'What reconciliation?' Chinese WW2 veteran refuses Japanese firm's offer to pay for his forced labour
Former forced labourer declines payment from Mitsubishi over second world war experience
A Chinese veteran who was spirited away to Japan as a forced labourer to work at Mitsubishi during the Pacific war has come to Hong Kong to tell his story, after he refused the Japanese conglomerate's offer of a "reconciliation agreement".
Liu Shili, 89, from Tangshan, Hebei province, was part of a group of victims that declined to accept the company's payment of 100,000 yuan (HK$121,700) per person. The payment is part of the company's plan to apologise to prisoners of war from the US, Britain, Australia, the Netherlands and China who were compelled to work for it during the war that ended 70 years ago.
His refusal came as three other groups of victims indicated last month they would accept the agreement.
During the war, Liu fought in the Communist Eighth Route Army. After being captured in 1944, he was shipped to Japan along with some 300 others and forced to work for a year in a coal mine in Hokkaido run by Mitsubishi until Japan surrendered to the allied nations.
"We didn't have enough food to eat or enough clothes to keep warm. They beat us up and even killed some of us. A few Chinese tried to escape but were caught, stripped of all their clothes in the winter and beaten up again," he recalled.
When asked about the company's agreement, Liu retorted: "What reconciliation? They owe us and should apologise and compensate. I am not going to reconcile with them."
Liu arrived in Hong Kong to attend a conference today on Japan's post-war responsibilities to victims. The event was organised by the Hong Kong Coalition for Preserving the History of World War II in Asia at City University to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the war.
Beijing-based lawyer Kang Jian, who with her colleagues is helping Liu and hundreds of other former forced labourers as well as the families of the deceased, described the agreement drafted by Mitsubishi as insincere and failing to recognise its abuse of enslaved Chinese, even though it had used the word 'apology'.
Citing confidentiality, the lawyer said she could not disclose the full draft agreement. But she noted the document avoided the word 'compensation' and said the money was offered "for the enhancement of Sino-Japanese relationship".
"Their statement has not recognised that they abused Chinese forced labourers," Kang said. "We are open to negotiation regarding the compensation amount, but will not compromise on the demand that they must recognise historical facts."
Her legal group is representing 68 Chinese prisoners of war in a lawsuit to be tried by a Beijing court to seek compensation from Japanese businesses including Mitsubishi. Hundreds of others including Liu might join the suit if a class action was eventually allowed, she said.
Official records in China show 38,935 Chinese forced labourers worked for 35 Japanese businesses at 135 locations during the second world war. About 6,830 died from harsh working conditions or physical abuse. Of the Chinese labourers, 3,765 were sent to work for Mitsubishi and 722 died while with the company.
