Nagasaki Must Pay A-bomb Victim's Family

[2RHPZ]

Nagasaki Must Pay A-bomb Victim's Family

By KOZO MIZOGUCHI
The Associated Press
Tuesday, December 20


TOKYO -- A court Tuesday ordered the city of Nagasaki to pay about $7,000 in back benefits to relatives of a South Korean man who survived the 1945 U.S. atomic bomb attack during World War II.

The Nagasaki District Court granted the sum to Paeg Ag-im, wife of Choi Kye-Chul, a South Korean who survived the Aug. 9, 1945, bombing and later returned to South Korea, said court spokesman Michiharu Kawasaki. The ruling included the couple's six children.

The decision upheld a lower court ruling that rejected the claim that overseas survivors of the U.S. atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki should be denied compensation payments.

Choi died in July 2004, five months after filing a lawsuit seeking compensation.

Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/20/AR2005122000508.html)

[Beppo]

It was WARTIME, you idiots! And uh, wasn't Nagasaki bombed by America?? If they were gonna sue anyone, why weren't these tools suing the US government?

[WoodChipper]

what happens in Japan, stays in Japan

[Omaha]

I love it when pin head judges have no idea what kind of flood gates from hell they open up.

Can you only imagine all the lawsuits for Japanese atrocities that are gonna come from this?

Not to mention crack pots that will try to sue the US government for the Atomic bombings.

[DieselPower]

Dont you think the Japanese Goverment should finally admit to some of the pain it caused people in WWII. The Germans paid to every survivor of the camps, yet the Japanese have never admitted to any guilt for the war in the Pacific. Korean pleasure women forced into prostitution, American and Allied POW's being used a lab animals in Japanese Bio war experiments, beheadings by bored guards, forced labor camps were allied pows were worked to death, 10% of allied pows died under German control, something like 40-45% died under Japanese control, and yet they still walk around as if nothing REALLY happened and what did was the fault of the rest of the world. They, the Japanese deserve to be bled dry by every one who suffered under those pric-s.


Look, i'm an Aussie and it angers me too. My grandfather fought them for christ's sake. But it is in the past. like 60 years ago past. I know they did some seriously bad stuff but times have changed and this stuff goes on everyday but we just dont hear about it. Pull your head in. Oh and btw, beheadings are part of their culture. Its like the western world, we blow our noses, no one cares, in Japan, you blow your nose in public, its like taking a dump on a public sidewalk.

[DieselPower]

Yeah, your probably right mate. But do you realise how angry you are getting? My grandfather doesnt get this rowdy. Think about what you are saying. Its a negative state of mind. Do you shun all Japanese people just beacause of World War 2? I dont. In fact, i leave in Next March for Japan to live, for a year.
So, do you?

[tsuri]

Ah the Caption is very misleading. Apparently the guy got a bomb victim status but was not paid the compensation for that and so the japanese government was now sued to pay him.

[Omaha]

Dont you think the Japanese Goverment should finally admit to some of the pain it caused people in WWII. The Germans paid to every survivor of the camps, yet the Japanese have never admitted to any guilt for the war in the Pacific. Korean pleasure women forced into prostitution, American and Allied POW's being used a lab animals in Japanese Bio war experiments, beheadings by bored guards, forced labor camps were allied pows were worked to death, 10% of allied pows died under German control, something like 40-45% died under Japanese control, and yet they still walk around as if nothing REALLY happened and what did was the fault of the rest of the world. They, the Japanese deserve to be bled dry by every one who suffered under those pric-s.


Oh, I am not defending Japan, nor it's actions in the war. MacArthur was a dullard for not punishing every last one of them, worse part was we had them, hell we had the emperor.

I am saying I can just see lawsuits being filed out of the Atomic attacks. I support what we did in Japan, to the day I die, I will. I am just saying this opens the door for crack pot lawsuits from Japan and more likely, Ex patriot Japanese Americans.

For arousement's sake, when that satellite crashed in what the 80s? in Australia, people tried to sue NASA for it, all due to emotional distress.

