S. Con. Res. 158 Agreed to December 15, 2000

One Hundred Sixth Congress

of the

United States of America

AT THE SECOND SESSION

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,

the twenty-fourth day of January, two thousand

Concurrent Resolution

Whereas from December 1941 to April 1942, members of the United

States Armed Forces fought valiantly against overwhelming Japanese military forces on the Bataan peninsula of the Island of

Luzon in the Philippines, thereby preventing Japan from accomplishing strategic objectives necessary for achieving early military

victory in the Pacific during World War II;

Whereas after receiving orders to surrender on April 9, 1942, many

of those valiant combatants were taken prisoner of war by Japan

and forced to march 85 miles from the Bataan peninsula to

a prisoner-of-war camp at former Camp O’Donnell;

Whereas of the members of the United States Armed Forces captured by Imperial Japanese forces during the entirety of World

War II, a total of 36,260 of them survived their capture and

transit to Japanese prisoner-of-war camps to be interned in those

camps, and 37.3 percent of those prisoners of war died during

their imprisonment in those camps;

Whereas that march resulted in more than 10,000 deaths by reason

of starvation, disease, and executions;

Whereas many of those prisoners of war were transported to Japan

where they were forced to perform slave labor for the benefit

of private Japanese companies under barbaric conditions that

included torture and inhumane treatment as to such basic human

needs as shelter, feeding, sanitation, and health care;

Whereas the private Japanese companies unjustly profited from

the uncompensated labor cruelly exacted from the American personnel in violation of basic human rights;

Whereas these Americans do not make any claims against the

Japanese Government or the people of Japan, but, rather, seek

some measure of justice from the Japanese companies that profited from their slave labor;

Whereas they have asserted claims for compensation against the

private Japanese companies in various courts in the United

States;

Whereas the United States Government has, to date, opposed the

efforts of these Americans to receive redress for the slave labor

and inhumane treatment, and has not made any effort to facilitate

discussions among the parties;

Whereas in contrast to the claims of the Americans who were

prisoners of war in Japan, the Department of State has facilitated

a settlement of the claims made against private German

businesses by individuals who were forced into slave labor by

the Government of the Third Reich of Germany for the benefit

of the German businesses during World War II: Now, therefore,

be it
S. Con. Res. 158—2

Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that it is in the interest

of justice and fairness that the United States, through the Secretary

of State or other appropriate officials, put forth its best efforts

to facilitate discussions designed to resolve all issues between

former members of the Armed Forces of the United States who

were prisoners of war forced into slave labor for the benefit of

Japanese companies during World War II and the private Japanese

companies who profited from their slave labor.

Attest:

Secretary of the Senate.

Attest:

Clerk of the House of Representatives.