Promulgation of the Order
Concerning the
Decision on the Handling of the Japanese War Criminals
in Custody Who Invaded China During the War
[!]
(April 25, 1956)
The Decision on the Handling of the Japanese War Criminals in Custody Who Invaded China During the War was adopted at the 34th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the First National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China on April 25, 1956, and is hereby promulgated.

Mao Zedong
President of the People's Republic of China
April 25, 1956

[1]
This is an order issued by Mao Zedong in his capacity as President of the People's Republic of China.

[2]
Refers to the "Decision on the Handling of the Japanese War Criminals in Custody Who Invaded China During the War" adopted at the 34th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on April 25, 1956. The Decision pointed out: The Japanese war criminals currently in custody in our country, during the war of aggression waged by Japanese imperialism against our country, openly violated the principles of international law and the principles of humanity, committed various crimes against our people, and caused our people to suffer extremely serious damage. According to the crimes they committed, they should have been severely punished. However, in view of the changes in the situation and their present circumstances in the ten years since Japan's surrender, in view of the development of friendly relations between the peoples of China and Japan in recent years, and in view of the fact that the overwhelming majority of these war criminals have shown varying degrees of repentance during their custody, it is therefore decided to handle these war criminals separately in accordance with the policy of leniency. The Decision also stipulated the principles and relevant matters for handling the Japanese war criminals in custody.