[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 95 (Tuesday, June 10, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5449-S5450]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BINGAMAN (for himself and Mr. Hatch):
  S. 3107. A bill to require the payment of compensation to members of 
the Armed Forces and civilian employees of the United States who were 
forced to perform slave labor by the Imperial Government of Japan or by 
corporations of Japan during World War II, or the surviving spouses of 
such members, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague Senator 
Hatch to introduce legislation to acknowledge the heroic contributions 
of American ex-prisoners of war who were forced into slave labor by the 
Imperial Government of Japan during the Second World War. The bill 
would award a one-time compensation of $20,000 to each surviving 
veteran, government employee, or government contractor who was 
imprisoned by the Japanese during World War II and forced to perform 
slave labor to support Japan's war effort. The bill would also extend 
that compensation to surviving spouses of such veterans or employees. 
While this compensation is only a small token of our Nation's 
gratitude, it is my hope that it serves as recognition of the vital 
military contributions and sacrifices made by these individuals, 
particularly as those Americans who sacrificed so much approach their 
final years.
  From December 1941 to April 1942, American military forces stationed 
in the Philippines fought valiantly for almost 6 months against 
overwhelming Japanese military forces on the Bataan peninsula. As a 
result of that prolonged conflict, U.S. forces prevented Japan from 
achieving its strategic objective of capturing Australia and thereby 
dooming Allied hopes in the Pacific theater from the outset of the war.
  Once captured by the Japanese, American prisoners of war in the 
Philippines endured the infamous ``Death March'' during which 
approximately 730 Americans died en route to the notorious Japanese 
prison camp north of Manila. Of the survivors of the March, more than 
5,000 more Americans perished during the first 6 months of captivity. 
The Japanese forced many of those who survived captivity to embark on 
``hell ships''--unmarked merchant ships--to be transported to Japan to 
work as slave laborers in company-owned mines, shipyards, and 
factories. Tragically, many of our own men perished in those unmarked 
vessels, victims of attacks by American military aircraft and 
submarines who were unaware that American POWs were aboard those ships. 
The stories of other American military and civilian employees captured 
by the Japanese at Wake Island, Java, Manchuria, Taiwan, and other 
locations in the Pacific and

[[Page S5450]]

enslaved to support the war effort are equally compelling.
  The heroic performance of our soldiers at Bataan and during 
incarceration in POW camps earned them well-deserved citations 
following the war. For example, the 200th and 515th Coastal Artillery 
units from New Mexico that served to defend the retreating troops at 
Bataan received three Presidential Unit Citations and the Philippine 
Presidential Unit Citation for their heroism. New Mexico is 
particularly proud of these men whose heroism I seek to salute through 
this legislation today.
  Sadly, the Americans who were enslaved by Japan have never been 
adequately compensated for the excruciating sacrifices they made while 
in Japanese military and company prisons and labor camps. In the War 
Claims Acts of 1948 and 1952, our Government paid former U.S. prisoners 
of war $1.00 per day for ``missed meals'' during their captivity, and 
later, $1.50 per day for ``forced labor, pain, and suffering.'' Even 
those paltry compensations were not widely known about or received by 
all veterans who qualified for them. In addition, efforts to obtain 
appropriate compensation from the Government of Japan, or from Japanese 
companies through litigation, have been unsuccessful and are not likely 
to succeed in a timely enough manner to compensate surviving veterans 
or others who would be eligible.
  Other Allied nations have already set international precedent to 
honor their enslaved veterans. Allied governments, including Canada, 
New Zealand, Australia, Norway, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom 
have authorized compensation gratuities. For example, in 1998, the 
Canadian Government authorized the payment of $15,600, Canadian 
dollars, to veterans who were captured in Hong Kong and enslaved by the 
Japanese. And in 2000, Prime Minister Tony Blair announced a multi-
million pound compensation fund for former enslaved Japanese prisoners 
of war in recognition of their heroic experiences. It is long overdue 
for our own Nation to provide similar compensation to those who gave so 
much to defend and preserve our freedom.
  Approximately 10 years have passed since I began advocating for 
passage of this type of compensation, and in that time, many of these 
brave heroes who deserve recognition have already passed away. 
Fortunately, Congress still has time to honor those individuals who are 
alive today to share their courageous and heartrending stories. For 
this reason, I believe the Congress should avoid any further delay and 
act as soon as possible to enact this important legislation. I thank 
Senator Hatch for agreeing to cosponsor this legislation, and I urge my 
fellow Senators to support it.
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