USA-MITSUBISHI/WW2 Japan's Mitsubishi Materials apologizes for forced labor during WW2

Record ID: 146659

  • Title: USA-MITSUBISHI/WW2 Japan's Mitsubishi Materials apologizes for forced labor during WW2
  • Date: 20th July 2015
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JULY 19, 2015) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** (L TO R) SPECIAL ADVISOR TO JAPAN PRIME MINISTER, YUKIO OKAMOTO, SENIOR EXECUTIVE OFFICER FOR MITSUBISHI MATERIALS CORPORATION, HIKARU KIMURA, FORMER WORLD WAR TWO AMERICAN POW, JAMES MURPHY SHAKING HANDS AND RABBI ABRAHAM COOPER STANDING TO RIGHT NEWS CONFERENCE AT S
  • Embargoed: 4th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA32O6F8QKUUFIJ0N4NI31AR9E5
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Construction firm Mitsubishi Materials Corporation became the first major Japanese company to apologize for using captured American soldiers as slave labor during World War Two, offering remorse on Sunday (July 19) for "the tragic events in our past."
    A representative for the company offered the apology on behalf of its predecessor, Mitsubishi Mining Co., which ran four sites that at the time of liberation held some 876 American prisoners-of-war. Twenty-seven Americans died in the camps.
    "In keeping with the spirit of our company's mission statement, today we apologize remorsefully for the tragic events in our past, and expressed our profound determination to work toward a better future. I deeply appreciated this gathering where I gave my most sincere apology to former POW Mr. James Murphy and all other US POWs who were forced to work in the mines of the former Mitsubishi Mining as well as their families," Senior Executive Officer for Mitsubishi Materials Corp, Hikaru Kimura, said at the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.
    In all, about 12,000 American prisoners-of-war were put into forced labor by the Japanese government and private companies seeking to fill a wartime labor shortage, of whom more than 1,100 died, said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, an associate dean at the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
    Six prisoner-of-war camps on Japan's homeland were linked with Mitsubishi Zaibatsu during the war, holding captive 2,041 prisoners, more than one thousand of whom were American, according to non-profit research center Asia Policy Point.
    While previous Japanese prime ministers have apologized for Japan's aggression during World War Two, private corporations have been less contrite.
    "We have just witnessed something of a historical nature because for 70 years since the war ended, the prisoners of war who worked for these Japanese companies have asked for something very simple, they asked for an apology for having to perform forced labor in the copper mines, coal mines and all the other areas," said 94-year-old veteran James Murphy, who survived working at Mitsubishi's Osarizawa Copper Mine and the infamous Bataan Death March in the Philippines.
    In the audience were other forced-labor survivors and family members.
    "We owe great apologies to these people and the apology is dual because we also have to apologize for not having apologized earlier before many ex-POWs had to pass away, " Special Advisor to Japan Prime Minister and outside Board Member of Mitsubishi Material Corporation, Yukio Okamoto added.
    "This is a glorious day for one thing because for 70 years we wanted this such action, today we have it, so I am elated over that and I can't get into other things today because my thoughts are here and now with this and I hope that this historical occasion just spreads out through the world and helps mankind," Murphy said.
    The apology comes near the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two.
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