Japanese firm to apologize to U.S. WWII veterans for forced labor

Obama administration tries to ingrain guilt in the Japanese people's mind to control Japan.

Maybe they understand what a disaster will ensue when Abe blows his 70th anniversary speach, so they are trying to set a model for him. Maybe lots of firms will do it to try to offset the anticipated Abe disaster.

What was the most striking after the apology was issued were the humble responses of the few U.S. servicemen still alive who had endured this inhumane treatment. They were just grateful for the apology and accepted it with politeness and grace.

Will Japan, or any Japanese company, ever be forgiven?

I've read where Germany, having paid boatloads of reparations, has been more or less forgiven for its war time misdeeds whereas Japan has not been forgiven. I pointed this out to my Japanese wife and suggested that maybe Japan needs to pay more money. She countered that Japan has paid a lot of money.

Is it true that Japan has paid a lot of money to the people they were brutalizing?

@jiro: what are you griping?

This is Mitsunishi material apologizing its war time using POW as slavery labor and people are arguing many things Some not related to Mitsubishi but discussing. I looked up and no one bashed you.

Back to topic. With their experience to help Choshu, it avoided Korea and China so it concentrated in Japan. Even it just delayed to enter auto marketing in USA. But I think it has some info on Abe's plan to apology suddenly. Abe is Choshu Danji. M avoid whatever Choshu plans.

I see that my earlier comments found negative responses from three individuals. Unfortunately they had not the gonads to respond why they found an apology with compensation inappropriate. I guess the U.S. gaijin concept of shame requiring a Presidential apology and compensation too soto 外, to comprehend. Either they cannot grasp the idea of a genuine indication of regret but only the empty formality of the bow making sure that their bow does not exceed propriety. The barbarity of the Japanese during the Pacific War and China/Korean occupation (including biologic warfare) is undeniable. A just settlement, though not alleviating the suffering of the victims, may show genuine remorse. I don't care what the Allies did with their pows (far more humane than that of the Japanese) but if we are an honorable people then let us discard the façade and honestly be as honorable as our ancestors committed themselves to at the cost of their own lives. Finally, forgive me, but take your thumbs down and stick them up you know where. Gomen Nasai, ne!

Its a start and you have to remember this is an old firm so there must have been a lot of air sucking to come to this. So long as its genuine its good.

kobe xl you think what govt owes private company should pay. Watch out kobe city will incfease cops to cagch chimpifas and charge you cop payrolls

@ toshiko

Both Osaka and Kobe are in Japan so i doubt any sincerity will be involved in an pology ;o/

$$$t$hst wsd for the persom who wanted Mitsubishi to apologie what Mitsubishi did not. So, I suggested to demand apology from Japanese Govt which was responsible. If person A injure you, in Osaka, Do you demand apology in Kobe???

@toshiko

Please ask or demand to Japanese Government to apology. Not to Mitsubishi/

And..? The Korean government AND the victims themselves have been doing just that for years and years and years. So you admit then, that the ball is in Japan's court. Thank you.

After war, GI came. Later, on the Tokyo street corners, people were finding abandoned mixed babies. So first daughter of Mitsubishi demanded to give one of confistiated her family manshon and created mixed orphan, Its employees walked all over in Tokyo to find babies. She raised them. Her husband was UN Ambassader of Japan. Onc the Minisyrtof Justice went to apologized andoine law was changed When she went to see one of girls she raised, the law only allowed natural parents. and she wrote message I came to visit tiu but red devil and green devil don't ler me aee you. Some one broight to attention of minister and he went to see her, and since then stel parents are able to see their children

Mitsubishi had been humanitarian in Japan from Top to Bottom

They have no problem apologizing to their masters who beat them.

@CH3CHO

*So, what actually is Mitsubishi apologizing?

The bit about no food, no medicine, no clothing, no sanitation*

If that is the case, the title of the article should have been, "Japanese firm to apologize to U.S. WWII veterans for mistreatment"

And in that case, your original post shouldn't have asked what Mitsubishi was apologizing for; it should have asked why the headline wasn't better written. I don't personally care about the wording of the headline; the content of the article is clear.

As for your deflecting the argument on to whether or not the Geneva convention allows forced labour, it is quite clearly stated that uncompensated & abusive labour is prohibited. And it's quite clear that the forced labour being here discussed falls into that category.

@lucabrasiJUL. 16, 2015 - 09:41PM JST

@toshiko

UN created October 1945.

Japan joined December 1956.

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Thank you.

