groups in China and Japan.
| For campaigners seeking to ensure the correct portrayal of Japanese wartime actions, both on the Chinese and the Japanese sides, the ruling provides further reinforcement of the internationally recognized version of history at the court level, and firm proof that the Japanese legal system is both willing and able to preserve the accuracy of history in the face of those who would adulterate it to a version that better suits their world view. |  Representitive for the Defense |
- 毎日新聞 (Mainichi Shimbun/Every-Day News/Daily News). The successor to 東京日日新聞 (The Tokyou Nichinichi Shimbun/The Tokyo Daily News), the newspaper which featured the original 'hundred head contest' story in which Mukai and Noda boasted about their crimes. In total, the newspaper printed four articles on the contest beginning on 30 November 1937, and continuing on 4, 6, and 13 December (pictured above) 1937.
- 朝日新聞 (The Asahi Shimbun). A newspaper that has become well known for its fight to maintain more left leaning view of Sino-Japanese history; which published an unflattering account of the 'hundred head contest' in 1971.
- 本多勝一 (Honda Katsuichi) a journalist and author who worked for ????, and who coined the term 'hundred head contest' in the thought provoking publication 中国の旅 (Travels in China) which was released through 朝日新聞in 1971.
All claims made against the defendants were thrown out by the courts.
Not The whole Truth?
Although Mukai and Noda 's guilt is accepted as being historical fact in Japan, Judge Doi noted during the case that some aspects of the contested newspaper reports on the 'contest' were inaccurate or had been inflated for the purposes of propaganda, though not sufficiently so as to cast doubt on guilt of the perpetrators or the occurrence of the 'hundred head contest'.
|
|
"We cannot deny that the article included some false elements and exaggeration” Judge Doi Akio, Tokyo District Court |
|
Most of the inconstancies relating to reports of the ‘hundred head contest’ are considered to be ‘boastful exaggerations’ and include a claim by one of the soldiers to have cut a Chinese soldier in two by splitting his steel helmet with his sword; something that would have been impossible with the mass-produced, largely ceremonial, swords used by the sub-Lieutenants in their killing spree, and which would have likely critically damaged even a well produced sword.
|
|
“Mukai's blade was slightly damaged in the competition. He explained
that this was the result of cutting a Chinese [soldier] in half, helmet
and all.” Japan Advertiser 14 December 1937 |
|
Mukai and Noda?
At the time of the killings, Mukai Toshiaki and Noda Tsuyoshi were both Katagiri Unit Sub-Lieutenants from the 9th Infantry Regiment of the 16th Division of the Japanese army.
After the war neither escaped justice, both Mukai and Noda were sent to ????? (The Sugamo Detention Center) before being tried for their crimes. They were subsequently sentenced to death and their executions were carried out on 28 January 1948.
Contrary to popular belief in China, the majority of the Japanese war criminals, who where not killed during the course of the war, were tried and executed or imprisoned as warranted by their crime. In reality very few war criminals escaped punishment by war crimes tribunals, and many of those that did, did so by committing suicide, an act that is often regarded as a confession of guilt in Japan.
As with modern war crimes tribunals, Japan played little or no part in the judicial process against its war criminals. External bodies, largely US driven, decided guilt, innocence, and punishment; a fact that has stirred controversy of its own over the years. In Contrast, the European war crimes tribunals were far more multi national.
Allied and Chinese war crimes tribunals largely operated independently, with China establishing 13 war crimes tribunals relating the invasion and occupation. Between them, China's tribunals heard 650 cases and resulted in the conviction of 504 Japanese. Of the 504 convictions announced by the Chinese tribunals, 149 resulted in the imposition of the death penalty.
Western Hypocrisy?
Controversially, 東京日日新聞 was not the only newspaper to carry the reports on the contest.
A faux-sports column, glorifying the killing and promoting them as being a triumph of Japanese close combat skills, was also published in the American owned and edited English language newspaper the Japan Advertiser.
Like the Japanese owned newspapers, the Japan Advertiser also gave a running 'head count' of the two soldier's killing sprees, and presented the criminal slayings of Chinese soldiers and prisoners as a display of Japanese prowess in combat with a sword.
The Japan advertiser published two reports, one on 7 December 1937 and one on 14 December 1937. Both glorified the 'contest'.
To date, the 'Hundred head Contest' stands as a warning to world militaries as to what can happen when order is allowed to break down, and as to what happens when officers allow their troops to descend to the level of a rabble by failing to maintain rigid discipline.
