Japan Pm Apologises Over World War Two Dutch Pows

Discussion in 'The Lounge Bar' started by Wise1, May 2, 2005.

  1. Wise1

    Wise1 There We Are Then

    Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi apologised on Monday for the suffering and and pain Japan's military had inflicted on thousands of Dutch prisoners during World War Two.

    "Humbly accepting the fact that Japan inflicted grave damage and pain on people of many countries including the Netherlands during World War Two, we would like to deeply reflect on this and offer heartfelt apology," Koizumi told Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, according to a Japanese official.

    He is in Amsterdam on the last leg of his whirlwind six-day tour that took him to India, Pakistan and Luxembourg.

    When Japanese Emperor Akihito visited the Netherlands in May 2000, he expressed his "deep sorrow" over Dutch POWs.

    An estimated 14,000 Dutch soldiers and civilians were held by the Imperial Japanese Army in the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia, during World War Two.

    Tens of thousands of British, Americans, New Zealanders and Australians were also held by the Imperial Japanese Army, and many of them died in captivity after suffering cruel treatment in concentration camps.

    In 1998, then-Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto told visiting British Prime Minister Tony Blair in Tokyo that his entire cabinet had agreed to issue "an expression of deep remorse and heartfelt apology to the people who suffered in World War Two".

    Many former prisoners filed lawsuits in Japan, demanding an apology and monetary compensation from the Japanese government for malnourishment, forced labour, beatings and torture they said they suffered.

    But Japan has held that it is not liable for compensation because all World War Two claims were settled in 1951 under the San Francisco peace agreements.

    PEACE TREATY

    Asked whether Japan should compensate the former Dutch prisoners of war, Koizumi said: "Officially, the issue on whether Japan should compensate has already been settled through the San Francisco peace treaty and a bilateral treaty."

    "But because the issue involves the feelings of the people of the Netherlands, we should resolve this by having forward-looking talks and deepening the bilateral friendship."

    At the Asia-Africa summit in Jakarta last month, Koizumi made an unusually rare public apology for Japan's wartime atrocities.

    "In the past, Japan, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations," Koizumi said in Jakarta.

    "Japan squarely faces these facts of history in a spirit of humility," Koizumi said, adding that Japan always had in mind "feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology."

    He offered the apology at a time when relations between Japan and China were at their worst in decades following three weekends of sometimes-violent anti-Japanese demonstrations throughout China last month.

    In Amsterdam on Monday, Koizumi also expressed his gratitude to the Netherlands for having ensured security for about 550 Japanese troops stationed in the southern Iraqi city of Samawa on a non-combat mission to help rebuild war-torn Iraq.

    The Netherlands completed the withdrawal of its troops from Iraq in March.

    The Japanese prime minister leaves for Tokyo later on Monday after wrapping up his four-nation tour.
     
  2. Blackblue

    Blackblue Senior Member

    Hear hear!! Lets hope this continues.
     
  3. nolanbuc

    nolanbuc Senior Member

    Bravo, Japan! This is certainly an encouraging trend!
     
  4. Kiwiwriter

    Kiwiwriter Very Senior Member

    Sure took him long enough....now let's hope that some checks go out to the surviving men of the KNIL and HNMS Java start going out.
     
  5. Wise1

    Wise1 There We Are Then

    Originally posted by Kiwiwriter@May 3 2005, 07:45 PM
    Sure took him long enough....now let's hope that some checks go out to the surviving men of the KNIL and HNMS Java start going out.
    [post=33917]Quoted post[/post]

    hmm, think we might need to make do with the apology :(
     
  6. Gerard

    Gerard Seelow/Prora

    This is my biggest gripe about the Japanese and this is a positive step forward.
     
  7. halfyank

    halfyank Member

    This is a positive start. I'm not sure if anybody expects the Japanese to be paying any of these men for what was done to them, but if they would just do more to acknowledge what their country did to others in the war that would be a great step. Making it clear in their text books of their acts is also something that needs to be done.
     

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