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This article is about Mitsubishi's apology to the American POWs. It has nothing to do with Korean sex slaves. It does. If the POWs can get an apology - then so can the slaves. If the 1951 treaty did not cancel out the need for an apology - then neither did the 1965 treaty (which in any case did not cover the sex slaves from the countries previously mentioned)

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Please ask or demand to Japanese Government to apology. Not to Mitsubishi/

@toshiko

UN created October 1945.

Japan joined December 1956.

Are there anyone who knows when UN is created and when Japan joined and when Japan was a member of UN?

Common mistake people make when citing the Geneva Convention it changed a LOT after WWII, many things forbidden now we're still allowed during the war. -

I agree and what is sad is that they really think they are right.

Yubaru.

Common mistake people make when citing the Geneva Convention it changed a LOT after WWII, many things forbidden now we're still allowed during the war.

Geneva Convention (III) relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. 12 August 1949. ARTICLE 49 The Detaining Power may utilize the labour of prisoners of war who are physically fit, taking into account their age, sex, lank and physical aptitude, and with a view particularly to maintaining them in a good state of physical and mental health. So, what do you think Mitsubishi is apologizing for?

Do you even read what you post prior to submitting it? WWII ended when? This article added to the Geneva Convention was added when? (Hint read the first line....)

Working and using POW's for labor is one thing, slave labor is another, do you actually know the differences?

Mitsubishi – Baron Yataro Iwasaki helped Choshu by organizing Shikoku samurai forces to topple Shogun. After seeing fate of none Choshu heroes he decided to become merchant like Mitsui promising he will help Meiji Govt financially. There was no hope to join Choshu created Meiji Govt, then. So it has been financially helping J Govt (still) After WW II, GHQ wanted to rebuild Japan from air bombed cities and so it excused it as Mitsubishi meant Three Diamonds even though it was a developer of Zero.

Because it is not Choshu based, it did not go Manchuria or Korea. Just operated in Japan

It is apologizing It may know something we can;t guess. The company, we call Mesaki ga Hayai Kaisha. How is politics in Japan?

@Comanteer . Japans " loss" is the share of the profit for its beligerance,but the real loss was for hopelessly brainwashed serfs. The elites,apart from loss of face got their way. Loss? for Japan? I don't think so.

A long time coming, but finally.

as if your country apologized anything.

Good for them. Note that this did not involve the Japanese government.

A long time coming, but finally.

Of course the anti Japan crowd will spin negatively.

Christopher GlenJul. 16, 2015 - 05:30PM JST

Japan's apologies are worthless as they've been followed by denials.

OK. Just keep saying that, and there will be no day issues get settled.

the Philippines, Taiwan, and Indonesia. They were not covered by the deal in 1965.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_San_Francisco#Signatories_and_ratification

The Philippines ratified the San Francisco Treaty on July 16, 1956, after the signing of a reparations agreement between both countries in May of that year. Indonesia did not ratify the San Francisco Peace Treaty. Instead, it signed with Japan a bilateral reparations agreement and peace treaty on January 20, 1958. A separate treaty, the Treaty of Taipei, formally known as the Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty, was signed in Taipei on April 28, 1952, between Japan and the ROC

They were not coverd by the deal in 1965, because everything was settled way earlier.

If the 1951 treaty did not cancel out the need for an apology - then neither did the 1965 treaty

The only problem is that you do not recognize the apologies.

The Current Japanese generation is living a life of affluence probably on wealth founded on the rivers of blood and souls snatched from lives of the victims of earlier the Japanese generation.

What a load of tosh. I give you points for melodrama, though there's not a shred of evidence that supports your opinion. Just the opposite, in fact. Japan's imperialistic adventures cost the country greatly.

Japanese government has already apologized to former ianfu.

No idea about the ianfu. I do know who the sex slaves are. In any case, Japan's apologies are worthless as they've been followed by denials. Japan is still to properly apologise to the sex slaves from the Philippines, Taiwan, and Indonesia. They were not covered by the deal in 1965. And as the sex slaves weren't officially recognised in 1965 - they were not covered by the treaty either (but then again you've been debunked countless times on this)

Excuse me. What does not exist? You mean 1965 treaty does not exist?

I think I just made my point.

This article is about Mitsubishi's apology to the American POWs. It has nothing to do with Korean sex slaves.

