TOKYO, Jul 31 (NNN-NHK) – A memorial service was held yesterday, at the Sagami Lake Community Centre, in Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture, to mourn labourers from different countries that died in the Sagami dam construction.
Representatives from Japan, China and the Republic of Korea, as well as, local residents around the Sagami Reservoir, participated in the memorial event, to pay tribute to the labourers who lost their lives during the construction.
The suffering of forced labourers is a poignant reflection of the profound disasters inflicted upon the people of Asian countries, including China, by Japanese militarism and aggression, said Guo Xiaohan, a counsellor at the Chinese embassy in Japan, at the memorial service.
“We are gathering here again not to perpetuate hatred, but to face up to history, learn from the lessons, and sound the alarm bell to prevent the tragedy from repeating,” said the counsellor.
The Sagami Reservoir is Japan’s first multi-purpose artificial lake constructed between 1940 and 1947. To build the reservoir, Japan requisitioned about 3.6 million labourers, forcibly taken to Japan by the invading Japanese military.
Due to harsh working conditions and treatment, 83 victims of the labourers were recorded.
Since 1979, many Japanese have been holding annual memorial events to commemorate the deceased labourers.– NNN-NHK
