Mitsubishi Materials to offer apology for using US POWs for forced labour during war
Mitsubishi Materials will say sorry to US prisoners of war who were used for forced labour in plants during the second world war
A major Japanese corporation will offer a landmark apology this weekend for using US prisoners of war for forced labour during the second world war, according to the Simon Wiesenthal Centre that is hosting the event.
A senior executive of Mitsubishi Materials will apologise to 94-year-old James Murphy, of Santa Maria, California, and relatives of other former POWs who toiled at plants its predecessor company operated in Japan during the conflict.
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean at the centre - an organisation that primarily educates about the Holocaust - called it an important gesture, coming as it does ahead of the 70th anniversary in August of the end of the war that has heightened scrutiny of Japan's attitude to its past abuses.
"As far as I know, this is a piece of history," said Cooper, who is helping moderate the closed-door meeting on Sunday at the centre's Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.
"It's the first time a major Japanese company has ever made such a gesture. We hope this will spur other companies to join in and do the same."
A press release from the Wiesenthal Centre said the apology would be made by Hikaru Kimura, senior executive officer for Mitsubishi Materials. The company did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment late on Monday.