[annihilation]

So because it happened 60 years ago we should just let everything slide?
How big of you to dismiss millions of peoples suffering with such a weak excuse, and compare it to public nose blowing! Sorry you may be able to let people take a dump on your sidewalk and step around it, but I still believe that the victims are due what ever the courts will alow. Many of the POW's have been fighting these 60 years to get the US Goverment to move on this and this is the first crack in the Japanese wall I've heard about. I'd like to see you be so flippent to a ex POW who suffered under the Japanese boot and tell him to "pull your head in".

So when does it stop? How long ago is too long ago? Do we go compensate the Indians for what the Spanards did 500 years ago.

[annihilation]

I wouldn't think a Japanese civilian could sue the US for what happened during the war, after all it was war time, as far as Japanese Americans and the internment I think the goverment has settled that.


They could easily sue America for what happened. The thing is that it would bring up a whole can of worms. It would allow America to counter sue. The Japanese are quick to judge and play victim. But they tend to forget their own actions. They would have alot of paying to do for UNIT 713 alone.

[2Sheds_Jackson]

If I remember right, 10 US POWs were killed outright by the Hiroshima bomb (and a few more were beaten to death by hand by angry mobs afterwords). A few Allied prisoners who were used as slave labor died in Nagasaki (many more were down in the mine during the blast)- and tens of thousands of Korean slave laborers were killed in the bombing. Generally speaking from the Korean perspective, the anger over those deaths has been directed at the Japanese, not the Americans.


http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/virtual/img/irei_img/tour_12.jpg



Completed: April 10, 1970
Built by: The Construction Committee for Monument in Memory of the Korean Victims of the A-bomb Japan took control of Korea during the Meiji Restoration and annexed in 1910. Many Koreans who had lost their means of livelihood were forced to come to Japan in search of work. Moreover, to make up for the wartime labor shortage, Japan also brought many Koreans to work in Japan through forced service or conscription. At the end of the war, about three million Koreans were living in Japan, and it is said that tens of thousands of them suffered the atomic bombing in Hiroshima.

[gaijinsamurai]

Trace, I think you should check your facts before posting. I'm not going to try to defend all of the actions of the Japanese, but the truth of the matter is that the Japanese Government has made repeated official apologies for WWII, including their actions in China, the Korean peninsula, and in other parts of Asia. They have also paid large sums in compensation to the governments of China, South Korea, and North Korea. This was done in the 1960's, and as part of the agreement, this was to cover individual claims against the Japanese government.
I lived in Japan for three years, and often discussed the war with Japanese people. Everyone I knew readily acknowledged that their government was the aggressor in the war, committed terrible atrocities, and deserved what they got. They may not like what happened to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but aknowledge that their government's unwillingness to surrender contributed to the US decision to utilize the bombings. Finally, most Japanese are grateful to the US for instilling democracy in their country.
While in Japan, I was almost always treated with courteousness and respect. Countless Japanese invited me to their homes, and I never felt threatened or like I was thought of as inferior. When I got married to a Japanese woman, her family treated me well, and have never had reservations about her marrying a "gaijin".
As far as the textbook controversy goes, this is something that I think was a stupid move on the Japanese eduation ministry. The book in question did indeed "waterdown" the issue of Japan's conduct in WWII, but this book has only been utilized by less than 20 schools thoughout the country, out of thousands. Most of the schools that have adopted this particular textbook are geared towards academicaly-challenged middle schoolers, and history is not the only thing these schools cover with lack of depth.
Prior to living in Japan, I lived in South Korea. I worked as an English teacher there, and prior to that served there with the US Marine Corps. If you want to see a country that is overwhelmingly racist, visit Korea! A day didn't pass in which I didn't receive hostile glares, racist insults, and accusations of being an American/Western imperialist.
Are there racists in Japan? I'm sure there are, but show me a country that is completely bigotry-free.

[Apathy]

If I remember right, 10 US POWs were killed outright by the Hiroshima bomb (and a few more were beaten to death by hand by angry mobs afterwords). A few Allied prisoners who were used as slave labor died in Nagasaki (many more were down in the mine during the blast)- and tens of thousands of Korean slave laborers were killed in the bombing. Generally speaking from the Korean perspective, the anger over those deaths has been directed at the Japanese, not the Americans.

