Date of letter:1993-08-03
Address of author:Shenyang City, Liaoning Province
Date of event:1942-02
Location of event:Xingcheng County, Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province
Name of author:Zhang Cuijie
Name(s) of victim(s):Zhang Xiangguo, etc.
Type of atrocity:Slave Laborers(SL)
Other details:My father Zhang Xiangguo (origin place: Xingcheng County) was arrested by Japanese in around February 1942. He was forced into repairing defense fortifications, and got beaten once he moved slow. Anyone discovered having infectious diseases would be incinerated. Everyday a few workers in the work sheds were tortured to death. My father came back and died a few months later. Now I claim compensation from Japan. Note: Envelope missing
Japanese Consul General in Shenyang, China
Please forward this to the Japanese government!
Petition Demanding Compensation Against Japan
Mr. Consul General, the Japanese government and staff:
I am the daughter of a victim of Japan’s war of aggression against China. I am accusing the Japanese aggressors of heinous crimes committed to my father and my family and am claiming for damage compensation against the Japanese government.
I am Zhang Cuijie. My father was Zhang Xiangguo (born at Yihelin, Dongxingzhuang, Xingcheng). He was taken away by the Japanese gendarmerie stationing in Xingcheng County from February to March 1942 (in the 31st year of the National Republic of China) and sent to Mishan, east of then Andong Province (now Fulin County, Heilongjiang Province) to build defense fortifications. My father came back alive in November, 1942. He once described the experience, “Many men including myself were forced to get in a boxcar and sent to the wilderness near Mishan. After getting there, we cut down some trees to set up a hut in which we slept on the cold and damp ground. In summer, we were badly bitten by fleas and mosquitoes, having abscesses all over the bodies. Many people caught scabies and suffered from itching. Then, instead of being provided with treatment, we had to work fast and would be beaten with the butt of a rifle if we were slow. We were given acorn noodles to eat every day, but they were never enough. What’s more frightening was when some of us got infectious diseases like plague, if discovered, he would be tied to an iron plate, burned alive to ashes and buried to prevent from transmitting to the Japanese. It was too horrifying to see. Every day, several people from each hut would be tortured to death like that. I was tough enough to stay alive and return to see you! Although I’ve come back, I am useless now. Before being taken away, we were strong and muscular, but now we’re just a bag of bones and carrying a bunch of diseases.”
Indeed, I remember when those men came back, they were so skinny. Some got scabies and some were disabled. My father was having scabies and typhoid fever, and because it was beyond what the hospital could handle he died injustice in just less than a month.
Disaster had hit my family since the day my father was taken away. After that, my family lived a life of beggars. My elder brother was starved to death and my elder sister bore a scar on the leg bitten by a dog when begging. What a broken family! Our suffering continued until the day of Liberation. What happened to us along with all the suffering is beyond description.
Therefore, as victims and the children of victims, we firmly demand a compensation of 10 million yen against Japan for the losses of our father and elder brother. Although compensation in terms of money cannot make up for the tremendous anguish and mental pain that the Japanese aggressors have brought to my family, it can at least psychologically provide us with some mental balance and comfort. I think this can also provide some consolation to those Japanese people who have a conscience.
Japanese aggressors have torn apart countless wonderful families. The debt of blood and hatred cannot be measured and compensated with money. But we believe that all Japanese people with a sense of justice and today’s Japanese government and all people maintaining and longing for world peace will support our reasonable request, which can also provide reasonable mental relief and comfort to the people of the two countries.
Complainant: Zhang Cuijie, daughter of a victim of Japan’s war of aggression
against China
August 3, 1993
Postal code: 110025 583292
No. 2 School of Xinggong, Tiexi, Shenyang
Japanese Consul General in Shenyang, China, please forward this to the Japanese government.
Petition Demanding Compensation Against Japan
Mr. Consul General, the Japanese government and related staff:
I am a victim of Japan’s war of aggression against China. I am accusing the Japanese aggressors of heinous crimes committed to myself and my family, and am claiming for damage compensation against the Japanese government.
I am Zhao Dianwu, born at Xiangjia, Haibin, Xingcheng, Liaoning. A terrible tragedy happened to me in February or March 1942 (9th year of Kan Der, Manchuria); I was taken away by Japanese gendarmerie to be a laborer and build defense fortifications (I was unable to run away, but those young men did). I worked for 6 or 7 months. At that time, over 300 laborers of Xingcheng were detained and sent from Xingcheng Bus Station to Wunuerxi Mountain (formerly Xing’anbei Province, now Inner Mongolia) by boxcars. Some laborers were sent to Hulin, Heilongjiang (then Mishan east of Andong). We cut down birch trees to build a hut as a dormitory, drank melted snow and ate buns. Every laborer was given daily only one bun and one spoon of corn or soybean. We often ate acorn noodles, but were always hungry. We would be beaten if we didn’t have the energy to work. The plague was circulating. Half of the laborers died of that. Some were buried alive; they even cursed when being buried. I cried one eye blind. After I went home, I could only have fluid food and would be stuffed to death if I ate too much dry food. Another laborer Yan Xianting was stuffed to death because he had too much rice.
After I came back home, I lost the ability to work, bringing great pain to my family. When I was forced away from home as a laborer, my wife and child lived a life of beggars and expected me to come back. When I did come back home, I had lost the ability to work. At that time, I didn’t want to live any more., but I survived after years of comfort and persuasion from many people. All these years, our mental situation have been very unbalanced and we feel it’s so unfair. Our hatred towards Japanese aggressors is deeply rooted in our heart. How could our losses be made up for with their money? But for the sake of our mental evenness , we demand a compensation of 10 million Japanes Yen against the Japanese government.
I believe all government officials and Japanese people with a sense of justice will surely accept our reasonable request.
Victim of Japan’s war of aggression against China: Zhao Dianwu
August 13, 1993
List of people being taken away to be laborers
As far as I can remember, other people who were taken away to be laborers include Yang Zuolin, Liu Fushun, Yang You and Liu Gui, of Gujia, Shouzhong (but formerly of Xingcheng), Chen Jingzhen from Dongxing, Xingcheng (used to be secretary of the corps after the People’s Liberation), Zhang Xiangguo (born at Yihelin) from Sutun near my village and Yan Xianting, Xu Laohe and Chen Shougong from Xiangjia Village.
Witness: Zhao Dianwu
