Japan today is busily stirring up hot feelings about her

neighbours, especially China and North Korea. China is

Japan's number one customer, but that did not prevent
the Japanese PM, Taro Aso, from badmouthing China during
his recent visit to Europe. Japan is also trying to stoke
all out war against North Korea.

Taro Aso is an unrepentant Japanese right-wing politician

who has consistently tried to deny the truth about Japan's
past atrocities and crimes against humanity. Additionally,
he has tried to present a false picture of Japan being the
real victim of the Pacific war.

Taro Aso's father, Takakichi Aso, was the owner of the Aso
Mining Co, which during WW2, employed forced labour in its
coal mines including the infamous Yoshikuma mine in Keisen
City, Fukuoka. This mine employed unpaid forced labour.

The forced labour was made up of many nationalities; Koreans,

Chinese, Australians and other captured Alled prisoners.
Over 10,000 individuals served with Yoshikuma until 1945.

This forced labour or slave labour worked under appalling

conditions and were often physically brutalised. Some of
them died where they worked due to the very harsh conditions.
It was common for the men to work every day, for up to 16
hours per day, hauling up coal to feed Japan's war machine.
The conditions at the mine were very dangerous and many
of the forced labour perished as a result. They were also
deprived of adequate rest and vital nutrition.

Taro Aso worked in the family business empire before he

entered politics and later went on to become FM and then PM.
Taro Aso is typical of the countless Japanese politicians
who have refused to admit to the crimes committed by Japan
before and during WW2. They have refused to offer any kind
of apology, or recognise the need to pay compensation and
have even tried to rewrite history.

Japan has clearly not followed Germany's example in giving

out compensation to war victims and therefore it still is
fully responsible for what happened during WW2. The country
has refused to come to terms with its terrible past and
also has even tried to erase the memories of the victims'
sufferings. At Yoshikuma, the barracks and other physical
records and evidence of the existence of its forced labour
were hurriedly destroyed upon Japan's surrender.

Some documents and photos of the Yoshikuma forced labour

camp still survive today along with a handful of survivors.
This dwindling band of Yoshikuma survivors have continued
to press the Japanese government and Japanese politicians,
including Taro Aso, to own up and pay up, but have always
met with a solid impenetrable wall.

The attitude of the Japanese polticians is not surprising

at all. Japan, despite its extremely cruel conduct during
the war is still walking the road of military ambitions.
There is constant talk among the Japanese of making changes
to its constitution and abandoning the no-war clauses.

Today, Japan is busily trying its utmost to harm its own

neighbours who had suffered so indescribably in the recent
past. It has provided the imperialistic US Pacific forces
bases for its fleet of aircraft and warships, including
those carrying nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass
destruction (WMD). It has cooperated with the world's top
war machine to develop highly advanced rocket systems and
deploy them in the western Pacific.

Japan's undying aim is to subjugate her neighbours and she

is prepared to do so with the help of its former conqueror,
another equally like-minded nasty. The Japanese nation is
permanently tainted with the blood of countless innocent
victims, including the ones who worked and died at Yoshikuma.

Taro Aso and the rest of his brethren are totally evil and
completely unforgivable. Yoshikuma is just one name within
a list of endless entries. History will always remember it.
To hell with him and all the other Japs. That's where they
truly belong. Hell is their home. Their one and only home.