70 Years On, Japanese Firm to Apologize to US WWII Veterans

A major Japanese corporation will offer a landmark apology this weekend for using U.S. prisoners of war for forced labor during World War II, according to the Simon Wiesenthal Center that is hosting the event.

FILE - In this 1942 file photo provided by U.S. Marine Corps, Japanese soldiers stand guard over American war prisoners just before the start of the Bataan Death March following the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. U.S. Marine Corps via AP, File

WASHINGTON—A major Japanese corporation will offer a landmark apology this weekend for using U.S. prisoners of war for forced labor during World War II, according to the Simon Wiesenthal Center that is hosting the event.

A senior executive of Mitsubishi Materials Corp. will apologize to 94-year-old James Murphy, of Santa Maria, California, and relatives of other former prisoners of war (POWs) who toiled at plants its predecessor company operated in Japan during the conflict.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean at the center—an organization that primarily educates about the Holocaust—called it an important gesture, coming as it does ahead of August’s 70th anniversary of the end of the war, which has heightened scrutiny of Japan’s attitude toward its past abuses.

At least it is a step in the right direction after all these years.

— Lester Tenney, former POW