日本向二次大戰澳洲戰俘道歉

Recently the NHK news reported the following:
前原外務大臣は、太平洋戦争中に日本軍の捕虜となったオーストラリアの元兵士５人と面会し、「多大な損害と苦痛を与えたことに、改めて深い反省と心からのおわびを申し上げます」と述べ、初めて公式に謝罪しました。
前原外務大臣と面会したのは、太平洋戦争中にシンガポールやインドネシアなどで日本軍の捕虜となったオーストラリアの元兵士５人とその家族です。この中で前原外務大臣は「わが国がオーストラリア人の元戦争捕虜を含む多くの人々に対し、多大の損害と苦痛を与えたことに、改めて深い反省と心からのおわびを申し上げます」と謝罪しました。戦争捕虜を巡っては、アメリカの元兵士に対し、去年９月、当時の岡田外務大臣が初めて公式に謝罪をしていますが、オーストラリアの元兵士に対する謝罪は、今回が初めてです。また、前原外務大臣は、戦争捕虜の個人記録を記したと「銘々票」と呼ばれる資料の写しなどを５人に手渡したうえで、オーストラリア人のほかの元捕虜に対しても、資料の写しを引き渡す準備を始めたいという考えを伝えました。これに対し、日本政府の公式な謝罪を求めてきた元兵士のチャールズ・リチャーズさんは「今回の謝罪は、歴史的な出来事だ。銘々票の返還は、元捕虜にとってだけではなく、家族にとっても重要なことだ」と述べました。
(試譯)
Foreign Minister Maehara met with five former Australia soldiers that had became the captives of the Japanese army during the Pacific War and said that "For the extensive damage and pain given to you I expressed my renewed deep remorse and sincere apology", and officially apologized for the first time.
It was five former Australia soldiers who had became captives of the Japanese army in the Pacific War in Singapore and Indonesia etc. together with their families that met Foreign Minister Maehara. Foreign Minister Maehara apologized that "I express renewed remorse and sincere apology for the severe loss and pain caused by my country to a lot of people that included Australia's former prisoners of war". On the matter of prisoners of war, this was the first time to express apology to former Australian soldiers although last September Foreign Minister Okada officially apologized to former soldiers of the United States for the first time. Moreover, after having handed over a copy of the material that was called "Individual Record" etc. to the five people, Foreign Minister Maehara talked about the idea that he wanted to start preparation to hand over of the copy materials that kept the personal records of the prisoners of war to other former Australian captives. Mr. Charles Richards, a former soldier who had requested the Japanese Government to officially apologize described that ｢This apology is a historical event. The restoration of individual records is important not only for the former prisoners but also for their families｣.

I am wondering in future will Japan do the same to the Chinese soldiers.