Date of letter:1992-05-17
Address of author:Guiyang City, Guizhou Province
Date of event:1944-1945
Location of event:Shanghai City
Name of author:Lu Fuqi, Zhu Bicui
Name(s) of victim(s):Lu Fuqi, Zhu Bicui, etc.
Type of atrocity:Slave Laborers, Biological/Chemical Warfare(SL, BC）
Other details:I was one of the Chinese labors caught in Shanghai. During the three years as Slave Laborerss, we only wore a set of clothes, did heavy work and lived a dog’s life. In the winter of 1944, a large number of labors got sick. The Japanese gave them an injection, and then many compatriots fell asleep with a smile and died. The Japanese also bred bacteria on our body and caught fleas every two weeks for test. During this period, a lot of people died.
Responsible chief persons of ‘Youth Reference Weekly’ edited by the China Youth Daily,
Hello!
On May 8 this year, your ‘Youth Reference Weekly’ published an article entitled “Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun Published Article Talking about China’s Civilian Compensation against Japan” on page 1, in which it mentioned: “Tong Zeng, a researcher of the China Research Center on Aging, submitted a proposal demanding civilian compensation against Japan to the National People’s Congress. Over the past one year, more than 10000 people from across the nation have signed names to express their approval of this proposal. In addition, at the National People’s Congress convened in March this year, delegates from Anhui, Jiangxi and Guizhou also respectively put forward Civilian Claim against Japan proposal totaling USD 180 billion”. “Tong Zeng’s target is to gather signatures of 100 million people, currently he is preparing to register and set up a Chinese civilian organization dedicated to demanding damage compensation from Japan”.
Previously I had written seven letters to Ambassador “Yasue KATORI” of the Japanese embassy in China: On June 17, 1983, the Consular Department of the Japanese Embassy gave me a reply letter, but till today there is no compensation being offered.
My details are below: After Japan invaded China, in the Japanese occupied zone of Shanghai, Japanese Imperialism persuaded Chinese youths with sweetened phrases to work for Japan; back then the hardship of civilians was imposed by thieves, robbers and swindlers from the Japanese Empire, it’s not that Chinese youths were willing to go to Japan in response to the recruitment by the Japanese Empire, the essence of the matter involved is that the Japanese Imperialism cheated Chinese civilians to contribute hard labor, which they could not obtain on the battleground during the war. Chinese slave labors were sent to Umi-machi Kameyama Coal Mine in Japan to engage in coal production, I was one of the Chinese slave labors, we Chinese slave labors should receive treatment deserving that for human being; but instead they worn the same clothing for three years, and only four gō of rice each day, slave labors worked hard under the mine, and lived a life inferior to that of beasts. From the winter of 1944 till the spring of 1945, huge number of Chinese slave labors fell ill, and the humanitarianism of the Japanese imperialism was that doctor injected them, then our compatriots fell into deep sleep in a smile and died; what’s more, they also cultivated bacteria on the Chinese slave labors’ body, every two weeks the gate officer and the doctor would catch the lice on their body for laboratory analysis……; the dormitory was 5-meter high large wooden barrel boarded with two layers of planks encircled with electric barbed wire net; the gate was opened only at the time of moving to and from the mine, at other time the doors were shut. In the summer of 1943, Japan recruited Chinese slave labors in Shanghai, I was also sent onboard the “Jinyo Maru” ship to arrive at Shimonoseki checkpoint in Japan, where they took photos, filled in the forms, affixed finger prints, and checked every Chinese slave labor’s physical features, followed by disinfection and quarantine, then we were sent to Moji, there were over 700 Chinese slave labors being escorted to Japan in the same ship. After arriving at Moji, one part of the slave labors were assigned to Hokkaido, the first batch sent to Kameyama Coal Mine had three hundred persons, one brigade included six squads, 50 persons in one brigade were sent to “Hakata” in Umi-machi Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan Mihi Industry Co., Ltd Kameyama Coal Mine, I belonged to the third squad, No. 155 miner. My name then was Lu Guoqi, current name is Lu Fuqi. The second batch had 52 persons, but the first batch’s death toll reached 60%, in which one was shot dead, one suffered work injury, and one escaped, the remaining were killed through injection after falling ill. We worked at this mine for two years and eight months. After Japan surrendered, in 1946 the Japanese Imperialism sent us back to Shanghai, without giving us salary and travel allowance, now I demand Japan to offer compensation.
Now I urgently hope you can tell me the office address and post code of the “Researcher Tong Zeng of the China Research Center on Aging”, plus the organization address and postal code of the “Association of Chinese Civilian Damage Compensation against Japan” now under preparation, I will write letter to them to establish contact.
Since you published “China’s Civilian Compensation against Japan issue” article with eye-catching title at conspicuous place, for which we want to express our deepest appreciation! We Chinese slave labors suffering from Japanese Imperialism can therefore live up to the expectation of the Chinese people, and demand our due compensation amount deserved for victims from Japan.
Finally once again we sincerely thank you for what you have done!
Looking forward to your reply.
Regards
Sincerely yours
Lu Fuqi
Zhu Bicui
May 17, 1992
