Japan Press Weekly

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2013 May 15 - 21 [HISTORY]

Chinese ex-workers demand Mitsubishi’s apology for wartime forced labor

Former Chinese workers, who had been taken by the Japanese military and forced to work in Japan’s coal mines under harsh conditions during World War II, demanded on May 14 an apology from a major Japanese corporation.

They are representatives of five groups composed of ex-Chinese workers exploited and oppressed by Mitsubishi Mining Co. (current Mitsubishi Materials Co.) and their bereaved families. They visited a branch office of the company in Shanghai, handing an official a written demand seeking the firm’s apology for their forced labor and 100,000 yuan (about 1.65 million yen) in damages for each worker.

A lawyer of the groups said, “If the company continues ignoring our claims, we have to consider organizing a campaign to boycott the products of the entire Mitsubishi Group.”

Those ex-workers had filed lawsuits with Japan’s courts claiming damages for their wartime slave labor, but lost all the cases in the end. In March of this year, the five bodies met together and resolved that they will unify their efforts in the future.

On May 13, the groups’ leaders visited the Japanese Embassy in Beijing and filed a written request to Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, calling for an apology and compensation from Japan’s government.