[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 176 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 176

  Expressing the sense of the Congress concerning the maltreatment of 
 United States military and civilian prisoners by the Japanese during 
                             World War II.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 10, 1996

  Mr. Dornan (for himself, Mr. Stump, Ms. Lofgren, and Mr. Bilirakis) 
 submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to 
   the Committee on International Relations, and in addition to the 
   Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the Congress concerning the maltreatment of 
 United States military and civilian prisoners by the Japanese during 
                             World War II.

Whereas 33,587 United States servicemen and women and 13,966 United States 
        civilian men, women, and children were captured by the Japanese in the 
        Pacific Theater during World War II;
Whereas these United States military and civilian prisoners were confined in 
        brutal prison camps by the Japanese military and subjected to severe 
        shortages of food, medicine, and basic necessities;
Whereas a large number of United States military and civilian prisoners were 
        subjected to forced labor by the Japanese military;
Whereas United States military and civilian prisoners were starved to death, 
        beaten to death, and summarily executed by beheading, firing squads, or 
        immolation;
Whereas, as a result, many of the United States military and civilian prisoners 
        who survived have suffered from life-long illnesses, as well as 
        psychological and emotional trauma and financial hardships;
Whereas of all the United States military and civilian prisoners held by the 
        Germans in Europe during World War II, 1.1 percent of military prisoners 
        and 3.5 percent civilian prisoners died;
Whereas, comparatively, of all the United States military and civilian prisoners 
        held by the Japanese during World War II, 37.3 percent of military 
        prisoners and 11 percent of civilian prisoners died;
Whereas almost all United States military and civilian prisoners rescued from 
        the Japanese at the end of World War II were afflicted with diseases 
        caused by malnutrition and deprivation;
Whereas during the ``death march'' following the surrender of Bataan in the 
        Philippines in April 1942, between 550 and 1,000 United States soldiers 
        perished, including many who were shot, stabbed, or beheaded by their 
        Japanese captors;
Whereas in Mukden, Manchuria, the Japanese biochemical warfare detachment, Unit 
        731, commanded by Dr. Shiro Ishii, conducted experiments on living 
        prisoners of war which included infecting prisoners--called ``logs of 
        wood''--with deadly toxins including plague, anthrax, typhoid, cholera, 
        and a dozen other pathogens;
Whereas of the 1,500 United States prisoners believed to have been held at 
        Mukden, at least 260 died during the first winter of imprisonment and of 
        the 300 living survivors of Mukden, many claim physical ailments related 
        to being subjected to chemical-biological experiments;
Whereas after World War II, Dr. Ishii and other prominent scientists and 
        physicians of Unit 731 who conducted human biological warfare 
        experiments, dissected living prisoners, and froze prisoners to death 
        for purposes of scientific experimentation, were given pardons by United 
        States military tribunals in exchange for use of their experiment 
        records;
Whereas these experiment records remain classified by certain Federal 
        departments and agencies of the United States and access to such records 
        has been denied to the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as to the 
        doctors of individuals who were subjected to the experimentation;
Whereas, as of 1996, approximately 6,400 former United States military prisoners 
        of war of the Japanese and 2,400 former United States civilian prisoners 
        of war of the Japanese are still alive, with many suffering from the 
        physical and emotionally traumatic effects of their captivity;
Whereas the Government of Germany has formally apologized to the victims of the 
        Holocaust and has gone to great lengths to provide financial 
        compensation for the victims and to provide for their needs and 
        recovery;
Whereas in 1988 the United States Government acknowledged the unfairness of its 
        policy of detaining Japanese-Americans during World War II;
Whereas in 1993 international jurists in Geneva, Switzerland, ruled that 
        ``comfort women''--sex slaves of the Japanese military during World War 
        II--deserve compensation of at least $40,000 for each individual for 
        ``extreme pain and suffering'' suffered by such individuals; and
Whereas the Japanese Government has refused to acknowledge most of its World War 
        II atrocities and has refused to provide reparations to its victims; 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that--
            (1) the Government of Japan should immediately pay 
        reparations to United States military and civilian prisoners of 
        war held by the Japanese during World War II in an amount equal 
        to not less than $22,000 for each such prisoner of war--the 
        amount requested in an ongoing international lawsuit by former 
        United States prisoners of war of the Japanese against the 
        Government of Japan;
            (2) the Government of Japan should express formally its 
        regret to United States military and civilian prisoners of war 
        who the Japanese tortured, neglected, and on whom it conducted 
        experiments; and
            (3) the relevant Federal departments and agencies of the 
        United States should declassify and release to the Department 
        of Veterans Affairs, and to the doctors of individuals who were 
        subjected to experimentation by the Japanese, all requested 
        United States and Japanese records and documents relating to 
        the Japanese biochemical warfare detachment, Unit 731, and any 
        other records or documents relating to medical or 
        bacteriological experimentation on United States military and 
        civilian prisoners of war that are currently in the possession 
        of such Federal departments and agencies.
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