[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 176 (Thursday, November 17, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7782-S7783]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            WELCOMING AND COMMENDING THE GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN

  Mr. LEVIN. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the 
immediate consideration of S. Res. 333 which was submitted earlier 
today by Senator Feinstein.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 333) welcoming and commending the 
     Government of Japan for extending an official apology to all 
     United States former prisoners of war from the Pacific War 
     and establishing in 2010 a visitation program to Japan for 
     surviving veterans, family members, and descendants.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. President, I rise today in support of this resolution 
honoring former World War II U.S. POWs from the Pacific theater and 
acknowledging the steps the Japanese Government has made to heal the 
wounds of the past.
  My friend and colleague from California, Representative Mike Honda, 
introduced this resolution in the House and I am proud to follow suit 
here in the Senate. I applaud his leadership on this important matter.
  Our resolution welcomes and commends the Government of Japan for 
extending an official apology to all U.S. former prisoners of war from 
the Pacific War and establishing in 2010 a visitation program to Japan 
for surviving veterans, their families, and descendants.
  The resolution appreciates the recent efforts by the Government of 
Japan toward historic apologies for the war crimes of Imperial Japan.
  The resolution requests that the Government of Japan continue its new 
Japanese/American POW Friendship Program of reconciliation and 
remembrance.
  It requests that the Government of Japan respect the wishes and 
sensibilities of the United States former prisoners of war by 
supporting and encouraging programs for lasting remembrance and 
reconciliation that recognize their sacrifices, history, and forced 
labor.
  It acknowledges the work of the Department of State in advocating for 
the United States Prisoners of War from the Pacific war, and it 
applauds the persistence, dedication, and patriotism of the members and 
descendants of the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor.
  According to the Congressional Research Service, approximately 27,000 
U.S. prisoners of war were held by Imperial Japanese forces during 
World War II.
  They were often subject to brutal and inhumane treatment.
  They were starved and denied adequate medical care and were forced to 
perform slave labor for private Japanese companies.
  American POWs toiled in mines, factories, shipyards, and steel mills 
for hours every day under extremely dangerous conditions. Many suffered 
health problems long after their time as POWs had ended.
  Some 40 percent of POWs perished and never returned home to their 
loved ones.
  We owe these brave heroes a debt that can never be fully repaid. It 
is critical that we never forget their sacrifice.
  A lot has changed since the end of the war.
  Japan has emerged from the ashes of war to develop into one of our 
closest friends and allies and a responsible member of the 
international community.
  Our relationship is sustained by shared values of democracy, human 
rights, and the rule of law.
  The American POWs--those that survived--returned home and tried to 
move on with their lives.
  They completed their education, got married, started families, began 
new

[[Page S7783]]

careers and participated in all aspects of civic life.
  But one thing was missing: recognition from the Japanese Government 
about how they were treated as POWs.
  In the simplest terms, they wanted an apology.
  In order for Japan to fully rejoin the international community, it 
had to acknowledge its treatment of POWs during the ware.
  And groups like the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor and 
its Descendants Group worked tirelessly for this recognition.
  And I am pleased to say that Japan has taken historic actions in this 
area.
  On May 30, 2009, Japan's Ambassador to the United States, Ichiro 
Fujisaki, told the last convention of the American Defenders of Bataan 
and Corregidor:

  We extend a heartfelt apology for our country having caused 
tremendous damage and suffering to many people, including prisoners of 
wars, those who have undergone tragic experiences in the Bataan 
Peninsula, Corregidor Island, in the Philippines, and other places.

  On September 13, 2010, in a message to all U.S. former POWs, Japan's 
Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said:

       You have all been through hardships during World War II, 
     begin taken prisoner by the Japanese military, and suffered 
     extremely inhumane treatment. On behalf of the Japanese 
     government and as the foreign minister, I would like to offer 
     you my heartfelt apology.

  The Government of Japan has also created a new program for former 
U.S. POWs and their family members to come to Japan for remembrance and 
reconciliation.
  I commend the Government of Japan for taking these actions. Our 
former POWs waited long enough.
  There are fewer than 500 surviving POWs still alive today.
  Let us take a moment today, while we still can, to honor them and pay 
tribute to their service to their country during difficult and trying 
times.
  Let us also acknowledge the steps Japan has taken to come to terms 
with its past and strengthen the friendship between our two peoples.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be 
laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any 
statements relating to the measure be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 333) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 333

