The Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society is a member of the
“Global Alliance for Preserving the History of World War II in Asia”.

We have participated with this organization for many years and agree with their aims and principles. Last year our director spoke on the Taiwan POW camps at an international conference in Beijing, China hosted and sponsored by the GA, and later took part with the group in a trip to Shenyang (Mukden), Liao Yuan (Hsi An) and Pingfan, Harbin to research and memorialize the former prisoner of war camps and the infamous Unit 731.

We urge you to take note of the following event and pass the information on to others -

Canada Association for Learning & Preserving the History of WWII
in Asia (ALPHA)

Op-ad in New York Times to object to Japan’s UN Bid
Stern demand on the eve of the UN’s 60th General Assembly for Japan to sincerely apologize
for war crimes and redress victims

To call for the international society to make a concerted effort to pressure the Japanese government to apologize for the war crimes Japan committed during the Second World War and to redress victims, organizations worldwide such as the Global Alliance for Preserving the History of WWII in Asia will organize a series of events in New York City on the eve of the inaugural meeting of UN’s 60th General Assembly (Monday, September 12th).  Rally, press conference and public symposium will be organized, and op-ad will be published in newspapers to expose the wartime atrocities committed by Japan in many Asian countries and also her shameful efforts made subsequently to glorify its aggression, to cover up its crimes, to distort the historical facts and whitewashing textbooks to mislead the younger generation, and to refuse to apologize and pay compensation to victims.  The Global Alliance points out that Japan is not qualified for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council until she apologizes for her wartime atrocities and pays compensation to the victims to show her sincerity.

Ad to be published in the New York Times (click on add to enlarge)

A petition letter signed by 42 million people around the world, opposing Japan’s bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, was sent on July 30th by the Global Alliance and other worldwide organizations to the office of UN Secretary Kofi Annan. As a follow up, the forthcoming activities are organized and speakers at these events include:  Taiwanese Aboriginal Chen Mingren, Dutch survivor of  Japanese concentration camp in Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) Jan Van Wagtendonk, Korean “comfort women” documentary director Dai-Sil Kim-Gibson, Washington Coalition for Comfort Women director and Korean human-rights activist Dr. Ok Cha Soh, American dermatologist and Japanese biological warfare researcher Dr. Michael Franzblau, and Chinese-American historian and ex-Global Alliance President Professor Richard Chu.  They will analyze the atrocities committed during the Japanese invasion from various perspectives and present their views on Japan’s refusal to bear its wartime responsibility. 

On the inaugural day of the UN General Assembly meeting (Tuesday, September 13th), Global Alliance and other organizations will sponsor an op-ad to be run in the New York Times.  The attitudes of post-war Japan and Germany on their wartime atrocities and wartime responsibility will be compared.  The op-ad points out that the annual military spending of the Japanese government amounts to USD $50 billion, that the Japanese government has been attempting to remove the “Peace” clause (Article 9) of its Constitution, that it has whitewashed its invasion history concealing the truth from the younger generation, and that the Prime Minister and Diet members has routinely visited the Yasukuni Shrine, which venerates 14 Class-A war criminals.  Actions as such can hardly put neighbouring countries at ease.

Dr. Joseph Wong, Co-Chair of Canada Association for Learning and Preserving the History of WWII in Asia (ALPHA) states, “Our organization fully supports and sponsors these events. The Japanese government is exploiting the opportunity of UN reform and uses its financial clout to persuade other member nations to support its bid for a permanent seat on the Security Council, so as to increase its political and military influence.”  Another Canada ALPHA Co-Chair, Ms. Thekla Lit, points out, “If Japan wishes to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council, it must first earn the trust of people from its victimized countries.  To this end, Japan must sincerely repent, apologize and pay compensation to the victims, as well as stamping out any resurgence of Japanese militarism, instead of merely offering phony “apologies” in attempts to placate the international community.”

The Global Alliance contends that the Japanese government must do the following to explicitly affirm its contrition to its past misdeeds, its determination to right historical wrongs and to rebuild trust with its neighbours:

1. The apology must be based on a law duly enacted by the Japanese Diet, authorizing its Prime Minister and Emperor to make a public apology to all the aggrieved nations;
2. The  law must include an authorization for the government to compensate the victims of Japanese aggression and atrocities and a mechanism for just compensation of the victims;
3. The law must also mandate a faithful collection, documentation, preservation, and distribution of the truths about Japanese aggression in the Pacific War (such as Nanjing Massacre, Comfort Women, Chemical Warfare and Biological Warfare);
4. The legislation must mandate the textbooks in Japan to reflect this history in perpetuity without distortion, omission, or deceptive manipulations;
5. The law must prohibit and punish any individual who denies these wartime atrocities; and those who are in public services or hold elected offices (including the Diet) shall be prohibited to worship war criminals, assist or finance the construction and building of facilities that glorify and commemorate militarism.
6. The law must stipulate that violation of any of the provisions shall be prosecuted and punished by jail terms and fines.  Those who work for the government or hold political offices or parliamentary position shall be expelled from public services or elected offices and barred from returning for life.
   

Contact information: 
Canada ALPHA:  Thekla Lit  1-604-436-3002  bcalpha@shaw.ca
Global Alliance:   Ignatius Ding  408-307-9190 or 408-250-5624  Ignatius_Ding_2000@yahoo.com