日外務大臣向二次大戰美軍道歉

Recently the NHK News reported the following:

岡田外務大臣は、太平洋戦争中に日本軍の捕虜となったアメリカの元兵士６人と面会し、「たいへん非人道的な扱いを受け、政府を代表して心からおわびを申し上げます」と述べました。

政府は、太平洋戦争中にフィリピンで日本軍の捕虜となり、日本に移送されたアメリカの元兵士６人とその家族を１２日から１週間の予定で初めて日本に招き、１３日、岡田外務大臣が面会しました。このうち、レスター・テニーさんは、フィリピンのバターン半島で、捕虜となったアメリカ人などが収容所に連行される際、多数の死者が出たいわゆる「バターン死の行進」を体験しました。面会で、岡田外務大臣は「皆さんがそれぞれ日本軍の捕虜となり、たいへん非人道的な扱いを受け、ご苦労されました。日本政府を代表して、外務大臣として心からおわびを申し上げます」と述べました。これに対し、レスター・テニーさんは「われわれは戦争中の行いについて、日本政府としてのおわびを求めてきた。このような機会を得て、うれしく思う。戦争中の体験によるわだかまりを越えて、今後も友好的な日米関係を築けるよう協力したい」と述べました。その一方で、テニーさんは、日本に移送されたあと、強制的に働かされたことについて「当時捕虜を強制的に働かせた日本の企業からは、いまだに謝罪のことばがない」と述べました。

Foreign Minister Okada met with six former US soldiers who had become the captive of Japanese army in the Pacific War, and said "A very inhumane treatment had been received, and I express the apology sincerely on behalf of the government".

The government invited six former soldiers of the US who had become the captive of Japanese army during the Pacific War in the Philippines that later being transported to Japan, according to the schedule, together with their family they would be received in Japan for one week for the first time starting from the 12th, and Foreign Minister Okada met them on the 13th. Among them, Mr. Terry Leicester had experienced the so-called "Death March of the Bataan" in which a large number of deaths had resulted when the American captives were taken to the camps in the Bataan peninsula in the Philippines. In the interview, Foreign Minister Okada said ｢Individually you had become captives of the Japanese army, a very inhumane treatment had been received, and it was a hard time. As the Foreign Minister I sincerely say my apology on behalf of Japanese Government. ｣ In response to that Mr. Leicester said ｢We have requested the apology from the Japanese government on what had been done in War. I think I obtain such a chance and I am glad. I want to cooperate to build an amiable Japan-U.S. relation in future by exceeding the ill feeling done by the experience during the war ｣. On the other hand, after being transported to Japan and made to work compulsorily at that time, Terry said "There is yet no word of apology from the enterprise in Japan that had made the captive work compulsorily at that time".

I am wondering why similar apology has not been extended to the Chinese who had suffered in the Pacific War.