[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 304 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 304

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives concerning the war 
         crimes committed by the Japanese during World War II.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 24, 1999

Mr. Rohrabacher (for himself and Mr. Lipinski) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International 
Relations, and in addition to the Committee on Government Reform, 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

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives concerning the war 
         crimes committed by the Japanese during World War II.

Whereas the Government of Japan deliberately ignored and flagrantly violated the 
        Geneva and Hague Conventions during World War II, and committed 
        atrocious crimes against humanity;
Whereas 33,587 men and women in the United States military, and 13,966 United 
        States civilians, were captured by the Japanese military in the Pacific 
        Theater during World War II, confined in brutal prison camps, and 
        subjected to severe shortages of food, medicine, and other basic 
        necessities;
Whereas many of the United States military and civilian prisoners of the 
        Japanese during World War II were subjected to forced labor, starved and 
        beaten to death, or summarily executed by beheading, firing squads, or 
        immolation;
Whereas almost all of the United States military and civilian prisoners that 
        were rescued from the Japanese at the end of World War II were afflicted 
        with diseases caused by malnutrition and deprivation;
Whereas many of the United States military and civilian prisoners of the 
        Japanese during World War II who survived the war have suffered from 
        life-long illnesses, psychological and emotional trauma, and financial 
        hardships as a result of their experience during the war;
Whereas, of the United States prisoners held by the Germans during World War II, 
        1.1 percent of the military prisoners, and 3.5 percent of the civilian 
        prisoners, died during their imprisonment, but of the United States 
        prisoners held by the Japanese, 37.3 percent of the military prisoners, 
        and 11 percent of the civilian prisoners, died during their 
        imprisonment;
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 the 
        Japanese;
Whereas at the Japanese biochemical warfare detachment in Mukden, Manchuria, 
        commanded by Dr. Shiro Ishii, experiments were conducted on living 
        prisoners of war that included infecting prisoners with deadly toxins, 
        including plague, anthrax, typhoid, and cholera;
Whereas at least 260 of the 1,500 United States prisoners believed to have been 
        held at Mukden died during the first winter of their imprisonment, and 
        many of the 300 living survivors of Mukden claim to suffer from physical 
        ailments resulting from their subjection to chemical and biological 
        experiments;
Whereas approximately 6,400 former United States military prisoners of war and 
        2,400 former United States civilian prisoners of war that were held by 
        the Japanese during World War II were still living as of 1996, and many 
        of those former prisoners still suffer 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 gone to great lengths to provide financial compensation to 
        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; and
Whereas the Government of Japan has refused to fully acknowledge the crimes it 
        committed during World War II and to provide reparations to its victims: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the Government of Japan should formally issue a clear 
        and unambiguous apology for its atrocious war crimes during 
        World War II; and
            (2) the Government of the United States should release all 
        records in its possession pertaining to Japanese experiments on 
        prisoners of war at Mukden, including those records received 
        from Japan, to the Department of Veterans Affairs and to any 
        physician designated by a surviving American prisoner of war at 
        Mukden.
                                 <all>