High Court Rejects WWII POW Labor Case

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court turned aside appeals from former American prisoners of war and others who claim they were forced to work for private Japanese companies as slave laborers during World War II.

The court's action, taken without comment Monday, ends lawsuits in California against Japanese firms or their successors that allegedly forced prisoners to work in mines, dig roads and perform other duties more than 50 years ago.

Japanese conglomerates now known as Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Nippon Steel and others survived the war in part by using slave labor, and then thrived in the postwar industrial boom, lawyers for former prisoners claimed.

"The perversity of the mistreatment of these men -- outside the laws, customs and conventions of war which all civilizes nations were and are now obligated to honor -- will always remain a dark shadow over the history of the 20th century," lawyers for former U.S. prisoner Lester I. Tenney told the court.

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-scotus-slave-labor,0,1360585.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[ConcernedCanuk]

1. ___ Shamefull the way the USA treats its Veterans"___

From the article:

"Lawyers for aging veterans made an emotional appeal to the high court, which represented the last hope for resurrecting their claims.

"Having suffered unspeakable abuse in 1942-1945, the youngest of the survivors is nearly 80," the appeal said. "These men represent the finest of the generation that fought and won the Second World War, incurring enormous personal loss to preserve our way of life against severe and imminent threats."

The high court also rejected similar arguments from Filipino, Korean and Chinese nationals forced to work for Japanese companies during World War II. "

<snip>

I had the unfortunate/eye-opening experience of visiting one of the Vet Hospitals in San Diego in '79 - just left-overs of people maimed by the Vietnam war

If "recruits" would visit one of those hospitals BEFORE they took off to war - I think there would be alot less US-led wars

Just my Humble Canuk Opinion

[GinaMaria]

2. I saw a documentary

quite a while ago about British POWs in Japan during WWII. The way they were treated was beyond horrible. To say the photographs were disturbing is a gross understatement. The abuses are unimaginable. That anyone survived that is beyond comprehension.

Peace,
Gina

[HereSince1628]

3. Trying to prevent precedent for actions against American co.'s ?

I wonder if this is just a chess move to prevent similar actions against Amerian based companies. There was the recently in the news the issue of corporations paying the families of American slaves.

[iverglas]

4. Cdn ex-POWs encountered similar problems

http://www.consultant-network.ca/agora/import/vol2no1.pdf

After years of unsuccessful lobbying of the Japanese government, the Government of Canada in 1998 awarded $24,000 tax-free to 700 Canadian prisoners of war (or their surviving spouses) who had been held by Japanese authorities. Almost all were Canadians captured at the fall of Hong Kong. The award was in part kick-started by a 1994 claim submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Committee by three Hong Kong veterans claiming the Canadian Government "continues to deprive them of their right to a remedy -- the Government continues to support Japan's defence that the 1952 Peace Treaty effectively terminates Japan's legal responsibility to former Prisoners of War and internees". Many were happy with the award, but still felt cheated that the government of Japan had not compensated them fully (the 1952 treaty had only required Japan to compensate on the basis of $1.50 per day for each day of captivity or labour, from proceeds of Japanese government assets confiscated in Canada).

If you ever get the chance to see the BBC drama series Tenko (Brit-Dutch-Australian coproduction) about women interned in Japanese prison camps for 4 years following the fall of Hong Kong and the Japanese invasion of Brit and Dutch colonies, do. It offers all sorts of insights into what happened inside the camps and what the political situation in Singapore was like after the war ended.

[seventhson]

5. This Ruling Protects the Bush Nazi profits

which they made off the Holocaust via Prescott's management of Nazi assets and financing which went to run the slave labor camps.

This SCOTUS is criminal

It figures

[David Zephyr]

6. I Met Lester Tenney and His Wife 8 Years Ago In Italy

He has the most heartbreaking story of war that I have ever heard. He speaks fluent Japanese and is one of the most decent men I have ever known.

I was on a tour of Italy and as fate had it wound up hanging out with Lester and his wife who took me in as I was traveling alone those weeks. Lester had an entire table of us weeping in Venice.

Lester is Jewish and volunteered to serve during WWII and lied about his age so that he could take part in defending our land. His story what he indured in the Philippines and later in Japna is beyond gripping.

Mitsubishi should have to pay for the hell they put these young men through.

Lester, knowing I am gay, spoke freely, albeit discreetly, in front of his lovely wife about homosexuality and friendship and bonding in the concentration camps.

I love this guy.