Monk's memorial trips sent message of peace to Siberia

Close to 600,000 Japanese soldiers are believed to have been held in Soviet labor camps in the wake of Japan's defeat in the war. They were interned for up to 11 years, with about 55,000 dying as a result of the work they were forced to do, the severe living conditions and malnutrition.

A reminder that one of the allies was not like the others.

Sounds a bit like the story in The Burmese Harp. Horrendous.

Well you should know some people like Joseph Stalin never honored the Geneva convention that any prisoners of war captured by the red army has no rights at all and will be subjected to do hard labour for many years. It is same for the Japanese POWs captured by the military of North Korea or P.R. China as well. Some Japanese PoWs stayed in China until 1959, longer than those in USSR.

Be nice to your neighbors and don't get in a quarrel or a fight with them. They have heavy burdens of history and not very generous!