The Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ), the predecessor of the International Court of Justice, was inaugurated on 15 February 1922, at the Peace Palace in The Hague,the Netherlands. The PCIJ initially consisted of eleven judges and four deputy judges. Following the amendment to the PCIJ Statute,the deputy-judges were abolished and the number of judges were raised from eleven to fifteen. The PCIJ once coexisted with the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the former handled contentious and advisory cases, while the latter engaged in arbitration. The relationship between the two courts was such that candidates for judges of the former were nominated by the national groups of the latter. Due to the outbreak of World War II, the PCIJ effectively ceased all judicial activities in 1940, and formally dissolved in 1946 with the resignation of all its judges. During its operation between 1922 and 1940,the PCIJ dealt with 29 contentious cases between States, and delivered 27 advisory opinions.