It does. If the POWs can get an apology - then so can the slaves. If the 1951 treaty did not cancel out the need for an apology - then neither did the 1965 treaty (which in any case did not cover the sex slaves from the countries previously mentioned)

@comanteer... Ohh yes !! Sins of an earlier generation X can be transfered to the generation Y as long as the latter (Y)does not show pragmatism and sensitivity to its contemporaries( victims of X). The Current Japanese generation is living a life of affluence probably on wealth founded on the rivers of blood and souls snatched from lives of the victims of earlier the Japanese generation. Is it any wonder then, most of the colonized peoples of the world live in abject poverty or have to give their all to be successful like Korea,Singapore,Malaysia , China e.t.c have done? @ Toshiko Because Mitsubishi Materials did not use Chinese and Koreans. Mitsubishi is not Japanese Govt. Read the articke again, Jaoan is not apologiing Mitubishi mine is apologizing. Have you ever heard of zaibatsu? Even today, many Arms manufacturers are funded by governments. From meiji era to the end of WW2, the government of Japan sponsored research to manufacturing of weapons for companies like Mitsubishi and others ( The industrial military complexes, and their keiretsus). Didn't Mitsubishi famously manufacture the zero fighter? Manufacturing of arms is very expensive, most companies can't do on their own , hence the government funded the projects,citizens got employed and the companies kept the profits. There most definitely was a symbiotic relation between Mitsubishi and the Japanese government. I don't know if Japan is party to this apology. Japan seems to, again , arrogantly abrogate itself the power to choose whom to apologize to, and whom to show the finger, that's a big problem.

Christopher GlenJul. 16, 2015 - 04:08PM JST

Wait a minute! I thought the matter of liability etc had been settled in the 1951 treaty of San Francisco.

Yes, compensation issues were all settled. That is why we have US court rulings like this. http://www.gwu.edu/~memory/data/judicial/POWs_and_Forced_Labor_US/ClassAction/Sept212000Decision.pdf

If so, there is no reason why the Japanese government can't apologise to the sex slaves,

Japanese government has already apologized to former ianfu. But I do not see your logic between SFPT of 1951 and apology.

who (besides the 1965 treaty with South Korea, in which they didn't officially eixst) came from several countries.

Excuse me. What does not exist? You mean 1965 treaty does not exist?

Time to show Unbroken then.

Wait a minute! I thought the matter of liability etc had been settled in the 1951 treaty of San Francisco. If so, there is no reason why the Japanese government can't apologise to the sex slaves, who (besides the 1965 treaty with South Korea, in which they didn't officially eixst) came from several countries.

@tonttu "Were the Americans the only people who were treated that way in Japan during WWII?".

Nope. I can't speak of the other allies (although if I had to guess I'd say their were quite a lot of Brits & Dutch) but for Australia "Of the 22,000 Australian prisoners of the Japanese more than a third died in captivity" - according to the ABC article (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-03-04/japan-says-sorry-to-former-australian-pows/1966180).

So obviously they arent the only ones but according to the ABC article an apology was given in Australia in 2011 (the date of the article). I'm guessing these US POW's have been waiting quite some time.

zichiJul. 16, 2015 - 02:42PM JST

With all your argument, it does not change the fact that it was OK by Geneva Convention to use POWs as forced laborers.

What you are arguing is mistreatment of POW, such as malnutrition.

So, it goes back to my point. What are they apologizing for? http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/japanese-firm-to-apologize-to-u-s-wwii-veterans-for-forced-labor#comment_2017223

Should Mitsubishi apologize for forced labor, per se? Or

Should Mitsubishi apologize for mistreatment of POWs?

BTW, the IJA did "inhumane things" not just terrible things witnessed with the Unit 731. The country needs to wake up to the intentions of PM Abe who seems to be manic about the failures of his past family history. PM Abe wants to put the Emperor as the head of state and country again. A fully armed military. Rights of state over ruling the rights of the private citizen. To force people to honor the flag and national anthem. Business of the state shrouded in state secrecy laws. Freedom of speech now guaranteed under the present constitution seriously curtailed. Allowing the public funding again of shrines like the Yasukuni Shrine. Lack of press freedom. These are very serious issues.

quibbling about semantics does nothing for your argument. and how is the rest of your post relevant to anything that has been posted so far? listing the "misdeeds" of the current administration just creates a straw man argument to gain empathy for your position. and thanks for informing us that you have a japanese wife. it makes your criticism much more acceptable.

@ch3: Do you have info when Japan was member of UN?

............that Japan will eventually challenge the U.S. superpower status and Japan will not hesitate to re-occupy Guam and attack Hawaii again if Japan has a chance as Japan deep in its heart believes Guam and Hawaii was illegally occupied by US.

@Comrade Chiang. Excellent communist propaganda; I wonder where from?

these were found by Japanese historians in Japanese archives, disputing Japan government's official standings on "forced requisitions".

