Mitsubishi to compensate over 3,700 forced Chinese labourers in WWII

3,765 Chinese who were forced into hard labour in the company’s wartime mines will be eligible for compensation of 100,000 yuan ($16,100). Tong Zeng, the head of the group, said that an official statement aimed at demanding compensation from Japan will be published before August 15, the day marking Japan’s surrender to the Allies in 1945.

It will be the first time that a Japanese company has apologised to Chinese victims during WWII, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. In the statement, Mitsubishi Materials said about 39,000 Chinese labourers were forced to Japan due to a decision by the Japanese government.

Mitsubishi Mining Co, the firm’s predecessor, had 3,765 Chinese workers working in poor conditions.

A total of 722 Chinese workers died. Mitsubishi Materials said it recognised that the human rights of Chinese forced labours were infringed upon, and expressed deep reflection over it.

Mitsubishi Materials will extend its sincere apologies to those Chinese workers and their relatives, and recognise the company’s historic responsibility on this issue, the statement said.