155:
TarÅ AsÅ demanding an apology for their treatment at Aso Mining and for refusing to acknowledge that forced POW labour was used by his family's company. The three also requested that the company pay them wages for the hours they worked. Fujita stated that AsÅ needed to apologise to the former labourers, as well as pay their wages if he cannot prove that money was paid, adding, "As a prime minister of a nation who represents the country, Aso needs to take responsibility for the past as well as the future." Later that month, AsÅ conceded that his family's mine had used POW labour.
483:
22:
159:
ease some of the pain that we experienced." Aso Group officials met with Coombs and McAnulty, but declined to acknowledge that they had been forced to work for the company and apologise or offer compensation, even after Coombs and McAnulty showed the officials company records from 1946 which stated that POW labour had been used in the mine. TarÅ AsÅ refused to meet the pair.
91:. Apart from Aso's admission, the Aso company has never acknowledged using forced labour or commented on the issue. The company, now known as the Aso Group, is currently run by AsÅ's younger brother. AsÅ's wife serves on its board of directors. TarÅ AsÅ was president of the Aso Mining Company's successor, Aso Cement Company, in the 1970s before entering politics.
75:
Australians, John Watson and Leslie Edgar George Wilkie, died while working in the Aso mine. In addition, 10,000 Korean conscripts worked in the mine between 1939 and 1945 under severe, brutal conditions in which many of them died or were injured while receiving little pay. Japanese
American historian
150:
Acting on a request from Fujita, the
Foreign Ministry investigated and announced on 18 December 2008 that Aso Mining had, in fact, used 300 Allied POWs at its mine during World War II. The ministry confirmed that two Australians had died while working at the mine, but declined to release their names
158:
In June 2009, former POW Joseph Coombs and the son of another, James McAnulty, travelled to Japan to personally seek an apology from AsÅ. Said Coombs, "We'd like an apology for the brutal treatment and the conditions we had to work under. The memory will always be there, but an apology will help
154:
In
February 2009, Fujita announced that he had interviewed three of the former Australian POWs forced to work at Aso Mining. All three confirmed that working conditions at the mine were terrible, that they were given little food, and were given "rags" to wear. The three veterans sent letters to
74:
In mid-2008 TarÅ AsÅ conceded that his family's coal mine, Aso Mining
Company, was alleged to have forced Allied POWs to work in the mines in 1945 without pay. Western media had reported that 300 prisoners, including 197 Australians, 101 British, and two Dutch, worked in the mine. Two of the
66:, repeatedly refused to confirm that his family's company had used forced labour until 2009 when it was acknowledged by the Japanese government. Since then, several surviving former Australian POWs have asked Aso and the company to apologise, but both have declined to do so.
118:
asked AsÅ whether any data about the use of Korean labour by Aso Mining had been provided to the South Korean government, which has requested such data. AsÅ replied that his administration would not disclose how individual corporations have responded to Korean inquiries.
95:
143:
1101:
1071:
52:. Surviving labourers and other records confirmed that the prisoners and conscripts were forced to work in harsh, brutal conditions for little-to-no pay and that some died, at least in part, because of the ill-treatment at the mine.
126:, AsÅ refused to confirm that forced labour had been used at his family's mine, stating that, "No facts have been confirmed." Aso added that, "I was 4, maybe 5 at the time. I was too young to recognize anything at that age." After
1020:
110:, the ministry refused to confirm non-Japanese accounts of the use of forced labour by Japanese companies and challenged non-Japanese journalists to back up their claims with evidence. In October 2008,
1038:
1107:
859:
1179:
151:
or causes of deaths for "privacy reasons." Said Fujita, "Prisoner policy is important in many ways for diplomacy, and it is a major problem that the issue has been neglected for so long."
428:
1174:
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991:
1113:
1044:
131:
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134:
indicated that forced labour had taken place at his family's mine, Aso repeated that "no factual details have been confirmed."
