[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 13362-13363]
[From the U.S. 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.

[[Page 13363]]

  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.


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.

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