Date of letter:1994-01-05
Address of author:Langfang City, Hebei Province
Date of event:1942-02
Location of event:Langfang City, Hebei Province
Name of author:Song Shuzhi
Name(s) of victim(s):Song ShuzhiType of atrocity:Slave Laborers(SL)
Other details:In February 1942, due to unemployment issue, many workers lost their jobs. At that time, some Japanese collected unemployed workers and forcibly loaded them on to vehicles. They said that they would find jobs for us, but in fact, we were caught to Japan to do hard labor. During the period of working as Slave Laborerss, we suffered inhuman treatment. The Japanese soldiers killed a Chinese worker as if they stepped on an ant. I strongly condemn the atrocities of the Japanese army and require the Japanese government to compensate us for the 4 years of labor.
Petition Demanding the Japanese Government to Compensate Wages to Chinese Laborers
China has only given up war compensation between governments instead of civil damage compensation.
I was once a worker victimized by Japan. The following is a description of my painful suffering in Japan. During its 8-year invasion in China, the Japanese army implemented the inhuman Three Alls (burn all, kill all and loot all) Policy. They captured many Chinese people and sent them to be laborers in Japan. I was one of them. I was originally a worker in a carpet weaving factory. But in February 1942, the factory went bankrupt and the workers lost their job. Then, the Japanese Puppet Association of New Democracy gathered up the unemployed workers and forced them in a military automobile, saying that they would find a job for us. In fact, we were directly sent to the Beijing Xiyuan Prisoner Camp under the supervision of fully-armed Japanese soldiers. After we got there, we were joined by other over 700 people. We were all sent to Qinghua Garden, then forced in a tank train and taken to Tanggu Camp. Afterwards, we were sent to Tsukino, Tone, Gunma, Japan by steamer. I was forced to labor for 4 years in a ravine 3 km southern of the railway station. The cave was over 15 km long and would be used for hydraulic power generation. The laborers worked day and night in the cave and lived an inhuman life. We didn’t have warm clothes or shoes to wear in winter. And in summer, we were only given a 3 inch-wide crotch cloth to work naked. We ate buns and were never given enough to eat. There was no treatment or rest if we got sick. We had to work as usual. The Japanese foremen often beat us with sticks and whips as they did to cattle and horses and called them morons. We lived in a large dark shack and slept on the floor of no less than 10 inch high. It was so humid that many people had scabies. It was painful. Countless laborers died in over 3 years. They were either frozen or starved to death, or were smashed to death by stones, or committed suicide because they couldn’t put up with the torture any more, or were beaten to death or bitten to death by Japanese dogs after running away and being caught back. It was so cruel. The Japanese foremen called us conquered people and said that we should be eaten by Japanese dogs. They saw the death of a laborer as that of an ant and simply didn’t treat laborers as humans. The laborers became crippled, or blinded or deaf. The casualties were heavy. Until the end of 1945 after Japan surrendered, only about 200 laborers were still alive. In the spring of 1946, our hell-like life finally ended. We were escorted back to Qingdao, China by the US forces in Japan and taken in by the Red Cross Society. Then, we returned to our respective home. It’s been 47 years before our deep injustice is exposed. I strongly condemn the Japanese invaders’ non-humanitarian atrocities against the Chinese people.
I demand the Japanese government to compensate us 4-year wages.
I was deafened by the sound of cannons cracking open the cave and got injured in the left leg and right temple by the stone while laboring in Japan. Besides, I suffered from great mental pain. I demand a compensation of 10,000 USD for physical injury and 40,000 USD for 4-year laboring, so it’s 50,000 USD in total.
Living witnesses include:
Li Wanzhong: Living at No. 6, Group 42, the dormitory of the Second Machine Factory, Dunhuafang, Taiyuan, Shanxi
He Chengyan: Living at Laoyoutun, Bieguzhuang, Yongqing, Hebei
Li Shuhuai: Living at Qianliuwuying, Bieguzhuang, Yongqing, Hebei
Chinese laborer and victim: Song Shuzhi (Personal seal)
Shizhuang, Matou, Anci, Langfang, Hebei
January 5, 1994
We may talk about the details in person.
