Spring 1946**, day 38 of the Tokyo Trials.
Former Japanese Major Naito Tetsuya stood in the witness box and held up the bronze amulet that had changed his fate. Inside was engraved “Nanjing Xiaguan, 1937.12.16.” The words “Executed by Imperial Order” on the back of the photograph hidden in its inner compartment caused an uproar in the courtroom. Just as he was about to expose the atrocities committed by a unit directly under the Emperor, an international manhunt targeting the witness quietly began.
**Three factions struggled for power in the shadows**:
- Japan’s far-right Zang Sakura Society vowed to erase the evidence of war crimes.
- The Kuomintang Intelligence Bureau sought to use the evidence to win American support.
- The Chinese Communist Party’s underground network hoped to bring the truth before international public opinion.