Sigh. Care to explain why Koreans try to illegally immigrate to Japan throughout that time frame ? Not a single person has yet to offer a logical reasoning behind this phenomena.

http://www.zinbun.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~mizna/cgi-bin/shinbun/shinbuns.cgi?midashi=%CC%A9%B9%D2&shinbun=&local1=&local2=&bunrui=&_ymd=no&year1=&month1=&beforeyear=&beforemonth=&afteryear=&aftermonth=&karayear=&karamonth=&madeyear=&mademonth=&perpage=100&page=1

They also found Japanese police documents written by the Japanese police detailing the escaped Korean labourers brought to Hokkaido to work in the mines under horrendous conditions. The Japanese police urged the recapture of them as soon as possible

Nope. Koreans were known for receiving advance payments and fleeing to another location not fulfilling their contracted duties.

It's simple, Papi. If Police were able to exercise such authority as you claim, there exists an written order(Imperial) that is issued and disseminated throughout the county. Such order does not exist.

Papi2013Jul. 16, 2015 - 01:57PM JST

Forced labour was against the international law which Japan ignored.

What law?

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/SlaveryConvention.aspx

Slavery Convention 1926

Article 5

(1) Subject to the transitional provisions laid down in paragraph (2) below, compulsory or forced labour may only be exacted for public purposes.

http://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO::P12100_ILO_CODE:C029

Forced Labour Convention, 1930

Article 2 2 Nevertheless, for the purposes of this Convention, the term forced or compulsory labour shall not include--

(d) any work or service exacted in cases of emergency, that is to say, in the event of war or of a calamity or threatened calamity,

Thus, labor conscription by National Mobilization Act during WW2 was not against any international law.

nigelboy,

these were found by Japanese historians in Japanese archives, disputing Japan government's official standings on "forced requisitions".

http://pds.joins.com/news/component/nocut/201507/04/20150703202503925537.jpg

They also found Japanese police documents written by the Japanese police detailing the escaped Korean labourers brought to Hokkaido to work in the mines under horrendous conditions. The Japanese police urged the recapture of them as soon as possible.

http://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0101_201507031006443755_006

Forcing people to work in horrendous conditions, against their will, under the International Labour Organization, is called forced labour. Forced labour was against the international law which Japan ignored.

Pajas I got info on last year. Mitsui was sued. and it was not Mitsubishi

So now that almost every victim is dead and there is no longer any concern about financial consequences that might attend upon an admission of guilt, they are willing to apologize. To one guy.

What a brave gesture.

zichiJul. 16, 2015 - 01:22PM JST

Why do not we settle the first question?

Under Geneva Convention, is it OK to use POWs as forced laborers? The answer is "Yes, it is."

How do you thing those photos compare with ones of the German POW in Britain?

Nice propaganda.

@PAPI: Wasn't it Sumiromo now suvsidiary od Mitsui??? Mitsubishi operated in Japan clsiming to move to Manchuria and Korea cost too much,

zichiJul. 16, 2015 - 11:48AM JST

Forced labour is a war crime

Why?

https://www.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/Article.xsp?action=openDocument&documentId=517042012F4D959CC12563CD0051AE8A

Geneva Convention (III) relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War. 12 August 1949.

ARTICLE 49

The Detaining Power may utilize the labour of prisoners of war who are physically fit, taking into account their age, sex, lank and physical aptitude, and with a view particularly to maintaining them in a good state of physical and mental health.

So, what do you think Mitsubishi is apologizing for?

Papi2013Jul. 16, 2015 - 11:36AM JST

Last year, Korean forced labourers sued Mitsubishi in Korean courts for backpay and won. Japan was furious and it lead to diplomatic confrontation.

The compensation issues of the Korean conscription laboreres were settled in Korea Japan Basic Treaty of 1965.

Yes, Zichi, but it is so if you think only about the short half a century which ended with the WWII. How about before and after that period of time? So instead of saying that Japan was the worst and for that it should never be forgiven for what it did, etc. (I will not enter the moving-sand territory of the apologies, their sincerety, the peace treaties, financial aids, etc.) why not put things in perspective and see that history is much longer than that half a century and while the JPA did terrible things for a period of 50 or so years other countries took longer to enjoy their conquest and the terrible acts which those conquests involved.

So read again below, what Japanese rep said in her speech to UNESCO, so tell us where's the misunderstanding?

No misunderstanding on my part. There were many "brought against their will and forced to work under harsh conditions" because as the quoted statement continues,

.."And that during World War II, the government of Japan ALSO implemented its policy of requisition."

Yep. Allied nation citizens also were subjected to such policy as well.

This is the type of nonsense that keeps constantly coming out of Japan which makes Japanese claiming victimization, ludicrous.

