September 7, 2024

The Japanese government on September 5 announced that it provided the South Korean government with a partial list of Korean passengers on board the “Ukishima-maru” which was sunk shortly after the end of the Pacific War.

The Ukishima-maru, a transport ship of the Imperial Japanese Navy carrying Koreans, including those who were taken to Japan as forced laborers, was sunk off the coast of Maizuru in Kyoto Prefecture on its way to Busan, Korea, on August 24,1945 due to a collision with an underwater mine placed by the U.S. military. The incident killed more than 500 people.

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Kokuta Keiji said, “I’ve taken up the issue of the passenger list in the Diet and have strongly urged its disclosure. I’m happy to see that the list, albeit only partial, was provided to South Korea. This is what the people involved have been waiting for, and it is the first step toward settling historical issues between Japan and South Korea.”

Kokuta added, “The Ukishima-maru incident wouldn’t have happened if Japan hadn’t waged its war of aggression and colonized Asian nations. The Japanese government is required to fully disclose the list of passengers as soon as possible and to get to the bottom of the incident and apologize for its past deeds.”

Past related article:
> JCP Kokuta obtains list of people on board Ukishima-maru [August 8, 2024]