Chinese survivors of a 1945 uprising at a Japanese wartime labor camp joined relatives of those who died in the incident in Beijing on Thursday to mark the 60th anniversary of the so-called Hanaoka Incident.
Around 200 people participated in the event, including Japanese supporters of the survivors. It was the first commemorative event for the incident to be held in China, according to organizers.
"Forced labor is a crime that the Japanese government, military and businesses jointly carried out on the Chinese people, and the Japanese government has a direct, grave and unavoidable responsibility," survivor Wang Zhenglu, 86, said in a speech. "When I think of the horrifying incident and our friends who lost their lives, I cannot stop the tears from coming to my eyes."
On June 30, 1945, Chinese at the labor camp near a copper mine in Odate, Akita Prefecture, staged an uprising against Japanese supervisors who imposed cruel working conditions on them.