No they didn't. Those are claims made by Koreans which have no merit and should not be placed in the same sentence with the P.O.W.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/06/japan-sites-get-world-heritage-status-after-forced-labour-acknowledgement

So read again below, what Japanese rep said in her speech to UNESCO, so tell us where's the misunderstanding?

“Japan is prepared to take measures that allow an understanding that there were a large number of Koreans and others who were brought against their will and forced to work under harsh conditions in the 1940s at some of the sites,” the Japanese delegation to Unesco said in a statement.

Sounds like Japan is admitting that they brought Koreans against their will and force to work under harsh conditions, because that's exactly what Japanese rep said at the UNESCO meeting, when they were arguing for their UNESCO application to pass through. And head of UNESCO has stated, they will take the English statements made by Japanese officials at the UNESCO meeting, over any Japanese attempt at dodging and word plays again. Officially, it is recorded that Japan admitted to using forced labourers from Korea. Let's wait and see if Japan goes through with their promises to ensure that the public who visit those Japanese UNESCO sites will get sufficiently educated about the forced labourers that worked at those sites. But I won't hold my breath.

This issue is bizarre to me.

This issue is bizarre because Japan used to deny that they used any forced labourers, including the US POW's being abused. Go back few months back, when entire Japan was in national anger against Angelina Jolie for making the movie "Unbroken". Japanese said the movie was a lie. that Japanese treated the POW's with Geneva Convention rules. lol..

Wow... this is interesting as sad all at the same time. Many people seem to forget that war is hell on earth for any it touches. Whether you are a soldier or not. Let's not forget that. When countries put their soldiers into the field it's nice to think they will only kill those who fight, that is the movies, not real life. This issue is bizarre to me. I can't imagine how bad it must have been for these people to be treated so badly. I only have a first person account from my great uncle who was a Japanese POW for 3 months or so at the end of the fighting in the Pacific. He was held in a cage made of bamboo that was so small he couldn't change positions, some times no food or water for days. When the US Marines took the island he was being held on the Japanese soldiers took the POWs and lined them up and shot them in the head before the Marines made it to the camp. My uncle was saved by the poor craftsmanship of the P38 rounds of the time, the bullet didn't pierce his skull. I have seen photos and I heard the stories and the thing I remember him saying is that war is evil and it makes people do things they would never imagined themselves doing. He held no hatred toward the Japanese government not the Japanese people. I don't think the Japanese nor any other country need apologize about anything that occurred as the direct result of war. War is Evil let's remember that and always keep in in the forefront, no lies or pointing fingers, no window dressing or blame-shifting. We went to war and acted like mad beasts. Maybe that would help persuade countries not to make war for oil and minerals.

Mitsubishi is not Japanese Govt.

Come again?

@ OssanAmericaJul. 16, 2015 - 08:04AM JST

Yes but as he was 5 years old when WWII ended in 1945 I doubt he had much say over what was going on.

See more at: http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/japanese-firm-to-apologize-to-u-s-wwii-veterans-for-forced-labor#sthash.Hxxx3raB.dpuf

Your missing the point that some of his mega wealth comes from the use of forced labor and he's now the D.P

@ Disillusioned This is a good thing, but as much as Japan apologizes for their atrocities during the first half of last century, I see no reason why they should ever be forgiven. Kill one person you go to jail for 25 years. How long should the sentence be for killing and enslaving millions over a fifty year period?

Interesting point, kind of like a short cut to thinking!

A good move. Hope the apology is accepted.

@Jennie Pc Chiang: Japan harbors the sinister hope that after such a disguise it may successfully unshackle itself from its ugly, brutal past and culturally ruthless, ultra-right extremist to achieve its ambition of territorial expansion and aggression against its neighbors again.

Hey Jennie! Welcome to the discussion. I think we all know where you get your news from!

@igloobuyer: Are you aware Japan was often equal to that of Nazi Germany in their treatment of POW's? Ever hear of allies starving prisoners to death and torturing them? Japan and companies have way more to apologies for.

Clue: Read Supey11’s post above.

Again, we come to the point where Japan is singled out (not surprisingly) as the most evil guy of all. Has the discussion on who is guiltier ever helped? War is a nasty thing and as much as many want to believe that the Allies were the noble guys, history shows that it is never only black and white and nations are never only good or only bad. The Allies performed some terrible acts, too (during the war, before and after it as well.) Instead of trying to get on the moral high ground by pointing fingers only to the looser, why not learn more about all the atrocities committed during the war? And then even extend your research to several decades and possibly centuries earlier so that you get a more realistic view on human nature.

Japan’s government recently acknowledged that tens of thousands of South Koreans, Chinese and World War II POWs were conscripted to fill labor shortages at factories, mines and other sites as part of its successful attempt to win U.N. world heritage status for 23 historical Japanese industrial sites.

