Tokyo memorial honors WWII detainees held in Soviet labor camps

A memorial ceremony was held at the Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery in Tokyo to honor Japanese soldiers and civilians who died in Soviet labor camps following World War II. The event, organized by an association of former detainees and their families, marked the 81st anniversary of the secret order issued by Joseph Stalin on August 23, 1945, for the mass internment of captives.

Approximately 200 people attended the gathering. Former detainee Masaru Nishikura, aged 101, called for a thorough investigation into the facts of the tragedy to ensure such events are never repeated, noting that the average age of survivors has reached 103. The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare estimates that roughly 55,000 people died in detention, though the exact scale remains unknown. While 20,264 sets of remains have been recovered, efforts to collect more remains in Russia have been suspended due to the invasion of Ukraine.

For the first time in 15 years, bereaved family members from South Korea participated in the ceremony, delivering eulogies to highlight the struggles of Korean detainees and the importance of human dignity and peace.