Japan Press Weekly

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2017 June 21 - 27 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Memorial ceremony for Chinese victims of wartime forced labor takes place in Hokkaido

A memorial service for Chinese victims, who were taken to Japan during the Asia-Pacific War and died as a result of forced labor, took place on June 25 in Hokkaido’s Niki Town.

Participants who attended the ceremony included Chinese students studying in Japan and Japanese Communist Party local assembly members, including prefectural assembly member Kikuchi Yoko.

The Imperial Japanese military carted many Chinese people off to Japan for the purpose of overcoming domestic labor shortages. In Hokkaido, 16,282 Chinese workers were used for forced labor mainly at coal mines. Of them, more than 3,000 Chinese died of hunger or from brutal beatings.

At the ceremony, Niki Town Mayor Sato Seiichiro said, “The tragic history should never be repeated. I’ll continue to value the Japan-China friendship which was established through our forerunners’ efforts.”

Deputy Consul General of the Consulate-General of China in Sapporo, Zhang Yuping expressed her gratitude for the ceremony and her hope for lasting peace.

Past related article:
> Hanaoka monument, pledge to never again take up arms to fight [ June 13, 2017]