AllMovie

In May 1946, a panel of judges and prosecutors from eleven different nations gathered in Tokyo, Japan to preside over the International Military Tribunal of the Far East, a series of trials held to determine the guilt or innocence of Japanese leaders and military personnel accused of war crimes during World War II. China was represented at the Tribunal, and sixty years later the Chinese film industry offers their perspective on this event in this historical drama. Xiao Nan (Chu Hsiao-tien) is a Chinese journalist who has been sent to Tokyo to cover the tribunal for leftist news outlet Da Gong. Xiao places special emphasis in his coverage on Dr. Mei Ru'ao (Damian Lau), the well-respected Chinese judge who has been sent to represent his nation at the tribunal. It soon becomes clear to many observers that American judge William Webb (Daniel Ziskie) will dominate the proceedings, which is seen as an insult by Mei, especially since China joined the United States in preparing and signing the official documents of surrender. As Mei, Webb and their colleagues weigh the evidence against the men who led the Japanese forces and the troops who slaughtered their enemies in the fields and served as guards in their military prisons, Xiao learns about a possible scandal in the making -- a plot to assassinate Mei and bring the tribunal to a halt. Dongjing Shenpan (aka International Military Tribunal Far East was the first feature film from director Gao Qunshu.