       Whereas the United States and Japan have enjoyed a 
     productive and successful peace for over six decades, which 
     has nurtured a strong and critical alliance and deep economic 
     ties that are vitally important to both countries, the Asia-
     Pacific region, and the world;
       Whereas the United States-Japan alliance is based on shared 
     interests, responsibilities, and values and the common 
     support for political and economic freedoms, human rights, 
     and international law;
       Whereas the United States-Japan alliance has been 
     maintained by the contributions and sacrifices of members of 
     the United States Armed Forces dedicated to Japan's defense 
     and democracy;
       Whereas, from December 7, 1941, to August 15, 1945, the 
     Pacific War caused profound damage and suffering to 
     combatants and noncombatants alike;
       Whereas, among those who suffered and sacrificed greatly 
     were the men and women of the United States Armed Forces who 
     were captured by Imperial Japanese forces during the Pacific 
     War;
       Whereas many United States prisoners of war were subject to 
     brutal and inhumane conditions and forced labor;
       Whereas, according to the Congressional Research Service, 
     an estimated 27,000 United States prisoners of war were held 
     by Imperial Japanese forces and nearly 40 percent perished;
       Whereas the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor and 
     its subsequent Descendants Group have worked tirelessly to 
     represent the thousands of United States veterans who were 
     held by Imperial Japanese forces as prisoners of war during 
     the Pacific War;
       Whereas, on May 30, 2009, an official apology from the 
     Government of Japan was delivered by Japan's Ambassador to 
     the United States Ichiro Fujisaki to the last convention of 
     the American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor stating, 
     ``Today, I would like to convey to you the position of the 
     government of Japan on this issue. As former Prime Ministers 
     of Japan have repeatedly stated, the Japanese people should 
     bear in mind that we must look into the past and to learn 
     from the lessons of history. We extend a heartfelt apology 
     for our country having caused tremendous damage and suffering 
     to many people, including prisoners of wars, those who have 
     undergone tragic experiences in the Bataan Peninsula, 
     Corregidor Island, in the Philippines, and other places.'';
       Whereas, in 2010, the Government of Japan through its 
     Ministry of Foreign Affairs has established a new program of 
     remembrance and understanding that, for the first time, 
     includes United States former prisoners of war and their 
     family members or other caregivers by inviting them to Japan 
     for exchange and friendship;
       Whereas six United States former prisoners of war, each of 
     whom was accompanied by a family member, and two descendants 
     of prisoners of war participated in Japan's first Japanese/
     American POW Friendship Program from September 12, 2010, to 
     September 19, 2010;
       Whereas Japan's Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada on September 
     13, 2010, apologized to all United States former prisoners of 
     war on behalf of the Government of Japan stating, ``You have 
     all been through hardships during World War II, being taken 
     prisoner by the Japanese military, and suffered extremely 
     inhumane treatment. On behalf of the Japanese government and 
     as the foreign minister, I would like to offer you my 
     heartfelt apology.'';
       Whereas Foreign Minister Okada stated that he expects the 
     former prisoners of war exchanges with the people of Japan 
     will ``become a turning point in burying their bitter 
     feelings about the past and establishing a better 
     relationship between Japan and the United States'';
       Whereas Japan's Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tetsuro 
     Fukuyama on September 13, 2010, apologized to United States 
     former prisoners of war for the ``immeasurable damage and 
     suffering'' they experienced;
       Whereas the participants of the first Japanese/American POW 
     Friendship Program appreciated the generosity and hospitality 
     they received from the Government and people of Japan during 
     the Program and welcomed the apology offered by Foreign 
     Minister Okada and Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuyama;
       Whereas the participants encourage the Government of Japan 
     to continue this program of visitation and friendship and 
     expand it to support projects for remembrance, documentation, 
     and education; and
       Whereas the United States former prisoners of war of Japan 
     still await apologies and remembrance from the successor 
     firms of those private entities in Japan that, in violation 
     of the Third Geneva Convention and in unmerciful conditions, 
     used their labor for economic gain to sustain war production: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) welcomes and commends the Government of Japan for 
     extending an official apology to all United States former 
     prisoners of war from the Pacific War and establishing in 
     2010 a visitation program to Japan for surviving veterans, 
     their families, and descendants;
       (2) appreciates the recent efforts by the Government of 
     Japan toward historic apologies for the maltreatment of 
     United States former prisoners of war;
       (3) requests that the Government of Japan continue its new 
     Japanese/American POW Friendship Program of reconciliation 
     and remembrance and expand it to educate the public and its 
     school children about the history of prisoners of war in 
     Imperial Japan;
       (4) requests that the Government of Japan respect the 
     wishes and sensibilities of the United States former 
     prisoners of war by supporting and encouraging programs for 
     lasting remembrance and reconciliation that recognize their 
     sacrifices, history, and forced labor;
       (5) acknowledges the work of the Department of State in 
     advocating for the United States prisoners of war from the 
     Pacific War; and
       (6) applauds the persistence, dedication, and patriotism of 
     the members and descendants of the American Defenders of 
     Bataan and Corregidor for their pursuit of justice and 
     lasting peace.

                          ____________________