拘禁死亡名冊更新至壹萬人，西伯利亞以外有2130人

A few weeks ago the Yomiuri News on-line reported the following:

抑留死名簿新たに１万人、シベリア外２１３０人

2015年04月30日 22時47分

　厚生労働省は３０日、第２次世界大戦後に旧ソ連が設置した収容所などで死亡した日本人抑留者のべ１万７２３人の名簿を新たに公表した。

　このうち、現在の北朝鮮や南樺太（現サハリン）など、シベリア以外の抑留死亡者は２１３０人。厚労省はこれまでシベリア以外での死亡者の名簿を公表していなかったが、戦後７０年となり、遺族への情報開示を進めるため、保有資料をすべて公表することにした。

　名簿は、旧ソ連が作成し、ロシアの国立軍事古文書館や国防省などが開示した死亡者名簿などを基に、厚労省がまとめた。カタカナ氏名と死亡日、埋葬地を明らかにし、日本側資料との照合で身元が特定できた２６６０人については、漢字氏名と出身地も併記した。

　地域別では、シベリア抑留（ナホトカなど沿海地方を含む）の死亡者が８５９３人。残る２１３０人はシベリア以外で、内訳は、▽朝鮮半島北部（現在の北朝鮮）興南地区１８５３人、元山地区１１人▽中国・大連１７８人▽南樺太・千島列島８８人――だった。

　名簿はおおむね、抑留先の収容所や病院、強制労働を目的に振り分けられた「労働大隊」などの単位で作成されている。今回の公表で、南樺太・千島列島の死亡者のうち３０人以上が労働大隊に所属していたことが判明。抑留に詳しい研究者は「シベリア以外でも強制労働があったことが裏付けられた」と指摘した。

　ただ、抑留中に死亡したのに名簿に氏名がない人もおり、厚労省はロシア側の資料をすべて取得できたわけではないと思われる。同一人物が重複して名簿に掲載されているケースもあるとみられ、厚労省は精査を進める。

　抑留死亡者の調査を巡っては、１９９１年に来日した当時のゴルバチョフ大統領からシベリアでの死亡者名簿（約３万７０００人分）が提供されたのを機に、旧厚生省が本格着手。原則、身元を確認して公表してきた。シベリア以外の死亡者名簿も、２０００年以降に入手していたが、シベリアの調査を優先して公表はしていなかった。

(試譯文)

On the 30th (April) the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare newly published a register of 10,723 Japanese detainees who died at camps established by the Soviet Union after the Second World War.

  Among the internment death outside Siberia such as in the present North Korea and South Sakhalin (present Sakhalin) was 2,130 people. Up to now death registers for locations outside Siberia had not been published. As it was the 70^th year after the War, in order to advance information to families of the deceased, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare decided to publish all material in possession.

  The register was gathered by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare based on the death registers announced by the Soviet Union’s National Military Archives and the Department of Defense. The name in katakana, the day of dead and the burying ground were made clear. The kanji name and home town were also written for about 2,660 people whose background could be specifically verified with the material of the Japanese side.

  By area, the death during Siberia detention (including Nakhodka etc. coastal regions) was 8,593 people. The remaining 2,130 people were outside Siberia. For the breakdown▽ Kounan area at Korean Peninsula north (present North Korea) 1,853 people, Motoyama area 11 people▽ China Dalian 178 people▽ southern Sakhalin Kurile Islands 88 people.

  For the most part, the register was made based on detention location’s hospitals and the detention camps, and also the "labor battalion" etc. groups formed for the purpose of forced labor. It was revealed by this publication that among deaths at southern Sakhalin Kurile Islands more than 30 people belonged to a labor battalion. A researcher conversant with the detention pointed out that "it was in line with the belief that there was forced labor outside Siberia".

However, there were people who died during detainment did not have a name in the register. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare thought that not all material of the Russian side could be acquired. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare thought that there were cases that a person was registered for more than once, and would advance a close checking on that.

Regarding the investigation on death during detention, the old Ministry of Health and Welfare formally started it by taking the opportunity of receiving the death record of Siberia (for about 37,000 people) offered by President Gorbachev in those days when he visited Japan in 1991. The principle was to publish them when the identities were confirmed. Although the death register outside Siberia was obtained only after 2000, they did not give priority to publish the investigation regarding Siberia.

So these documents show that over ten thousand Japanese had died in the Soviet labor camps etc. after 1945.