Over 30,000 Chinese Conscripted to Serve as Coolies in Japan during World War II

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, January 08, 2002

Over 30,000 Chinese Conscripted to Serve as Coolies in Japan during World War II

During the Second World War the Chinese laborers forced to do coolie in Japan came to a number of 38,935 heads, of which 6,830 died there, the mortality rate being as high as 17.5 percent.

During the Second World War the Chinese laborers forced to do coolie in Japan came to a number of 38,935 heads, of which 6,830 died there, the mortality rate being as high as 17.5 percent, and as learnt, this is a first time exposure of the fact with the materials supplied by a Japanese friend.

According to Mr. Zwasa Hideki, member of the standing council of Fukuoka Branch of Nippon-China Friendship Association, the material supplier to the Memorial Hall, Japan conscripted Chinese laborers in two batches respectively from April to November 1943 and March 1944 to May 1945 with a total of 38,935 heads to serve as coolie in 135 Japanese mining units during World War II. The hard labor there claimed 6,830 lives, a mortality of 17.5 percent. Of the 33 mining units which claimed more Chinese lives seven witnessed a mortality rate as high as 41 to 52 percent, another seven units seeing a rate of over 30 percent and still another 19 units a mortality of more than 20 percent. In the 16 work-sites of the six mining societies of Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Nippon Steel and others in Fukuoka alone they received 6,993 Chinese laborers and among them 636 were found died there.

The namelist of the Chinese laborers ever worked at the mining sites of the Mitsubishi Mining Society was found during their investigation, said Mr. Zwasa Hideki, and it was worked out in 1946 as a report to the Japanese Government as required by the foreign ministry. And when the World War II came to an end the Japanese Government said the materials had already been burnt away. However, it was not until 1996 that they were found secretly kept in the General Headquarters of Overseas Chinese in Japan.

From June 1944 to December 1945, a total of 352 Chinese laborers had been taken away to do corv��e at the Katsuta mining site of the Mitsubishi Mining Society as reporters read from the ��Report of the Chinese Laborers�� dated ��the 2nd of the 4th month in the 21st year of Showa��. Among them 87 lost their lives one after the other with another eight of them becoming handicapped. Based on the namelist, most of them were young Chinese laborers taken from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, a total of 11 provinces and cities in China.

By PD Online Staff Han Rongliang

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