Japan apologizes to Canada

[Darrell Zinck]

CBC News
Canada has accepted the Japanese government's apology for the treatment of prisoners held during the Second World War for five years after the Battle of Hong Kong.


An official statement of regret was delivered in Tokyo on Thursday by Toshiyuki Kato, the Japanese parliamentary vice-minister for foreign affairs.

Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney and a delegation from the Canadian Veterans of the Battle of Hong Kong travelled to Japan for the apology and a ceremony on Thursday.

"This important gesture is a crucial step in ongoing reconciliation and a significant milestone in the lives of all prisoners of war," Blaney said in a release. "It acknowledges their suffering while honouring their sacrifices and courage."

More than 50 per cent of the Canadians sent to defend Hong Kong, then a British colony, against the Japanese invasion during the Second World War died, either during the 17½-day battle or during the years of imprisonment, hard labour and deprivation that followed.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird responded Thursday in Ottawa to the apology.

"The terrible pain and heavy burden of the Second World War have given way to a mutually beneficial, respectful relationship between Canada and Japan as mature democracies - a legacy of all who served in the Pacific campaigns," Baird said in a statement.

"Today's apology will help in healing as our two great countries move forward."

The allies' battle to defend Hong Kong ended on Christmas Day in 1941, and the survivors were imprisoned either until their death or the end of the war. They were imprisoned in Hong Kong until early 1943, and then in Japan until liberation in September 1945.

Of the 1,975 Canadians who went to Hong Kong, more than 1,050 were either killed or wounded, says Canadians in Hong Kong, a booklet published by Veterans Affairs Canada.

The delegation to Tokyo this week also visited the graves of Canadian soldiers at the British Commonwealth Cemetery at Yokohama.

http://news.sympatico.cbc.ca/home/ca..._pows/c69f8b48

To me at least, there is a difference between an apology and a statement of regret. As well the article's author is in error in that 50 percent were not deaths but he quotes the correct data later in the article. Great copy, eh; I feel dumber.

regards
Darrell

[Gordon Yeo]

I'm sure that what ever few remaining Hong Kong veterans there are will be impressed that 67 years after the end of World War 11 Japan feels the need to do this. Heart warming, isn't it!

[Mike Kelly]

In contrast with Germany , Japan has never taken any steps towards a genuine overall ' owning up' over what actually occured . The present education system in Japan, is totally devoid of any mention of Japans aggression .

Younger generations there , have no idea of their own countries history in this field. Indeed, what is often brought forward is the opposite theme, the atomic bomb is blamed on US aggression .

The whole abhorant Asian/Pacific conquest is virtually unknown of to much of the population . Mention it to anyone under 40 years old in Japan and you will get blank faces .... MIKE

[gjamo]

I wonder if they made a similar apology to the Chinese.
Graeme

[Little Jo]

Hi Guys

Or the Dutch.

Cheers

Tony

[chris vickery]

According to CTV News tonight, there is not much to be said regarding this apology.
Veterans groups are unimpressed; the statement of apology was made behind closed doors by a low level diplomat instead of coming right from the Prime Minister to our Prime Minister. Funny how the Japanese are still reluctant after all these years.
Veterans groups say that it would mean more if the Japanese people were actually told the truth once and for all; their wartime history is downplayed to the general populace.

[randall klein]

Let's face the facts. A low level diplomat behind closed doors issuing an apology. Hogwash.
As Chris has stated, it should have come from the Japanese PM to our PM. Nothing more, nothing less.
Wonder how many Japanese have read " The Rape of Nanking " by Iris Chang?

[motto]

The Japanese have never at any time to my knowledge admitted to any wrongdoing or taken any responsibility for what they did except in the most limited way and only in muted tones.

It doesn't help matters that successive Australian governments have been only to happy to comply with the conspiracy of silence. At the same time the Hawke government made a million dollars available for the pursuit and prosecution of Nazi war criminals in Australia who did not carry out their crimes against Australians no mention is made of Japanese crimes such as Tol Plantation, Banka Beach or Sandakan where our people suffered atrocity. I've always found Canberra's fawning and kowtowing to Tokyo sickening.

If interested in getting an insight into the way the Japanese military conducted themselves during WW2 I highly recommend reading 'One Fourteenth of an Elephant' by Ian Denys Peak. It's an extremely powerful first hand account written by a British POW captured at Singapore and was not published until 2003. It should be compulsory reading in Japanese schools.

David