Everything about Xiang Zhejun totally explained
Xiang Zhejun (向哲浚, 1892—1987), native of
Ningxiang country in
Hunan province.
Chinese jurist and
prosecutor at
International Military Tribunal for the Far East.
Education and Early Career
After graduating from
Tsinghua in 1917, Xiang went to the
United States for further studies and enrolled at
Yale University, where he earned a
Bachelor of Arts degree in American and English Literature. He later transferred to the George Washington University Law School, where he studied
international law and obtained his
JD. After his return to China in 1925, Xiang Zhejun taught law at a number of schools, including
Peking University and
Beijing Jiaotong University. After the establishment of the Nationalist Government in 1927, Xiang held a number of positions in the government, such as Ministry of Justice and Foreign Affairs.
Tokyo Trial
In January 1946, Xiang was appointed the prosecutor for the
Republic of China in the
International Military Tribunal for the Far East, in preparation for which he vigorously collected oral and material evidence. Instead of prosecuting Japanese war crimes dating from the outbreak of hostilities in July 1937, Xiang also managed to persuade the court to prosecute Japanese wars crimes dating back to the
Huanggutun Incident in 1928, when the
Kanto Army assassinated
Zhang Zuolin. During the trial, Xiang Zhejun become known for confronting defendants such as
Iwane Matsui,
Itagaki Seishiro and
Doihara Kenji with evidence establishing their guilt of war crimes. Among other things Xiang established the guilt of Iwane, who was confronted with evidence of the atrocities, including
Harold John Timperley's reports in the
Manchester Guardian.
However, following the political directives of
Chiang Kai-shek, Xiang didn't investigate crimes committed by the
Imperial Japanese Army in
Communist based areas such as the "
Three Alls Policy". Thus, military like
Yasuji Okamura were not prosecuted before the
Tokyo tribunal. He also let down evidence about the use of
chemical weapons authorized by the
Imperial General Headquarters.
Later life
After his return to China, Xiang Zhejun refused Chiang Kai-shek's inivtation to serve as a prosecutor in the Supreme Court, but chose to teach at
Shanghai College of Finance and Economics instead. He remained on the mainland after the establishment of the
People's Republic of China. Even though Xiang had already retired when the
Cultural Revolution erupted in 1965, he became a target for political persecution. He died in
Shanghai in 1987 at the age of 91.
Further Information
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