Memorial ceremony for detainees such as Siberia accused of being questioned for national integrity

Memorial memorial service for detainees such as Siberia accused of "the integrity of the country is questioned" August 23, 17:13

A ceremony was held in Tokyo on the 23rd to commemorate the people who were detained in Siberia and other places immediately after the end of the war.
Former detainees touched on the problem of confusing the remains of the war dead and claimed that "the integrity of the country is being questioned."

August 23 is the day when the so-called "Siberian detention" began, when the former Soviet Union issued a command to transfer former Japanese soldiers and civilians from China to Siberia and Mongolia 75 years ago.

A group of former detainees and bereaved families held a memorial service at Chidorigafuchi War Memorial Cemetery in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.

Due to the influence of the new coronavirus, the number of participants was about 100, which is about half of the usual number, and at the beginning, everyone quietly offered silence.

Regarding the remains of the war dead's remains collection project, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare last month specialized in scientifically assessing the remains as a result of a problem that had been left for many years while grasping the suspicion that they were mistaken for non-Japanese remains. Was newly installed.

On behalf of the organizer, Shoji Shinseki (94), who was detained in Siberia for four years, complained that the mistake of the remains was a shock, and the integrity of the country is being questioned, including the response to the Russian side. It was

He also noted that the collection of remains and visits to graves have been postponed due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection, and he pointed out that "there is a need for major ideas and changes in methods 75 years after the war."

After the ceremony, Mr. Masaru Nishikura (95), a former detainee who is active in the storyteller, said, “I don't want you to have an experience like us in the future. Because the activity of the storyteller is limited now. , I hope the new coronavirus will end sooner."