Australian POWs seek apology, compensation from Aso for coal mine labor

Friday 24th April, 03:46 PM JST

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Good_Jorb at 11:13 PM JST - 24th April

NO MORAL responsibility

Only the person(s) who committed an immoral act bears moral responsibility, I couldn't guess at the stats by I would think that around 97% of Japanese alive today had nothing to do with what the soldiers did in WW2. Therefore I really don't think current Japan bears much of any responsibility for what occured in the past. Unless you believe that the current generation has to atone for past generations, which would be a slippery slope for Australia.
OssanAmerica at 12:05 AM JST - 25th April

If they believe they are "pissing in the wind" they shouldn't bother. It's morally wrong to hold the decendants of those who committed any acts responsible for the acts of the forefathers, and it violates a fundamental legal foundation in all western countries. Clearly, as Australia was a signatory to the SF Treaty, any complaints should be correctly directed at the Australian govt.
Good_Jorb at 01:48 AM JST - 25th April

What's that got to do with anything

Australia not taking moral responsibility (apologizing/compensation) for it's past, but being angry that Australian veterns are not getting their fair compensation from Japan. If you want the current generation of Japanese to be moral responsibile for a past Japanese generation, then Australian should hold themselves to the same moral reasoning. Unless they want to be seen as hypocrites.
bdiego at 04:03 AM JST - 25th April

Good Jorb: That's right, if you are enslaved by others, that's okay as long as your own nation has done wrong too. Now you've reached a new level of absurdity - you are responsible for your own nation's past stances.
OssanAmerica at 04:41 AM JST - 25th April

you are responsible for your own nation's past stances.

Total nonsense. No individual is responsible for the acts of their countries' governments in the past. Even moreso for acts which took place before they were even born.
Potsu at 10:28 AM JST - 25th April

Good Jorb : If you want the current generation of Japanese to be moral responsibile for a past Japanese generation, then Australian should hold themselves to the same moral reasoning. Unless they want to be seen as hypocrites. Umm...the current generation of Japanese and their morals have nothing to do with issue,what are you on about ?
Potsu at 10:30 AM JST - 25th April

"Even moreso for acts which took place before they were even born." Gee,dahhhh.Well enlightened....
spudman at 12:49 PM JST - 25th April

ossan: the point is that a family's success built on the back of slaves is surely part of the legacy of that family. The diggers want Aso to man up and admit that they were slaves in his family's mines. This is a private company not a government they are appealing to.
nigelboy at 10:47 PM JST - 25th April

the point is that a family's success built on the back of slaves is surely part of the legacy of that family. The diggers want Aso to man up and admit that they were slaves in his family's mines. This is a private company not a government they are appealing to.

Then why not address it Aso Cement which I believe is partly owned by foreign company? Why not address it to PM's younger brother who's in charge of the operation?
spudman at 10:07 AM JST - 26th April

they are making a point, who the heck knows what Tarous younger brothers name is?
smithinjapan at 12:43 PM JST - 28th April

I agree to an extent that Aso should not be penalized for what his grandparents/parents did, but at the same time why does he not address this point himself? Instead, he constantly evades and ducks the issue, which is a sure sign of guilt.

I think Aso going a little further than admitting his family profited from POW slavery and simply apologizing to the men would be honourable, whether it's deserved or not. Aso's rich lifestyle is a direct result of these men's suffering.
notimpressed at 01:44 PM JST - 28th April

If you want to argue that Aso does not automatically inherit the sins of his forefathers, then why is it that he inherited the family wealth, privelige, and even the family political presence? Sounds like he got a lot of bonuses by way of his family connections, part of which were paid for directly by the suffering of others. Why does he get to have his cake and eat it too? If he can honour the souls at Yasukuni, from the lowest soldier to the highest class of war criminal, and wallow in the benefits his family recieved by way of inherited wealth and power, why can he not also inherit the responsibilty of rising on the backs of slaves? COme on guys, he has benefited in many ways from the misdeeds of his family, and by not addressing the issue, he is by default giving the opinion that those interred in the slave mines and thier suffering are irrelevant, and that he and his did no wrong. This is the symbolism inherent in the yasukuni visits. You can't have it both ways unless you front up and ackowledge issues and discuss them in all fairness. Vist the shrine, fine, but deplor the evil done by some interred there publicy. You don't neccessarily have to pay anything to the Aussie dudes, except respect. He could at least throw them a bone and admit it was unacceptable. The attitude displayed is that there was no wrong doing, thats why its relevant still today, in order for Japan to heal, and grow, as well as those others involved. Its called growing up, as individuals and as a nation.
Brunobear at 09:56 PM JST - 30th April

Well trendsetters,if it is okay for the international Jewish diaspora to remind us all in the West, every single day of every single year, year after year, for that last 64 years that their passive European flock who did nothing in their own defence or defence of anybody else in part of far away Europe were brutally mistreated by their captors, then three brave Aussie diggers that actually volunteered to defend Australia and its Pacific and Indian Ocean allies including the US, Canada, New Zealand, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, PNG, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines and Russia amongst others against an initially brutal and overwhelming and numerically larger force who viciously invaded China in 1936, and later suprise attacked the US at the same time as negotiating a peace treaty in Washinton, and after capture, suffered years of extreme maltreatment and deprivation, and then after their country and its allies won the war, assisted in the defence, reconstruction and development of Japan, then on Anzac day on 25 April 2009, 64 years after the war, they learn the Japanese PM was a substantial beneficiary of the family private Company that enslaved them illegally during that war, then to pass a comment about a family apology from the current PM and even suggest some compensation does not seem extreme as some of you suggest.

The Jewish diaspora gained enormous financial compensation from Germany solely for Jews who suffered and it seems no one else, and tend to make out they were the only ones that suffered. Talk about believing your the chosen people.

Of the 2500 Aussie prisoners of War relocated by Japan from Singapore to Borneo, only six survived.

Thousands of Allied soldiers died as prisoners of War on the Burma railroad and so on.

Japan is quite a conundrum for many of these poor surviving souls who never really recovered. 1.2 billion Chinese currently share the same disquiet as these three brave Aussies about Japan not being truthful about its shameful era, or volunteering to pay more adequate compensation from the eighties on when their Country became super rich and knowing those who suffered in the thirties and forties were aging.

In regard to the Red Cross, they use up an enormous amount of funds donated/raised on executive salaries. About 80% in Australia. They have detailed records in Switzerland on millions of soldiers from every major war since 1880 that they never told anybody about. Information families of the deceased had a right to know.

The three diggers were not visiting blame on the 90% of Japanese who were born after the War. They were probably having a good laugh about it, because they know those weak men who shirk responsibilities will never have the character that they and other diggers like them have. And that character trait is worth more than money no matter how much weak people may Yen for it. I salute them for giving me freedom and a wonderful way of life. I think the Japanese should realize they also gave them the same - freedom from tyranny, democracy and prosperity.

'Notimpressed' summed things up pretty well!
sirgamble at 09:20 PM JST - 8th September

SYDNEY - Three Australian prisoners forced to dig coal for a company owned by Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso's family during World War II are seeking compensation, according to a report Friday.

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sirgamble at 08:50 AM JST - 12th September

K thanks for trimming the article... The story; a number of Aussies were killed in Aso's factory. The reason and date that it all happened were censored. The Aussies want Aso to say "sorry" and release the reason why their family members were killed in his factory.

Seems reasonable to me... I'm surprised Aso didn't address this when he was trying to be PM. Too late now, the people have spoken!