Well the Americans never did any of the following.
-stuffed their fat asses, while my people starved.
-raped our women because they couldn't keep their ****ing fly zipped.
-surrounded a church, set it on fire, and then shot at anyone that came out.
-massacered innocent women and children.
-sent Koreans to labor camps where they died or fell ill.
-stole our natural resources and used our labor to support their war.
-annexed our country and assassinated our Queen.

I would also like to point out that the Americans weren't the ones that started this war. The Japanese were the ones that did. So in a sense, they were responsible for the deaths of those Korean laborers. If the war never occured, then there never would've been a bombing. I mean it's not like America bombed them for fun.

[2Sheds_Jackson]

Well the Americans never did any of the following.
-stuffed their fat asses, while my people starved.
-raped our women because they couldn't keep their ****ing fly zipped.
-surrounded a church, set it on fire, and then shot at anyone that came out.
-massacered innocent women and children.
-sent Koreans to labor camps where they died or fell ill.
-stole our natural resources and used our labor to support their war.
-annexed our country and assassinated our Queen.

I would also like to point out that the Americans weren't the ones that started this war. The Japanese were the ones that did. So in a sense, they were responsible for the deaths of those Korean laborers. If the war never occured, then there never would've been a bombing. I mean it's not like America bombed them for fun.

Er - not sure exactly what you're directing that at. I'm by no means suggesting that the Americans were wrong to end the war the way they did. I'm trying to point out that the US knew that some of the "good guys" would inevitably be killed by blasts that large, but that in the end it would save lives. IMHO the US was not bloodthirsty - they were damn tired of fighting and death, and wanted the war over via the most practical means possible. The the Japanese, by enslaving the Koreans and allied prisoners put them in harm's way and were responsible for their deaths. They are almost always overlooked as casualties of the bombings.

Japan has made several apologies for the war, and paid quite a bit of money to China, for example. But it's a complex issue. The war history is just one angle being worked as the region heats up. Political careers are being built. China pretends Japan never said "sorry" and never atoned for what happened. Japan gets pissed off that all it has done and has paid is instantly forgotten - and there is pushback. People on all sides get a lot of mileage out of such a volatile issue - I think we should be careful to deal in realities and not emotions and perceptions.

[Seiyuuki]

Trace, I suggest this thread (http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=41017) for your convenient to be more updated on the issue.

[DieselPower]

Hell Ships

Thousands of American POWs were reportedly transported to work in the Philippines, Japan, China, Thailand, and Korea in 23 prison vessels known as "Hell Ships." Packed so tightly many could hardly do anything but stand in the inadequately ventilated holds of cargo ships, fed almost no food and given little water, U.S. POWs were reportedly also subject to attack when their prison ships, unmarked in violationof international law, were attacked by U.S. submarines.40 According to one news source, the greatest loss of life apparently occurred when the Arisan Maru, holding 1,800 U.S. POWs, was torpedoed by the U.S.S. Snook, killing all but 5 POWs.41 Another attack with major POW losses was the torpedo attack by the submarine U.S.S. Paddle on the Shinyo Maru, which reportedly resulted in the deaths of all but 82 of the 750 U.S. POWs packed into her hull. There were reports of survivors in the water being shot by Japanese guards. According to one news account, a total of five hell ships were sunk by U.S. ships and planes, resulting in the deaths of about 5,000 U.S. POWs.42

Bah! Not to mention the 5,000+ POW's killed when a hell ship was sunk holding over a hundred Aussie Soldiers, and british and other nationalities. Its NOT just US, god, the world doesnt revolve around you guys. Jesus

[gaijinsamurai]

Trace, I think we're in agreement that the Japanese apologies have come across to their victims as less than sincere, especially in light of such stupid decisions as the textbook fiasco, and the failure to justly compensate Korean, Chinese and other women who were forced into prostitution ("comfort women") by the Japanese Imperial Army in WWII. Legally, they are not obligated to compensate these plaintiffs, but morally and politically, it would be the right thing to do.
The same goes for Allied POWs to suffered abuse and exploitation during the war.
This issue has been practically beaten to death on this forum, but unlike some of the other Japan-bashing that has gone on, at least you have pretty much stuck to facts, Trace. I respect you for that.
I'd just like to remind everyone that government policies do not always reflect the attitudes of the majority of the people, even in countries that are largely democratic.

[MACT-1]

Japan is at fault here. End.