During World War II, nearly 50,000 U.S. soldiers and civilians became prisoners of the Japanese. Approximately half of this total "were sent to do slave labor in the factories, shipyards and mines owned by Japan's industrial giants, now among the richest in the world: Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Showa Denko, Nippon Steel, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and at least 40 other Japanese companies."
This book focuses on the grim experiences of these American POWs and the often brutal treatment they suffered while in captivity. Linda Goetz Holmes points out that nearly 40 percent of American POWs died in Japanese captivity, while only slightly over 1 percent shared a similar fate in the Nazi camps. Many of these died from "friendly fire" while being transported by ships from points of capture back to Japan. She estimates that just over 4,000 POWs died while engaged in slave labor.
This book merits attention and scrutiny -- and not only because of the horrific suffering endured by many of these POWs, some of it highlighted with shocking photos. Recently there has been a flurry of lawsuits filed by ex-POWs in U.S. courts against Japanese firms seeking redress for wartime forced labor. The revelations and allegations in this book are likely to inflame public opinion and help the claimants' cause. In addition, the author is a member of a U.S. congressional panel charged with looking into war crimes committed by the Nazis and their allies. She will thus be involved in an official investigation that promises to dredge up unsavory acts committed by some Japanese still alive and Japanese firms still operating. The panel may also shed further light on the complicity of U.S. officials in covering up many of the alleged war crimes for reasons that may not seem so compelling more than 50 years on.
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