[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 29, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1170-E1171]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MITSUBISHI CORPORATION'S APOLOGY TO AMERICAN WWII PRISONERS OF WAR
______
HON. LOIS CAPPS
of california
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my constituent, a
member of our greatest generation from Santa Maria, California, James
T. Murphy. On Sunday, July 19th, 2015, at the age of 94, Mr. Murphy had
the historic honor of being offered the first Japanese corporate
apology for his forced labor as an American prisoner of war (POW) in
Japan during World War II.
During World War II, Mitsubishi Mining Company Ltd. used the labor of
over 900 Americans in four of its coal and copper mines on mainland
Japan. Mr. Murphy, one of the last surviving American former POWs to
have worked as a slave laborer in one of these mines, graciously
accepted an apology from the Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, the
successor of Mitsubishi Mining Company, on behalf of his fellow
veterans.
A Texas native, Mr. Murphy fought in the Philippines with the U.S.
Army Air Corps beginning with the bombing of Nichols Field on December
8, 1941 until surrender in Bataan on April 9, 1942. He endured the
Bataan Death March and a ``Hell ship'' to Japan. During the war,
Imperial Japan assigned over 13,000 Americans to work in corporate
mines, factories, and docks to support the war effort. Mr. Murphy was
assigned to POW Camp Sendai #6-B and forced to mine copper at
Mitsubishi's Osarizawa mine near the town of Hanawa in Sendai, Japan.
After liberation, he continued to serve with the then-new U.S. Air
Force and retired in 1962 after a 23-year career. Captain Murphy later
moved to my district in California, working as a civilian contractor
with Lockheed Missile & Space Company at Vandenberg Air Force Base and
finally retiring in 1986 to Santa Maria.
On July 19th 2015 Mr. Hikaru Kimura, a Senior Corporate Executive of
Mitsubishi Materials Corporation and Senior General Manager of Global
Business Management at the Paint Finishing System Division of Taikisha
Ltd, delivered to him the official apology at a ceremony held at the
Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.
Mr. Murphy responded, ``it is a glorious day.'' He continued, ``For
70 years, we wanted such action. Today we have it so I'm elated over
that, and I hope this historical occasion just spreads out through the
world and helps mankind.''
And it is with grateful recognition for all our veterans swept up in
the Pacific battles of the first months of World War II, many of whom
became POWs of Imperial Japan, that I insert both Mitsubishi Materials'
historic apology statement and Captain Murphy's acceptance.
Remembering the stories of these POWs both in Japan and in the United
States is important for history, for the U.S.-Japan relationship, and
for all those who care about peace.
[[Page E1171]]
STATEMENT OF JAMES T. MURPHY, In RESPONSE TO MITSUBISHI APOLOGY TO WWII
POWS, Delivered at the Museum of Tolerance, Simon Wiesenthal Center--
Los Angeles, CA, July 19, 2015
This is a great day to be here at the Museum of Tolerance
because at this place and at this time, history will truly be
made.
We have just heard Mitsubishi's [Materials Corporation]
representative, Mr. [Hikaru] Kimura, present a stirring,
heartfelt, warm and sincere apology to former U.S. Prisoners
of War who were forced to work for Mitsubishi Mining during
World War II.
His apology meets all the criteria necessary to satisfy the
elements of an acceptable apology. It admits to wrongdoing,
it makes sincere statements showing a deep remorse for the
wrongdoing and it assures that the wrongdoing will not recur.
As a former Prisoner of War of the Japanese Imperial Armed
Forces who was forced to work at the Mitsubishi [Osarizawa]
copper mine near Hanawa, Japan during part of 1944 and part
of 1945 and being one of the few surviving workers of that
time, I find it to be my duty and responsibility to accept
Mr. Kimura's apology!
Hopefully, the acceptance of this sincere apology will
bring some closure and relief to the age-old problems
confronting the surviving former Prisoners of War and to
their family members.
Additionally, even though the Japanese people and the
American people have a long-standing friendly relationship,
the action that we are taking today will further enhance,
expand and assure an enduring trust and friendship
benefitting both nations.
Furthermore, I join others in this group who foster the
idea of encouraging the dozens of other Japanese companies
who used forced labor by the Allied Prisoners of War to
offset their workforce shortage to follow Mitsubishi
Materials' progressive leadership.
