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Little Tich

(6,171 posts) Sun Jul 19, 2015, 10:38 PM Jul 2015

70 years after WWII, Japanese company apologizes to US POWs

Source: Yahoo! News / AP

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Saying they felt a "deep sense of ethical responsibility for a past tragedy," executives from a major Japanese corporation gave an unprecedented apology Sunday to a 94-year-old U.S. prisoner of war for using American POWs for forced labor during World War II.

At the solemn ceremony hosted by the Museum of Tolerance at the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, James Murphy of Santa Maria, California, accepted the apology he had sought for 70 years on behalf of U.S. POWs from executives of Mitsubishi Materials Corp.

Hikaru Kimura, senior executive officer for Mitsubishi Materials Corp., said through a translator that the company offered a "most remorseful apology" to the about 900 POWs who suffered "harsh, severe hardships" while forced to work in Mitsubishi mines and industrial plants.

Murphy, who toiled in Mitsubishi copper mines and is one of the few left alive to accept such an apology, called it sincere, humble and revealing.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/70-years-wwii-japanese-firm-apologize-us-vets-144146733.html

13 replies

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70 years after WWII, Japanese company apologizes to US POWs (Original Post) Little Tich Jul 2015 OP

What an expressive face.... MADem Jul 2015 #1

very nice of mitsubishi to do that HFRN Jul 2015 #2

Maybe Dow Chemical and Monsanto Joe Shlabotnik Jul 2015 #3

Which isn't even in the same ballpark Major Nikon Jul 2015 #5

"Same Ballpark" is an extremely poor criterion in determining if... Herman4747 Jul 2015 #7

There's a difference because of the purpose of the Vietnam war. Hoppy Jul 2015 #9

I really wasn't going to giggle at this - but - raven mad Jul 2015 #13

It is very kind of them. Fearless Jul 2015 #4

How odd. Mitsubishi seems to respect our POWs more than Donald Trump. n/t jtuck004 Jul 2015 #6

Bumper sticker material. louis-t Jul 2015 #12

A 70-year deep sense of responsibility? malthaussen Jul 2015 #8

Not a "tragedy." Igel Jul 2015 #10

I agree with your last sentence but apologies to the dead aren't pointless. Uncle Joe Jul 2015 #11

MADem

(135,425 posts)

1. What an expressive face....

Reply to Little Tich (Original post)

Sun Jul 19, 2015, 10:56 PM

Jul 2015

Murphy was gracious and beaming throughout the ceremony, expressing little bitterness or sorrow on what he called a happy day. He stressed that the apology was not half-hearted, qualified or self-aggrandizing for Mitsubishi. He said the apology "admits to wrongdoing, makes sincere statement showing deep remorse," and offers assurances that the wrongs will never be repeated.

He seems like someone I'd like to know!

HFRN

(1,469 posts)

2. very nice of mitsubishi to do that

Reply to Little Tich (Original post)

Sun Jul 19, 2015, 11:15 PM

Jul 2015

60 years after we completely rebuilt their industries, allowed them one sided access to our markets, and made them a wealthy world power with no military responsibilities, it's nice to get a 'sorry about that, Chief' out of them for something they did 70 years ago

good thing one of the victims was still alive to hear it

Joe Shlabotnik

(5,604 posts)

3. Maybe Dow Chemical and Monsanto

Reply to Little Tich (Original post)

Sun Jul 19, 2015, 11:55 PM

Jul 2015

can apologize for Napalm and Agent Orange some day to the Vietnamese and others. Not going to happen.

Major Nikon

(36,827 posts)

5. Which isn't even in the same ballpark

Reply to Joe Shlabotnik (Reply #3)

Mon Jul 20, 2015, 01:03 AM

Jul 2015

Dow and Monsanto didn't even invent Napalm and Agent Orange nor did they participate in its use. They produced it under government contract per mil-specs and delivered it back to the government. Any apology due for Napalm and/or Agent Orange would fall on the governments that ordered, paid for, and used it.

Mitsubishi took delivery of Allied POWs and worked them to death denying basic nutrition, medicine, clothing and sanitation. Had Mitsubishi simply produced warplanes that were used to kill Allied troops, nobody would be asking for an apology.

Herman4747

(1,825 posts)

7. "Same Ballpark" is an extremely poor criterion in determining if...

Reply to Major Nikon (Reply #5)

Mon Jul 20, 2015, 07:29 AM

Jul 2015

...an apology is warranted. Moreover, someone else owing an apology does not mean that you should not apologize too.
The person shown below appears to be in notably worse shape than Mr. Murphy, do please explain to him why Monsanto & Dow Chemical do not owe him an apology:

Hoppy

(3,595 posts)

9. There's a difference because of the purpose of the Vietnam war.

Reply to Joe Shlabotnik (Reply #3)

Mon Jul 20, 2015, 09:10 AM

Jul 2015

Ya gotta imagine a row of dominos stacked up next to each other. Push one at the end and the rest of them all fall down. Them countries in SouthEast Asia were like dominos waiting to fall into communism. If we hadn't stopped the commies at the border of VIETNAM , THAT COUNTRY would BE COMMUNIST TODAY, along with China, North Korea, Hawaii and the People's Reublic of Berkeley.

And if it wasn't for Nixon's secret plan to end the war, we would still be fighting there today.

raven mad

(4,940 posts)

13. I really wasn't going to giggle at this - but -

Reply to Hoppy (Reply #9)

Tue Jul 21, 2015, 05:56 AM

Jul 2015

that sounds so much like my dad....................

He did WWII & Korea - but Vietnam was mine.

Fearless

(18,421 posts)

4. It is very kind of them.

Reply to Little Tich (Original post)

Sun Jul 19, 2015, 11:59 PM

Jul 2015

As there is really no "need" to say anything at all. Of course it's morally the right thing to do, but in the business world, they weren't going to lose a cent forgetting about it entirely.

Good for them!

Integrity is rare (albeit late integrity).

jtuck004

(15,882 posts)

6. How odd. Mitsubishi seems to respect our POWs more than Donald Trump. n/t

Reply to Little Tich (Original post)

Mon Jul 20, 2015, 05:15 AM

Jul 2015

louis-t

(23,297 posts)

12. Bumper sticker material.

Reply to jtuck004 (Reply #6)

Mon Jul 20, 2015, 02:50 PM

Jul 2015

Make it viral.

malthaussen

(17,216 posts)

8. A 70-year deep sense of responsibility?

Reply to Little Tich (Original post)

Mon Jul 20, 2015, 08:31 AM

Jul 2015

I wonder why people do this?

Ah, well, at least there was somebody still alive to hear the "apology."

-- Mal

Igel

(35,350 posts)

10. Not a "tragedy."

Reply to Little Tich (Original post)

Mon Jul 20, 2015, 09:48 AM

Jul 2015

Good that they decided to issue an apology while possible.

Apologies to the dead are pretty pointless.

In either case, a change in behavior is more to the point.

Uncle Joe

(58,412 posts)

11. I agree with your last sentence but apologies to the dead aren't pointless.

Reply to Igel (Reply #10)

Mon Jul 20, 2015, 01:37 PM

Jul 2015

The dead have descendants, furthermore the apology also becomes a record for posterity; which I believe may have positive ripple effects on future events and attitudes.

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