Despite the warnings provided by history, incidents similar to the 'hundred head contest' have continued to occur thought the world, including during the Hutu-Tutsi conflict in Rwanda, the US 'intervention' in Vietnam, and the recent conflicts in Kosovo and the wider Balkans region.
Further Reading - 本多勝一 (Honda Katsuichi)
| For interested Reader, a number of 本多's books, including Sino-Japanese publications, are available from online retailer Amazon in both English and Japanese. |  本多勝一 (Honda Katsuichi) |
Of particular relevance are 南京への道 (Road to Nanjing) and 中国の旅 (Travels in China).
Some titles may be difficult to obtain in English.
Note
The Japan Advertiser has undergone a number of mergers and name changes and as such the name Japan Advertiser is used above for reasons of familiarity and association with the stated stories, which where first printed on 7 December 1937, and not for reasons of historical accuracy or accuracy in the present day.
The Japan Advertiser was not targeted in the lawsuit.
Contrary to popular belief, the 'hundred head contest' was not part of the events at Nanjing (as variously named) and should be considered a separate incident.
View Comments/Add a Comment (11)
1. Buyo left...
Friday, 2 September 2005 5:28 pm
Excellent post. I was waiting for such an in depth article about this case
and you provided it. Thankyou.
2. ACB left...
Friday, 2 September 2005 5:42 pm
There is actally quite a bit about this case in Japanese on the web. Try
searching for 本多勝一 as most of it is included in articles about the various
couner claims and suits surrounding him. There is also a surprissing amount
in English.
3. Kieko left...
Wednesday, 31 December 2008 6:35 pm
There is the grandson of Toshiaki Mukai. He started a lawsuit or is
pursuing one in the United States. I think his name is Jesse Sutherland.
His mother is Emiko Cooper. There is a quarter milllion dollar hit on him
and he was last known in Ohio U.S. Rumor is the mother and relatives paid
for the hit. Does anyone know his where abouts and is this true? Iris
Chang was hit or committed suicide. There is a lot of controversey over
the two soldiers.
4. ACB left...
Saturday, 3 January 2009 9:25 pm
And which supermarket tabloid did you read that in?
5. T.S. Bracini left...
Wednesday, 7 January 2009 3:21 am
WOW! You need to pay attention to what you read. There was no note of
suicide with Iris Chang and please link me to the site that says there was
one. The two officers are the most notorious killers of Japan history and
may have been executed falsely on a story! We are forgetting they followed
orders and defended Japan. They gave their lives. You do not understand
the Japanese.
If there is a Jesse Sutherland imagine living with this legacy good and
bad. Caught between two countries with the publicity, lawsuits, book and
movie rights.
Iris Chang committed suicide after discovering the lawsuit in Japan. She
would face the questions in the United States. I know from an inside
source that the grandson did not cooperate with the lawsuit in Japan. They
lost a lot of money. Why? Nobody knows yet.
6. TakenAsiaN left...
Wednesday, 7 January 2009 3:29 am
baka!
7. ACB left...
Saturday, 10 January 2009 10:18 pm
T.S. Bracini:
8. crushinon420 left...
Tuesday, 20 January 2009 3:39 am
ABC you're a chink obsessed with Japan. This blog is 4 years old and you
hit it with the same comments you copy from other links. One thing for
sure is you will never get the attention you so desire hiding on the net.
coming off like you're the mighty wise one Lol. You get your information
from tabloids. Anyone can see that much. You haven't disputed anything
with facts. It's not like you're related to anyone involved. It's not like
you can impact anything with what you preach, preach and preach. Sounds
like you're envious that life or death you'll never change anything or be a
part of anything this real. What does China really have? The legacy of
Bruce Lee?
9. Jessie Sutherland (jessie_suther left...
Tuesday, 20 January 2009 4:42 am
I love these comments about my grandfather. Alll I see are postings of
repeated fact and fiction gathered from other unreliable sources. What's
the point? None of you were actually there same as Iris Chang. I have
more details on this then any of you could search online. Most of the
rhetoric on here is your opinion and you support that opinion manipulating
what you find online to support your bias mindset about Japan. I hide from
nobody and fear nothing. I'm proud of my grandfather. Since I don't care
what most of you think........................I'd like to take this space
to give a shout out to some people. hehe.
10. ACB left...
Wednesday, 21 January 2009 4:38 am
crushinon420:
11. ACB left...
Wednesday, 21 January 2009 4:45 am
Sutherland: