Gathering is held to mourn for former Chinese laborers, brought to Hiroshima by force
Oct. 22, 2015
by Hisashi Hatayama, Staff Writer
On October 18, a gathering was held to mourn former Chinese laborers who were forcibly brought to Hiroshima to engage in the construction work of the Yasuno Power Plant, located in Akiota-cho, Hiroshima, during World War II. The gathering was also intended to provide an occasion to pledge for friendship between Japan and China. The event was held near the plant in front of a stone monument which commemorates the suffering of Chinese laborers in Yasuno.
About 80 people, including local residents and family members of the former laborers, attended the ceremony and offered flowers to the monument. Zhang Zhenlun, 59, who participated in the ceremony on behalf of Shao Yicheng, 90, his father-in-law and a former laborer, read out Mr. Yicheng’s message that they gather at the site to look back on the past, eradicate war, look toward the future, and hold a peaceful exchange.
For the construction work, 360 people were forcibly taken to Hiroshima in 1944, and 29 died as a consequence of heavy labor or the atomic bombing. The organizers of the gathering included a citizens’ group which seeks to mourn for the Chinese victims in Yasuno, Hiroshima, and hand down the historical facts of that time.
(Originally published on October 19, 2015)
On October 18, a gathering was held to mourn former Chinese laborers who were forcibly brought to Hiroshima to engage in the construction work of the Yasuno Power Plant, located in Akiota-cho, Hiroshima, during World War II. The gathering was also intended to provide an occasion to pledge for friendship between Japan and China. The event was held near the plant in front of a stone monument which commemorates the suffering of Chinese laborers in Yasuno.
About 80 people, including local residents and family members of the former laborers, attended the ceremony and offered flowers to the monument. Zhang Zhenlun, 59, who participated in the ceremony on behalf of Shao Yicheng, 90, his father-in-law and a former laborer, read out Mr. Yicheng’s message that they gather at the site to look back on the past, eradicate war, look toward the future, and hold a peaceful exchange.
For the construction work, 360 people were forcibly taken to Hiroshima in 1944, and 29 died as a consequence of heavy labor or the atomic bombing. The organizers of the gathering included a citizens’ group which seeks to mourn for the Chinese victims in Yasuno, Hiroshima, and hand down the historical facts of that time.
(Originally published on October 19, 2015)