No they didn't. Those are claims made by Koreans which have no merit and should not be placed in the same sentence with the P.O.W. Conscription order for Koreans, specifically, came in the latter part of 1944 while prior to that, it was the Japanese themselves, who were subjected to such order since 1939. The number of Japanese affected by this order are in ten's of millions.

This is the type of BS that gets repeated over and over again where the naive readers get the impression where Japan was at war with Korea when in reality, they were part of the Japanese Empire at that time.

Because Mitsubishi Materials did not use Chinese and Koreans. Mitsubishi is not Japanese Govt.

Last year, Korean forced labourers sued Mitsubishi in Korean courts for backpay and won. Japan was furious and it lead to diplomatic confrontation. Neither, any of the Japanese companies and Japan as a country made any apology to the forced labourers from Korea and China, yet they had the greatest number of forced labourers. Japan says they were 'forced to work', but they were not 'forced labourers', as outlined by Japanese rep during the UNESCO meeting, before and after the final decision to allow UNESCO status on 23 applied sites where forced labourers were abused. If you can make any sense of the word games that Japan plays, please let me know. So why doesn't Mitsubishi apologize to all the forced labourers from all the countries, instead of just to the Americans? After all, the greatest number forced labourers came from Korea and China. Is it because the other countries are Asians whom the Japanese look down upon as inhuman? As for the Japanese government, it will be interesting to see what they will have to say on Mitsubishi admitting they used forced labourers - a direct contrary position by the Japanese government. I doubt they will discourage Mitsubishi publicly though. Japan doesn't want to anger the US veterans and cause another embarrassing PR disaster with the Americans.

@JeffLee"forcing them to work inhumane hours...You have any evidence the allies did that in their POW camps?"

Even Wiki says that guards shoot to death Japanese POWs in camps of Australia and New Zealand for supposed signs of disobedience. Soviets used POWs to rebuild destroyed facilities, on plants and factories in very harsh conditions. But Geneva convention allowed to use labor of POWs.

JeffLeeJul. 16, 2015 - 11:08AM JST

"Yes, and Allied forces did it."

While depriving them of food and medicine, forcing them to work inhumane hours, and torturing them routinely?

Can't you make the discussion civil? This is what he said.

yamashiJul. 16, 2015 - 10:55AM JST

@CH3CHO"According to Geneva convention of 1929, it is OK to use POWs as forced laborers"

Yes, and Allied forces did it.

There is no denying that Allied used enemy POWs as forced laborers. You should not put comments by others out of context.

@JohnY921JUL. 16, 2015 - 10:20AM JST "Japanese firm to apologize to U.S. WWII veterans for forced labor"

Why not to Chinese and Koreans?

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Because Mitsubishi Materials did not use Chinese and Koreans. Mitsubishi is not Japanese Govt.

"Yes, and Allied forces did it."

While depriving them of food and medicine, forcing them to work inhumane hours, and torturing them routinely?

You have any evidence the allies did that in their POW camps?

This article seems to be more or less inaccurate. The Associated Press report that Americans and Filipinos were made to trudge 65 miles to prison camps. But they walked only 26 miles (42km) for three days. The Rest of the March, captives used trains and tracks. They had to walk because US troops destroyed a lot of tracks owned by Japanese Imperial Army. Furthermore, Japanese soldiers brought heavy arms and baggages containing foods and water. To the contrary, the captives brought nothing. All they had to do were only to walk 9 miles(14km) a day.

Characteristics will not be changed because of times or environment. The United States should not use Japan as a pawn for the purpose of China containment in the game of chess. The United States will be a loser by moving an undesirable pawn without thinking through the consequence. Yes, Japan needs US to orchestrate and perform extensive beautification and plastic surgery. Japan harbors the sinister hope that after such a disguise it may successfully unshackle itself from its ugly, brutal past and culturally ruthless, ultra-right extremist to achieve its ambition of territorial expansion and aggression against its neighbors again. Japanese leaders know very well that in order to satisfy its superiority complex and achieve dominant superpower status on the international stage, Japan must possess the basic capability to consistently and forcibly infringe on, exploit and take from its neighbors against their will the resources it needs, whether it be oil, minerals, human labor, territory etc. President Obama may not have a sufficient understanding wisdom that Japan will eventually challenge the U.S. superpower status and Japan will not hesitate to re-occupy Guam and attack Hawaii again if Japan has a chance as Japan deep in its heart believes Guam and Hawaii was illegally occupied by US.