961:
549:
462:
330:
WWII labor redress efforts gain traction: 2009 sees progress on several fronts as firm's use of POWs continues to dog Aso
1139:
935:
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619:
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1159:
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122:
On 13 November 2008, during a discussion in the Upper House
Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense about the
497:
1077:
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56:
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38:
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45:
63:
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Aso Mining POWs seek redress: Australians recount beatings, starving, rags in lieu of clothes
79:
writes that
Koreans already worked under such brutal conditions and even without compensation
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787:
666:
559:
348:
21:
1072:
The Korean
Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan
1102:
Women's
International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan's Military Sexual Slavery
1008:
406:
88:
919:
792:
772:
211:, 2nd Ed. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2003. 241.
29:
forced to work at the Aso mining company, photographed in August 1945.
209:
Peasants, Rebels, Women, and
Outcastes: The Underside of Modern Japan
141:
93:
20:
1021:
Treaty on Basic
Relations Between Japan and the Republic of Korea
171:â a Japanese island with Korean and Chinese forced laborers
482:
410:
26:
1108:
United States House of Representatives House Resolution 121
1039:
Special Law to Redeem Pro-Japanese Collaborators' Property
87:
by 1932, which led to an unsuccessful strike supported by
62:, whose immediate family owns the company, now called the
324:
322:
106:
During the time that AsÅ served as minister of Japan's
1054:
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833:
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634:
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55:Although reported by Western media sources, former
1180:Military history of Australia during World War II
44:(POW) and Korean conscripts as labourers for the
251:WWII forced labor issue dogs Aso, Japanese firms
222:WWII forced labor issue dogs Aso, Japanese firms
992:List of war apology statements issued by Japan
422:
289:It's official: Aso family mine used POW labor
8:
1045:Museum of Japanese Colonial History in Korea
132:National Archives and Records Administration
130:responded that records at the United States
915:Japanese General Government Building, Seoul
860:List of militant independence organizations
1051:
631:
570:
429:
415:
407:
391:Japan PM won't apologise to Australian POW
1114:JapanâSouth Korea Comfort Women Agreement
967:Controversies surrounding Yasukuni Shrine
230:, 28 October 2008, p. 16; Ito, Masami, "
987:Japanese history textbook controversies
181:
353:Kin of Aso mine workers demand apology
744:Gwangju Student Independence Movement
652:Korean Women's Volunteer Labour Corps
16:Japanese used of forced labor in WWII
7:
798:Korean History Compilation Committee
190:Aso Mining's POW labor: the evidence
35:Aso Mining forced labour controversy
1175:History of Australia (1945âpresent)
900:Government-General Museum of ChÅsen
642:Aso Mining forced labor controversy
395:Australian Broadcasting Corporation
138:Admission and requests for apology
14:
1185:Unfree labor during World War II
957:Anti-Japanese sentiment in Korea
762:Korean Language Society Incident
481:
962:Anti-Korean sentiment in Japan
865:List of independence activists
372:Pair seek POW apology from Aso
232:Pair seek POW apology from Aso
1:
1145:Human rights abuses in Japan
596:Oriental Development Company
1190:JapanâSouth Korea relations
1150:Australian prisoners of war
982:JapanâSouth Korea relations
977:JapanâNorth Korea relations
855:Korean National Association
845:Declaration of Independence
662:Slavery during World War II
108:Ministry of Foreign Affairs
1206:
1027:Independence Hall of Korea
463:Governor-General of ChÅsen
124:Tamogami essay controversy
1170:Economic history of Japan
1155:Korea under Japanese rule
936:KeijÅ Imperial University
586:ChÅsen Government Railway
581:ChÅsen Anthracite Company
550:Bank of Korea (1909â1950)
479:
444:
438:Korea under Japanese rule
316:, February 7, 2009, p. 1.
297:, 19 December 2008, p. 1.
259:, 28 October 2008, p. 16.
516:Office of the Yi Dynasty
510:Colored Clothes Campaign
347:Hollingworth, William, (
270:Aso: What POW servitude?
1078:Wednesday demonstration
1015:Treaty of San Francisco
57:Prime Minister of Japan
870:Provisional Government
726:Shinano River incident
338:, 14 July 2009, p. 14.
147:
103:
30:
1066:Futsukaichi Rest Home
883:Places and structures
836:Independence movement
750:Hongkou Park Incident
498:ChÅsen Art Exhibition
380:, 20 June 2009, p. 2.
