NY Times Article: Japan Admits POW Labor at Aso Mine
A New York Times article caught my attention: “Japan Admits POW Labor at Aso Mine“
Apparently a mine owned by the family of Prime Minister Taro Aso used “prisoners of war as well as forced laborers from Asia” during World War II.
Japan, like the United States and European countries was once a colonial occupier and has to live with that terrible history. Aso has tried to improve relations between South Korea and China, two countries that were once control for long periods of time by Japan, but serious challenges remain. Time will tell if this admission will hurt East Asian relations our will be seen as a welcoming sign. It would seem to be unrealistic for Korean and China to receive restitution, so would admission of guilt suffice? What would help the reconciliation process? Does the Japanese government need to do more?
Although it took years for other European countries to forgive Germany, Europe has sense gone on to form a solid union… Could this possibly happen in East Asia? What do you think would take for that to happen?
Here are some additional articles:
Proof of POW Forced Labor for Japan’s Foreign Minister: The Aso Mines