Solving this long overdue problem would permit the
companies and their former laborers to look forward to a
better future rather than continue to look backward to their
differences. Such actions would have positive results for
both of our nations by strengthening our trust, confidence
and friendship.
Perhaps other nations with similar problems will follow our
example here today with similar actions. Such actions would
result in the betterment to all mankind.
Mr. Kimura, we thank you and the other members of your team
for your hard work and long hours spent formulating and
presenting Mitsubishi Materials' apology.
Statement by Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, Senior Executive Officer
Hikaru Kimura in the Meeting With a Former American POW and Families of
Former POWs
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, speaking on behalf of
Mitsubishi Materials, thank you very much for this
opportunity to meet with you today at the Museum of
Tolerance.
Mitsubishi Mining Company Limited, the predecessor of
Mitsubishi Materials, was engaged in coal and metal mining
during World War II. As the war intensified, prisoners of war
were placed in a wide range of industries to offset labor
shortages. As part of this, close to 900 American POWs were
allocated to four mines operated by Mitsubishi Mining in
Japan.
I joined Mitsubishi Materials as a postwar baby-boomer and
have worked in the company for 34 years. I have read the
memoirs of Mr. James Murphy, who is present here at this
ceremony, and those of other former POWs, as well as records
of court trials. Through these accounts, I have learned about
the terrible pain that POWs experienced in the mines of
Mitsubishi Mining.
The POWs, many of whom were suffering from disease and
injury, were subjected to hard labor, including during
freezing winters, working without sufficient food, water,
medical treatment or sanitation. When we think of their harsh
lives in the mines, we cannot help feeling deep remorse.
I would like to express our deepest sense of ethical
responsibility for the tragic experiences of all U.S. POWs,
including Mr. James Murphy, who were forced to work under
harsh conditions in the mines of the former Mitsubishi
Mining.
On behalf of Mitsubishi Materials. I offer our sincerest
apology.
I also extend our deepest condolence to their fellow U.S.
POWs who worked alongside them but have since passed away.
To the bereaved families who are present at this ceremony,
I also offer our most remorseful apology.
This cannot happen again, and of course, Mitsubishi
Materials intends to never let this happen again.
We now have a clear corporate mission of working for the
benefit of all people, all societies and indeed the entire
globe. Respecting the basic human rights of all people is a
core principle of Mitsubishi Materials, and we will continue
to strongly adhere to this principle.
Our management team wishes for the health and happiness of
our employees every day, and we ask that all of them work not
only diligently, but also with a sense of ethics.
Mitsubishi Materials supplies general materials that enrich
people's lives, from cement to cellphone components and auto
parts, all of which are closely related to people's lives. We
also place a strong emphasis on recycling for more
sustainable societies, such as recovering valuable metals
from used electrical appliances and other scrapped materials.
Here in the United States, we have plants for cement and
ready-mixed concrete, and a sales headquarters for our
advanced materials and tools business, all in California, as
well as a polysilicon plant in Alabama. We believe that our
company provides fulfilling jobs for local employees and
contributes to host communities through its business.
The American Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor Museum in
Wellsburg, West Virginia archives extensive records and
memorabilia of POWs. These records and memorabilia will be
handed down to future generations for educational purposes.
I will visit the museum the day after tomorrow to view the
exhibits and visualize how POWs were forced to work under
harsh conditions. For now, however, I am pleased to announce
that Mitsubishi Materials has donated 50,000 US dollars to
the museum to support its activities.
Finally, I sincerely thank Ms. Kinue Tokudome and the
members of the American Defenders of Bataan & Corregidor
Memorial Society for creating this opportunity to meet with
you today. I also express my sincere thanks to Rabbi Abraham
Cooper for offering the Museum of Tolerance as a venue for
the ceremony. And I express my deep gratitude to all others
involved in arranging this gathering.
I would also like to thank the family members of a non-U.S.
POW [Mr. Stanley Gibson from Scotland, whose father also was
a slave laborer in the Mitsubishi Osarizawa mine] who have
come from very far away to attend this ceremony.
I truly hope that this gathering marks the starting point
of a new relationship between former POWs and Mitsubishi
Materials.
Thank you very much.
____________________