Japanese soldiers killed a large number of noncombatants and engaged in looting and women were not only raped but brutally tortured and mutilated or even buried Chinese or Korean alive when Japanese invasion of Taiwan, China, Korea and other Asian countries. If you were a Nazi prisoner of war you faced a 4% chance of not surviving the war; (by comparison) the death rate for Allied POWs held by the Japanese was nearly 30%. Shinzo Abe has denied some of the atrocities Japanese committed during the War II and he has continually prayed at the Yasukuni Shrine, which includes convicted Class A war criminals in its honored war dead. Human nature does not change because of the time or the environment. In fact, Japan has repeatedly attempted to minimize Japanese shameful history and wipe its slate clean in order to establish a ground of legitimacy for the pursuit of sinister goals/motives which means to brutally re-occupy its neighbor again.

Jennie PC Chiang/江佩珍 07/15/2015 美國

@CH3CHO"According to Geneva convention of 1929, it is OK to use POWs as forced laborers"

Yes, and Allied forces did it.

"So, what actually is Mitsubishi apologizing?"

Good question. And will American political leadership ever apologize for fire bombings of Japanese cities with civilians and for A-bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

CH3CHOJUL. 16, 2015 - 09:10AM JST According to Geneva Convention of 1929, it is OK to use POWs as forced laborers. Allied nations used enemy POWs as forced laborers, too. It was mutually understood treatment of POWs. Geneva Convention also says the capturing nation, rather than the private company for which a POW works is responsible for the treatment of POWs. So, what actually is Mitsubishi apologizing?

Curious to know what text books you used at high school. Are you aware Japan was often equal to that of Nazi Germany in their treatment of POW's? Ever hear of allies starving prisoners to death and torturing them? Japan and companies have way more to apologies for.

Why not to Chinese and Koreans?

Childish as it may seem, maybe the Japanese think that by doing this, Korea and China will stop pointing fingers and try to get along better, like the US/Japan relationship.

YoshitsuneJul. 16, 2015 - 10:03AM JST

So, what actually is Mitsubishi apologizing?

The bit about no food, no medicine, no clothing, no sanitation

If that is the case, the title of the article should have been,

"Japanese firm to apologize to U.S. WWII veterans for mistreatment"

@25psotJUL. 16, 2015 - 10:26AM JST Next big job "comfort women" after all it was a form of forced labor why give preference to one and others leave behin

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Mitsubishi did not use comfort women.

Screw that. The U.S. made reparations, justifiably, to Japanese for the relocations that caused them financial loss. Forget the formal apology since it has no substance. Own up and pay up in USC.

Okay. I forgive Mitsubishi and all others for imprisoning U.S. soldiers and using them for slave labor. To show their sincerity, Mitsubishi should send me the latest model Acura or Lexus, which I will accept as a representative of American ww2 veterans.

Are there even any people in America who asked for this or demanded this? I mean yeah maybe if those veterans are still alive but what will this accomplish? Someone who did nothing wrong in their entire lives are going to apologize for something they could not prevent. Then the next generation wants an apology and money... then the next and the next and the next. If you think this sounds crazy there are people in America who want money and apologies for things that happened over a hundred and fifty years ago... trust me these idiots will never stop once you show them what they do works...

Were the Americans the only people who were treated that way in Japan during WWII?

Next big job "comfort women" after all it was a form of forced labor why give preference to one and others leave behind.

"Japanese firm to apologize to U.S. WWII veterans for forced labor"

Why not to Chinese and Koreans?

If it wasn't for nuking of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan would not have apologized. The US Rules.

It's a start.

@CH3CHO

So, what actually is Mitsubishi apologizing?

The bit about no food, no medicine, no clothing, no sanitation

@commanteer that's one of the best reasoned comments i have ever seen here. double thumbs up. but you're wasting your breath.

Empty words.

DisillusionedJul. 16, 2015 - 07:50AM JST This is a good thing, but as much as Japan apologizes for their atrocities during the first half of last century, I see no reason why they should ever be forgiven

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Read the articke again, Jaoan is not apologiing Mitubishi mine is apologizing.

L'd bet representative were not 115 years old. to notice atrocities. Mitsubishi officials are not seeking to be apologized for something done before they were employed or born.

According to Geneva Convention of 1929, it is OK to use POWs as forced laborers.

Allied nations used enemy POWs as forced laborers, too. It was mutually understood treatment of POWs.

Geneva Convention also says the capturing nation, rather than the private company for which a POW works is responsible for the treatment of POWs.

So, what actually is Mitsubishi apologizing?

All these apology/apologize stories are getting more exciting than a Wimbledon match.

DisillusionedJul. 16, 2015 - 07:50AM JST This is a good thing, but as much as Japan apologizes for their atrocities during the first half of last century, I see no >reason why they should ever be forgiven

Possibly the stupidest comment ever made on this forum.

