[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 106 (Thursday, August 3, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S8827]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HATCH (for himself, Mr. Bingaman, and Mr. Biden):
  S. 3811. A bill to require the payment of compensation to members of 
the Armed Forces and civilian employees of the United States who 
performed slave labor for Japanese industries during World War II, or 
the surviving spouses of such members, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Armed Services.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, it is my privilege today to introduce 
legislation that attempts to right wrongs and help those who have 
suffered.
  I can think of few Americans who have suffered more than those brave 
World War II veterans who were subjected to slave labor conditions by 
Japanese industries during that difficult conflict. This legislation 
would provide long overdue compensation to our brave veterans who were 
forced into slave labor by our enemies.
  Some might ask: why don't these veterans seek a remedy from the 
courts? The answer is that they have. Unfortunately, due to decisions 
that were made during the Cold War, our government relinquished the 
right of these veterans to successfully seek redress of their 
grievances on this matter in our nation's courts.
  Regrettably, the Japanese Government has also declined to provide 
compensation.
  Today, many of these American POWs are now in their eighties and 
nineties. Every day, more and more of these veterans pass away without 
ever realizing that their country truly cares for them and wants to 
right the wrongs of the past. If those who remain are to receive 
compensation, they must receive it now or this injustice will never be 
righted.
  Remember, many of these men are the survivors of the Bataan Death 
March, which occurred in April of 1942 when the 70,000 Allied troops 
that comprised the defense of Bataan peninsula were ordered to 
surrender. Corregidor would fall a month later, but for the soldiers of 
Bataan the infamous Death March from the peninsula to holding camps 
throughout the Philippines was about to begin. During this march of 85 
miles approximately 10,000 Allied forces were killed.
  American POWs in the Pacific theater are also the survivors of the 
``Hell Ships'' where servicemembers were placed in cargo ships destined 
for Japanese industrial sites. These ships were usually incredibly 
overcrowded and American POWs were subject to the horrific sanitary and 
living conditions.
  After all this, when American servicemembers arrived at their 
destination, the majority were treated as slave labor, they faced 
fierce corporal punishment for minor infractions, and unnecessary 
starvation and cruel work environments.
  It is important to note that this bill, which I am honored to say is 
cosponsored by Senator Bingaman and Senator Biden, is not to embarrass 
or to ridicule the people of Japan; far from it. For over 60 years, 
Japan has been one of our great allies. As the ranking member on the 
Senate Intelligence Committee, I well know the invaluable support and 
assistance that Japan has rendered in the global war on terrorism, 
including committing hundreds of ground troops to assist in the 
development of Iraq's infrastructure. I know that all Americans are 
grateful for this assistance.
  Mr. President, it is time to do the right thing and provide these 
veterans with the minimal level of compensation they deserve. I believe 
that this limited compensation is a debt of honor that we should not 
withhold.
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