328:Underwood, William, "
249:Underwood, William, "
240:, 20 June 2009, p. 2.
220:Underwood, William, "
188:Underwood, William, "
145:
102:photographed in 1933.
97:
24:
972:JapanâKorea disputes
714:Battle of Qingshanli
701:Battle of Fengwudong
689:March First Movement
473:Japanese Korean Army
361:, 31 May 2009, p. 2.
37:concerns the use of
1140:Japanese war crimes
783:Five Eulsa Traitors
738:June Tenth Movement
278:, 14 November 2008.
1090:Asian Women's Fund
1033:Murayama Statement
890:Altteureu Airfield
756:Battle of Pochonbo
707:Battle of Samdunja
148:
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98:The Aso mine near
46:Aso Mining Company
31:
1160:Politics of Japan
1127:
1126:
1123:
1122:
1096:Shimonoseki Trial
997:Division of Korea
926:KeijÅ Post Office
878:
877:
850:Independence Club
604:
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504:Chosun Exhibition
491:Cultural policies
450:from 1910 to 1945
1197:
1058:
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1003:Koreans in Japan
941:Seodaemun Prison
837:
775:
683:105-Man Incident
632:
626:Sakhalin Koreans
571:
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389:Willacy, Mark, "
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48:in Japan during
42:prisoners of war
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820:Song Byeong-jun
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695:Jeamri Massacre
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527:Shinto in Korea
486:
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451:
448:Empire of Japan
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397:, 19 June 2009.
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370:"Ito, Masami, "
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128:Yukihisa Fujita
83:i.e. as slaves
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1084:Kono Statement
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813:Park Jung-yang
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803:Park Yeong-hyo
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732:KantÅ Massacre
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720:Gando Massacre
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647:Hashima Island
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591:Chosen Railway
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306:Ito, Masami, "
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198:, 29 May 2007.
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169:Hashima Island
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116:Shoukichi Kina
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1057:Comfort women
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910:Hyochang Park
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895:Gyeongbokgung
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774:Collaborators
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268:Hongo, Jun, "
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23:
19:
931:KeijÅ Shrine
905:HeijÅ Shrine
808:Refrain Club
641:
635:Forced labor
555:Hwacheon Dam
532:State Shinto
521:SÅshi-kaimei
403:
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50:World War II
34:
32:
18:
1068:(1946â1947)
825:Yi Yun-yong
722:(1920â1921)
657:Sado Island
565:Sup'ung Dam
523:(1939â1945)
512:(1920â1945)
500:(1922â1944)
377:Japan Times
358:Japan Times
335:Japan Times
313:Japan Times
294:Japan Times
275:Japan Times
256:Japan Times
237:Japan Times
227:Japan Times
195:Japan Times
77:Mikiso Hane
25:Australian
1134:Categories
788:Hong Sa-ik
667:Utoro, Uji
560:Korean yen
456:Government
349:Kyodo News
176:References
1009:Hibakusha
574:Companies
89:burakumin
64:Aso Group
793:Iljinhoe
163:See also
146:TarÅ AsÅ
60:TarÅ AsÅ
1080:(1992â)
1074:(1990â)
1047:(2018â)
1029:(1987â)
1011:(1945â)
1005:(1945â)
999:(1945â)
922:(Seoul)
703:(1920)
543:Economy
114:member
100:Fukuoka
70:Denials
1116:(2015)
1110:(2007)
1104:(2000)
1098:(1998)
1092:(1994)
1086:(1993)
1041:(2005)
1035:(1995)
1023:(1965)
1017:(1952)
950:Legacy
764:(1942)
758:(1937)
752:(1932)
746:(1929)
740:(1926)
734:(1923)
728:(1922)
716:(1920)
697:(1919)
691:(1919)
685:(1911)
676:Events
506:(1929)
39:Allied
920:KeijÅ
620:list
467:list
351:), "
112:Diet
33:The
27:POWs
393:",
374:",
355:",
332:",
291:",
272:",
253:",
234:",
224:",
192:",
1136::
321:^
310:,
622:)
618:(
469:)
465:(
430:e
423:t
416:v
85:â
81:â
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