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On October 21, DPJ International Department Director-General Yukihisa Fujita met with four former Australian prisoners of war (POWs) and their escorts, on a visit to Japan at the invitation of the Japanese government, inside the Diet building.
At the start of the meeting, Fujita expressed his sincere respects to the former POWs for having made up their minds to visit Japan at more than 90 years of age, and welcomed their visit.
The four had been taken prisoner by the Japanese army in places like Singapore and Java during WWII. They spoke of the experiences they had endured when sent to Japan, the Thai-Burma Railway and Borneo to engage in hard labour, and stressed, “Many of our companions died of sickness and starvation, and although we were lucky enough to survive and make it back home, we still bear deep mental and physical scars. We want to convey our experiences to as many Japanese as possible and work towards reconciliation and understanding.”
The meeting was also attended by DPJ International Department Vice Director-General Hiroe Makiyama.
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