Memorial service held for Japanese who died in Siberian labor camps
TOKYO —
A memorial service was held in Tokyo on Tuesday to honor Japanese who died in labor camps in Siberia after they were captured by Soviet forces at the end of World War II. On Soviet leader Joseph Stalin’s orders, about 575,000 Japanese soldiers and civilians were interned in labor camps.
The ceremony was held at the Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery in Chiyoda Ward, where the cremated remains of more than 352,000 unidentified war dead are interred.
The Japanese government estimates that around 55,000 Japanese died in the labor camps due to malnutrition and severe cold. Since 1990, successive Japanese governments have been trying to repatriate the remains, but more than 34,000 remain unaccounted for.
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1
smithinjapan
While the Imperial Army engaged in countless massacres across Asia and heinous war crimes, many also suffered greatly and met with horrible fates in the camps (if history is correct). The Russians, not under the Geneva Convention (I believe) at the time, were brutal.
-2
YuriOtani
smithinjapan, it still does not make it right.
3
plasticmonkey
While what happened to the Japanese POWs under the Soviets was terrible, I find it interesting that in the past few weeks I have seen nothing in the Japanese media about atrocities committed by Japan, which had by far the worst record for their treatment of POWs. Overall, 30% of prisoners held by Japan died in custody. And only 52 Chinese POWs survived.
I have seen stories on the atomic bombings, lots on the internment of Japanese-Americans (who were Americans, BTW, so why should the Japanese give a rats?), the tragic tale of Tokyo Rose, and now this story on the 66th anniversary of Stalin's order to send captured Japanese soldiers to the gulags.
Again, I am not denying or poo-pooing these tragedies. What concerns me is the Japanese media's selective way of presenting history to the public, to reinforce the narrative that Japan was a victim, not only of the Allies' superior war machine but also of inevitable political movements (such as militarism) led by a few bad men (of course not the emperor). Anything to avoid dealing constructively with Japan's real culpability in the war, which extends to the public itself and its eagerness to embrace the party line.
Not much has changed, has it?
0
zidane_head
I don't see anyone crying for the Wehrmacht/SS soldiers marched to death by soviets post-Stalingrad
0
warnerbro
YuriOtani, I think smithinjapan is making the same point as you. Most of the Japanese POWs in Russia were common soldiers who had not participated in anything more or less egregious than their enemy combatants. A late friend of mine was one of them. But Japan as a society has created an erroneous identity of victim. Japan was an aggressor in the war. It allied with Adolf Hitler and attacked a number of nations unprovoked. This mistaken identity of victim blinds Japanese society to the viewpoints of its neighbours and continues to cause friction. When Japan holds memorial services for Chinese, Dutch, British, American, and other POWs that the Japanese army starved, tortured, and killed, then the world will see that Japan has gained a greater understanding of its role in that war.
0
ReformedBasher
While there's no excuse for what the Imperial forces did, the people who died, and killed, were a collection of individuals.
Be my guest and give me thumbs down if if makes you feel better.
0
just-a-guy
Soviet supreme leader Joseph Stalin launching the operation codename:' August storm' began in 9th September until 2nd September 1945. The operation was to destroy the Kwantung army and liberating the north eastern China also known as 'the Manchuko',a puppet state that was established by Japan 1931. The soviet red army did not stop their attacks after the annoucemnet of surrunder made by emperor Hiroito on 15th August 1945. Most of those 575000 captured combatants and Japanese civilians were surrundered between 15th Aug to 2nd Sept.
0
just-a-guy
Correction: Soviet supreme leader Joseph Stalin launching the operation codename:' August storm' began in 9th August until 2nd September 1945.....
0
smithinjapan
YuriOtani: "smithinjapan, it still does not make it right."
Sometimes I wonder why you see things that are not there. NOWHERE did I say it was right, did I? On the contrary, I was suggesting that the captured Japanese were treated brutally by their Russian captors and did not deserve the fates they suffered.
1
FireyRei
@plasticmonkey
SPOT ON.
-1
SquidBert
It is important not to forget history, and no disrespect for the ones who suffered thru various hardships.
But, I sometimes feel that if Japan were only half as good at looking forward, as they are at remembering all the crap that happened to them in the past. They would be much better off.
