I
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 5056
To amend the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act to clarify that activities
of the Imperial Government of Japan are included, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 27, 2000
Mr. LANTOS (for himself, Mr. GILMAN, Mr. ACKERMAN, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY,
Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. EVANS, Mr. PORTER, and Mr. WAX-
MAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Government Reform
A BILL
To amend the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act to clarify
that activities of the Imperial Government of Japan are
included, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Nazi and Japanese
World War II War Crimes Disclosure Act’’.
SEC. 
2. 
DISCLOSURE 
OF 
JAPANESE 
WAR 
CRIMINAL
RECORDS.
(a) DISCLOSURE OF RECORDS.—Section 3 of the
Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act (Public Law 105–246;
5 U.S.C. 552 note) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) by striking ‘‘RECORDS.—’’ and all that
follows through ‘‘(1) pertain’’ and inserting
‘‘RECORD.—For purposes of this Act, the term
‘Nazi war criminal record’ means a classified
record or portion of a record that—
‘‘(1) pertains’’; and
(B) in paragraph (2)—
(i) by striking ‘‘pertain to any trans-
action as to which’’ and inserting ‘‘pertains
to any transaction which’’; and
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking
‘‘such transaction’’;
(2) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as
subsections (c) and (d), respectively;
(3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(b) JAPANESE WAR CRIMINAL RECORD.—For pur-
poses of this Act, the term ‘Japanese war criminal record’
means any classified record or portion of a record that—
‘‘(1) pertains to any person with respect to
whom the United States Government, in its sole dis-
cretion, has grounds to believe ordered, incited, as-
sisted, or otherwise participated in the experimen-
tation on or persecution of any person because of
race, religion, national origin, or political opinion,
during the period beginning on September 18, 1931,
and ending on September 2, 1945, under the direc-
tion of, or in association with—
‘‘(A) the Imperial Government of Japan;
‘‘(B) any government in any area occupied
by the military forces of the Imperial Govern-
ment of Japan;
‘‘(C) any government established with the
assistance or cooperation of the Imperial Gov-
ernment of Japan; or
‘‘(D) any government which was an ally of
the Imperial Government of Japan; or
‘‘(2) pertains to any transaction which the
United States Government, in its sole discretion, has
grounds to believe—
‘‘(A) involved assets taken from persecuted
persons during the period beginning on Sep-
tember 18, 1931, and ending on September 2,
1945, by, under the direction of, on behalf of,
or under authority granted by the Imperial
Government of Japan or any nation then allied
with that government; and
‘‘(B) was completed without the assent of
the owners of those assets or their heirs or as-
signs or other legitimate representatives.’’;
(4) in subsection (c), as so redesignated—
(A) in paragraph (1)—
(i) by striking ‘‘Nazi War Criminal
Records’’; and
(ii) by striking ‘‘Nazi war criminal
records that are described in subsection
(a)’’ and inserting ‘‘all Nazi war criminal
records and all Japanese war criminal
records’’; and
(B) in paragraph (3)(A), by inserting after
‘‘Nazi war criminal records’’ the following: ‘‘or
Japanese war criminal records, as the case may
be,’’; and
(5) in subsection (d), as so redesignated, by
striking ‘‘under section 3 of this Act’’ and inserting
‘‘or a Japanese war criminal record’’.
(b) EXPEDITED PROCESSING OF FOIA REQUESTS.—
Section 4 of the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act (5
U.S.C. 522 note) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘or a Japa-
nese war criminal record’’ after ‘‘Nazi war criminal
record’’; and
(2) in subsection (b), by inserting before the pe-
riod the following: ‘‘or was persecuted in the manner
described in section 3(b)(1) of this Act who requests
a Japanese war criminal record’’.
SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND AUTHORITIES.
The Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act is amended by
adding at the end the following:
‘‘SEC. 5. COOPERATION BY GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN.
‘‘The Secretary of State shall inform the Government
of Japan that all Japanese war criminal records in the
custody of the Government of Japan should be made fully
and freely available to the United States Government, as
requested, and to the public at large.
‘‘SEC. 6. ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT SERVICES.
‘‘The National Archives and Record Administration
shall provide administrative support services to the Inter-
agency Group.
‘‘SEC. 7. PROCUREMENT OF TEMPORARY AND INTERMIT-
TENT SERVICES.
‘‘The Chair of the Interagency Group may procure
temporary and intermittent services of historical special-
ists to aid in identifying, describing, and assessing the his-
(C) in paragraph (3), as so redesignated,
by inserting ‘‘or a Japanese war criminal
record’’ after ‘‘criminal record’’; and
(2) in subsection (c)—
(A) by striking ‘‘Not later than 1 year
after the date of enactment of this Act, the’’
and inserting ‘‘The’’; and
(B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘all clas-
sified Nazi war criminal records’’ and inserting
‘‘as soon as possible after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, all Nazi war criminal records,
and all Japanese war criminal records,’’.
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