Mei Ju-ao (1904–1973) was from Nanchang in Jiangxi Province. He received his doctorate in law from Chicago University and afterwards worked as a law professor at Shanxi and other universities. In 1934 he was a member of the Chinese Legislative Yuan, acting as Chair for the Foreign Affairs Committee. In February 1946, he was appointed by General MacArthur, along with ten other legal representatives from countries including the USA, Russia and the UK, to sit on a panel of judges for the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, also known as the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal. He acted according to the law, arguing for justice for the Chinese people in order to safeguard their sovereignty and dignity.
This is the legal robe worn by Mei Ju-ao for the Tribunal. In June 1949 he sent the gown to Hong Kong but it was returned to China at the end of the year.