Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Delivers ‘Copies’, Not Originals, to Korean Embassy in Japan
Out of a total of 75 cases, 19 cases were provided in advance after internal investigations were completed… Used for damage relief
Sinking while carrying Koreans in Japan… Denial of sinking and failure to salvage, raising suspicions
Ministry of Foreign Affairs: “Personal information of many victims included, but further analysis required”
Our government has obtained part of the list of passengers on the Ukishima Maru (浮島丸·Ukishima-maru) that sank shortly after liberation from Japan. It has been 79 years since the incident occurred.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 5th, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare delivered a portion of the Ukishima-maru passenger list through the Korean Embassy in Japan at around 4:00 PM that day.
This list is a ‘copy’ rather than an original document, and contains 19 cases for which Japan has completed its internal investigation.
The Japanese government currently maintains a total of 75 lists related to the Ukishima-maru incident. Of these, there are 15 lists labeled as “passenger lists” or “boarding lists,” which are key data for confirming the scale of Korean casualties. In addition, there are 30 lists of dead people, 22 lists of survivors or passengers with remains, and 3 lists of passengers on the Ukishima-maru.
It has not been confirmed what the 19 items our government received are in the list. In other words, it is currently unknown how many personal information, such as the number of deceased or survivors, are included.
However, it is known that the list includes not only names but also dates of birth, address, and other details, so if the entire list is made public, it seems that the scale of the damage to Koreans can be reassessed and additional victims who were not previously known can be identified.
The Japanese government has reportedly promised to provide the rest of the list as soon as its internal investigation is completed.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official explained, “After negotiations with the Japanese government, we recently agreed to receive the passenger list, which includes many of the victims’ personal information,” but added, “Further analysis is needed to determine how many people are actually on the list. We plan to provide other lists once Japan’s internal investigation is complete.”
Our government plans to use this list to determine the truth of the incident and provide relief to victims.
In particular, it will be actively utilized for re-examination of consolation money payments for bereaved families of victims whose applications for consolation money payments were rejected or rejected due to lack of supporting data during the review process of the ‘Committee for the Investigation of Damages from Forced Mobilization during the Anti-Japanese Struggle and Support for Victims of Forced Mobilization Abroad’.
This list has been in the hands of the Korean government for 79 years since the incident occurred, and 17 years since negotiations between the two countries began.
Ukishima-maru was a Japanese naval transport ship heading to Busan carrying Koreans in Japan who were trying to return home right after liberation in 1945. On August 24 of that year, while attempting to dock at Maizuru Port in Kyoto, an explosion occurred at the bottom of the ship and it sank.
The Japanese government announced that the Ukishima-maru sank after hitting an underwater mine and that 524 of the 3,700 people on board were Korean casualties.
However, Korean survivors and bereaved families have been demanding that the Japanese government uncover the truth, claiming that Japan deliberately blew up the ship and that among the 7,500 to 8,000 passengers, there were thousands of Korean casualties.
The Japanese government had claimed in lawsuits with the bereaved families that the passenger list had disappeared with the sinking of the Ukishima Maru, but belatedly released around 10 lists after a Japanese journalist requested information disclosure. However, personal information was redacted. Suspicions were raised that the list had been hidden for a long time to prevent a stir over the incident.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety once again requested Japan to provide the list through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in June of this year.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said, “We plan to provide (the list) information to those who have the right to view or receive it in accordance with domestic laws,” and added, “Our government will continue to work to ensure that victims of the Ukishima-maru incident are provided with relief and the truth is uncovered smoothly.”
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2024-09-06 05:02:03