0
just-a-guy
The treatment of those 575000 people in labour camp was quite fair.....how did the japanese army treating prisoners of war? Some POWs were sent to unit 731 for biological test laboratory in live test by those human lives!
-1
patty cake champion
I see, so the the Japanese POWs suffered as much as the unit 731 victims. How terrible!
1
NeoJamal
just-a-guy wrote:
patty cake champion wrote:
with this perspective in mind, we must acknowledge that the international media is grossly ignoring the ordeals of Japanese POWs in Siberia in contrast to the attention they give to unit 731 victims. As just-a-guy would likely find, it's selective presentation of history that only maintains ignorance and breeds arrogance amongst former Allied powers.
0
mimitchy
Trying to establish the notion that 'there is no wrong to harming the aggressor's associates' from Japan's role in WWII is dangerous, do we want to give such precedent for Muslim extremists to base and justify attacks on American interests as retaliation for the invasion of Iraq? I cannot for I am not a double-standard setting bigot. Many coalition troops in Iraq lost their lives to cowardly and brutal tactics of partisans, but for me to find this acceptable just as you who find that mistreating Japanese POWs during WWII is excusable would mean to reduce myself to the very thing I hate. If you think I am trying to act superior: think again, this is nothing more than applying objective analysis.
-2
patty cake champion
the J-public is responsible? don't be silly! that's like saying American voters are responsible for the Iraq War because they elected Bush..a war that Japan supported. OH SNAP! I think you are entirely correct. The idea that the troops of Japan that started WWII could somehow be treated unjustly by the defender is a concept that the former Allied powers won't readily acknowledge in their media. But why? there's plenty of newsreel about American soldiers getting blown up by IEDs that are illegal. Care to comment on this?
1
Kwaabish
Of course, an additional interesting part about theSoviets' internment of the Japanese was that the Soviets reneged on a non-agression treaty between the two countries...
0
YuriOtani
smithinjapan, funny I read it differently, you implied they deserved their fates.
0
SquidBert
@YuriOtani
I actually don't think he did that at all.
-1
oldsanno
SquidBert
Yes smithinjapan did imply they deserved their fates.
While the Imperial Army engaged in countless massacres across Asia and heinous war crimes.
smithinjapan's hatred of Japan is clear in almost all his posts.
0
It"S ME
Sorry, no prisoner during WWII deserved the treatment they got during the war and that includes people in russian camps, US, camps, etc, etc. Regardless of nationality they got treated like dirt unless you were a CO.
Even in the liberated german camps many prisoners said that all that changed was the nationality of the guards. Fool if you think that all the prisoners got great food and liberty from the americans, etc as they were not prepared for the situation and didn't know how to handle it, for most it took months under no improved conditions.
-2
plasticmonkey
@patty cake
Which allied power are you referring to? The Russians? I'm not an expert in Russian media. As for American voters for Bush and their responsibility for the war, yeah I'd be willing to consider that reasonable. The American media and public though, while far from selfless or global in their outlook, have certainly not whitewashed America's sins wholesale. Wounded Knee? The internment of Japanese-Americans? Hiroshima and Nagasaki? My Lai? Cambodia? El Salvador? Abu Ghraib? Drone strikes on weddings in Afghanistan? There has been public discourse about all of these and more. And demonstrations.
How often do you see that in Japan?
The Japanese public's culpability in the war is reflected in the way that to this day there is virtually no discourse on the atrocities committed in the name of the emperor, least of all by the media. The only postwar change in the mainstream Japanese public was an overnight shift from gung-ho war supporters to platitude-spouting peaceniks after Japan's decimation. Nanjing? Manila? The public is not interested. Meanwhile we continue to hear a lot about the suffering of the Japanese side.
If you had read my post carefully, you would have noticed that I mentioned (twice) that what the Soviets did was terrible. Let me add that it was unjustified and worthy of attention, just as the firebombing of Tokyo was. Let's just aim for a little balance, shall we?
-1
BessonovYan
Not only from that. Some man of 731 unit was open test-tube with bioweapon. After that labor camps begun unknown diseases for personal and prisoners.
0
BessonovYan
Not all dead. Some people stay live in Russia. Some people got awards. Any in list as dead but lived in Russia. That historic moment is not explored. For example, Russian liberal politic Irina Hakamada - her father after labor camp was stay live in Russia.
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