Abstract
The United Nations War Crimes Commission (UNWCC) was set up in London during the Second World War to discuss war crimes-related issues. China, keen to have a say in any major issues of the war, actively participated in its work. To prove its status as one of the major powers among the Allies, China was particularly interested in establishing a sub-commission in China and extending the jurisdiction of the UNWCC to crimes committed by Japan before the war erupted in Europe in 1939. In Chungking, the Chinese-chaired Sub-commission discussed the treatment of Japanese war crimes, while the Chinese National Office was responsible for gathering relevant evidence. Although the UNWCC is generally thought to be of little relevance to the final arrangement of war crimes trials in Nuremberg, Tokyo, and elsewhere, it is of historical importance in that it was the first forum where war crimes issues were extensively discussed.