A memorial service has been held in Tokyo to remember Japanese nationals who died in Soviet detention camps in Siberia and elsewhere after World War Two. One former internee called on the Japanese government to make further efforts to recover remains of detainees and review what happened in the camps.
About 150 people observed a moment of silence at Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery on Friday.
August 23 marks 79 years since the then Soviet Union ordered Japanese soldiers and civilians in China and elsewhere to be sent to labor camps in Siberia and other areas. Many died under harsh conditions.
The ceremony was organized by an association consisting of former internees and bereaved families, among others.
The welfare ministry says about 55,000 Japanese died in the camps, but the remains of over 32,000 internees have yet to be returned to Japan. The recovery of the remains in Russia has been suspended amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
At the ceremony, 99-year-old Nishikura Masaru, who was interned in Siberia for three years, said: “Two-thirds of the remains of the compatriots are still over there. The detention is still unresolved.” He also said the survivors are aging, and that he doesn’t know how many more years he will be able to speak of his experience.
Nishikura said the government should work hard and urge Russia and other relevant countries to cooperate, conduct research and verification, and pass on what happened and its lessons to younger generations.
After the ceremony, a 71-year-old man whose uncle was sent to what is now Uzbekistan said his uncle’s remains are still in the country, and he wants to take them back to Japan. He said there are still conflicts around the world, but that war shouldn’t happen, and that issues should be resolved through talks.