IV

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. RES. 304

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives concerning the war

crimes committed by the Japanese during World War II.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SEPTEMBER 24, 1999

Mr. ROHRABACHER (for himself and Mr. LIPINSKI) submitted the following

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations, and in addition to the Committee on Government Reform, for a

period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for

consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives concerning the war crimes committed by the Japanese during World War II.

Whereas the Government of Japan deliberately ignored and

flagrantly violated the Geneva and Hague Conventions

during World War II, and committed atrocious crimes

against humanity;

Whereas 33,587 men and women in the United States military, and 13,966 United States civilians, were captured

by the Japanese military in the Pacific Theater during

World War II, confined in brutal prison camps, and sub-
2

•HRES 304 IH

jected to severe shortages of food, medicine, and other

basic necessities;

Whereas many of the United States military and civilian prisoners of the Japanese during World War II were subjected to forced labor, starved and beaten to death, or

summarily executed by beheading, firing squads, or immolation;

Whereas almost all of the United States military and civilian

prisoners that were rescued from the Japanese at the end

of World War II were afflicted with diseases caused by

malnutrition and deprivation;

Whereas many of the United States military and civilian prisoners of the Japanese during World War II who survived

the war have suffered from life-long illnesses, psychological and emotional trauma, and financial hardships as

a result of their experience during the war;

Whereas, of the United States prisoners held by the Germans

during World War II, 1.1 percent of the military prisoners, and 3.5 percent of the civilian prisoners, died during their imprisonment, but of the United States prisoners held by the Japanese, 37.3 percent of the military

prisoners, and 11 percent of the civilian prisoners, died

during their imprisonment;

Whereas during the ‘‘death march’’ following the surrender

of Bataan in the Philippines in April, 1942, between 550

and 1,000 United States soldiers perished, including

many who were shot, stabbed, or beheaded by the Japanese;

Whereas at the Japanese biochemical warfare detachment in

Mukden, Manchuria, commanded by Dr. Shiro Ishii, experiments were conducted on living prisoners of war that
3

•HRES 304 IH

included infecting prisoners with deadly toxins, including

plague, anthrax, typhoid, and cholera;

Whereas at least 260 of the 1,500 United States prisoners

believed to have been held at Mukden died during the

first winter of their imprisonment, and many of the 300

living survivors of Mukden claim to suffer from physical

ailments resulting from their subjection to chemical and

biological experiments;

Whereas approximately 6,400 former United States military

prisoners of war and 2,400 former United States civilian

prisoners of war that were held by the Japanese during

World War II were still living as of 1996, and many of

those former prisoners still suffer from the physical and

emotionally traumatic effects of their captivity;

Whereas the Government of Germany has formally apologized

to the victims of the Holocaust and gone to great lengths

to provide financial compensation to the victims and to

provide for their needs and recovery;

Whereas in 1988 the United States Government acknowledged the unfairness of its policy of detaining JapaneseAmericans during World War II; and

Whereas the Government of Japan has refused to fully acknowledge the crimes it committed during World War II

and to provide reparations to its victims: Now, therefore,

be it

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that—

3 (1) the Government of Japan should formally

4 issue a clear and unambiguous apology for its atro5 cious war crimes during World War II; and
4

•HRES 304 IH

1 (2) the Government of the United States should

2 release all records in its possession pertaining to

3 Japanese experiments on prisoners of war at Muk4 den, including those records received from Japan, to

5 the Department of Veterans Affairs and to any phy6 sician designated by a surviving American prisoner

7 of war at Mukden.

Æ