There were three conglomates that used slave labor. Mitsui Mitsubishi Sumitomo. Hope other 2 will do same.

Good on Mitsubishi to own up. I believe only one other J-company ever did so (Ishihara Sangyo -a chemical company) a few years ago.

But history is dark, -very dark- and commentors should be cautious on riding the high horse against Japan:

Generally the Allied POW camps holding Japanese were quite good, mainly as an attempt to entice more Japanese surrenders. This was mostly at the end of the war since few prisoners were taken during the first half (the were just executed in an act of revenge. Nice, huh?).

But after the war, things got ugly. Hundreds of thousands of J-POWs were held for years both in and out of Japan and used as (guess what?) forced labor. The US used them for clean up. The British, French and Dutch used them for re-establishing colonial control in SE Asia. The Nationalist Chinese used them in the brewing fight against the Maoists. And over 80,000 J-POWs died specifically after the war ended under Allied supervision, mainly due to the crappy conditions.

The Soviet Union itself held hundreds of thousand J-POWs, used them for forced labor for about a decade after the war ended in Siberia, where tens of thousands died. Some weren't returned to Japan until the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s.

Heading to Europe, hundreds of thousands of German soldiers were used for forced labor after the war to clean up, clear mines, rebuild and be generally treated like crap. Tens of thousands died in Britian, Norway, Poland, and many other countries (and transported around by the US), most especially by the Soviet Union where the conditions were famously bad (and fully understood and just ignored by the other Allies).

And most telling of the Japanese character, very few of the up to one million J-POWs who endured forced labor after the war ever spoke of their experience due to the shame they held. They just lived quietly, possibly in the house down the street of someone commenting here.

Korean president Park Geun-hye is a hopeful candidate of Nobel Peace prize next year for her contribution in excavating Japanese war crimes.

Disillusioned, you keep confusing the acts of an individual criminal with the acts of a nation or army. I don't know what country you are from, but your people have almost certainly engaged in mass murder and rape at some time in the past. It's absurd to keep talking about the Japanese as though they are one living entity that continues on through countless generations.

Some of the worst atrocities in history have been justified by exactly your kind of thinking, that people are to blame for what others of the same nationality/ethnic group did before they were born. You are promoting a cycle of hate.

Ok Yubaru, let's try a different perspective. Would you want a convicted kidnapper, child molester, rapist and murderer living next to you after he apologized for what he did?

Moderator: Poor analogy. Please post something pertinent to the story.

Mitsubishi Materials can take pride in being the first, and at this point in time only, Japanese company to apologize for its crimes of slavery. This will mean a lot to those POWs who have fought long and hard to get recognition from these companies who have been deflecting accusations on the basis of dubious post-war corporate name changes.

Still, despite the positive move Mitsubishi is making, it should also have made a decision to apologize directly to its substantially higher numbers of non-POW slave laborers. I'm afraid that issuing an apology only to the POWs enlisted as slave laborers could further harm Japan's bilateral relations with nations whose citizens also suffered the same plight.

This is a good thing, but as much as Japan apologizes for their atrocities during the first half of last century, I see no reason why they should ever be forgiven. Kill one person you go to jail for 25 years. How long should the sentence be for killing and enslaving millions over a fifty year period?

Then what difference does apologizing make if you are unwilling to accept it? It's thinking like this that prevents ANYONE from moving forward and building lasting peace.

No country is blameless, some have more blame than others, in the course of history Japan is probably somewhere in the middle.

ShermanJul. 16, 2015 - 07:18AM JST Didn't think it would ever be Aso Mining to apologise! Aso forced 300 POW'S into forced labour during WW2! The >mega wealthy son, Taro Aso, is a former prime minister and currently the foreign minister.

Yes but as he was 5 years old when WWII ended in 1945 I doubt he had much say over what was going on.

This is a good thing, but as much as Japan apologizes for their atrocities during the first half of last century, I see no reason why they should ever be forgiven. Kill one person you go to jail for 25 years. How long should the sentence be for killing and enslaving millions over a fifty year period?

Let's hope the right wing-nuts here don't extort Mitsubishi into retracting this. Kudos to them for standing up and doing the right thing!

Taro Aso, is a former prime minister and currently the foreign minister.

Actually he is currently the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. He hasn't been Foreign minister since 2007.

Hopefully this is getting the public ready for bigger, more courageous things to come.

Increase the Peace!

Didn't think it would ever be Aso Mining to apologise! Aso forced 300 POW'S into forced labour during WW2! The mega wealthy son, Taro Aso, is a former prime minister and currently the foreign minister.