•HRES 304 IH
jected to severe shortages of food, medicine, and other
basic necessities;
Whereas many of the United States military and civilian pris-
oners of the Japanese during World War II were sub-
jected to forced labor, starved and beaten to death, or
summarily executed by beheading, firing squads, or im-
molation;
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 pris-
oners of the Japanese during World War II who survived
the war have suffered from life-long illnesses, psycho-
logical 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 pris-
oners, and 3.5 percent of the civilian prisoners, died dur-
ing their imprisonment, but of the United States pris-
oners 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 Japa-
nese;
Whereas at the Japanese biochemical warfare detachment in
Mukden, Manchuria, commanded by Dr. Shiro Ishii, ex-
periments were conducted on living prisoners of war that
•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 acknowl-
edged the unfairness of its policy of detaining Japanese-
Americans during World War II; and
Whereas the Government of Japan has refused to fully ac-
knowledge the crimes it committed during World War II
and to provide reparations to its victims: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that—
(1) the Government of Japan should formally
issue a clear and unambiguous apology for its atro-
cious war crimes during World War II; and
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(2) the Government of the United States should
release all records in its possession pertaining to
Japanese experiments on prisoners of war at Muk-
den, including those records received from Japan, to
the Department of Veterans Affairs and to any phy-
sician designated by a surviving American prisoner
of war at Mukden.
Æ