People attend a memorial service at the Sagami Lake Community Center in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, on July 30, 2023. The memorial service was held Sunday to mourn laborers from different countries that died in the Sagami dam construction.
Representatives from Japan, China and the Republic of Korea, as well as local residents around the Sagami Reservoir, participated in the memorial event to pay tribute to the laborers who lost their lives during the construction. (Xinhua/Cheng Jing)
TOKYO, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A memorial service was held Sunday at the Sagami Lake Community Center in Japan's Kanagawa Prefecture to mourn laborers from different countries that died in the Sagami dam construction.
Representatives from Japan, China and the Republic of Korea, as well as local residents around the Sagami Reservoir, participated in the memorial event to pay tribute to the laborers who lost their lives during the construction.
The suffering of forced laborers is a poignant reflection of the profound disasters inflicted upon the people of Asian countries, including China, by Japanese militarism and aggression, said Guo Xiaohan, a counsellor at the Chinese embassy in Japan, at the memorial service.
"We are gathering here again not to perpetuate hatred, but to face up to history, learn from the lessons, and sound the alarm bell to prevent the tragedy from repeating," said the counsellor.
The Sagami Reservoir is Japan's first multi-purpose artificial lake constructed between 1940 and 1947. To build the reservoir, Japan requisitioned about 3.6 million laborers, including nearly 300 Chinese forcibly taken to Japan by the invading Japanese military.
Due to harsh working conditions and treatment, 83 victims of the laborers were recorded, including 28 Chinese.
Since 1979, many Japanese have been holding annual memorial events to commemorate the deceased laborers. ■
Children attend a memorial service at the Sagami Lake Community Center in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, on July 30, 2023. The memorial service was held Sunday to mourn laborers from different countries that died in the Sagami dam construction.
Representatives from Japan, China and the Republic of Korea, as well as local residents around the Sagami Reservoir, participated in the memorial event to pay tribute to the laborers who lost their lives during the construction. (Xinhua/Cheng Jing)
People attend a memorial service at the Sagami Lake Community Center in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, on July 30, 2023. The memorial service was held Sunday to mourn laborers from different countries that died in the Sagami dam construction.
Representatives from Japan, China and the Republic of Korea, as well as local residents around the Sagami Reservoir, participated in the memorial event to pay tribute to the laborers who lost their lives during the construction. (Xinhua/Cheng Jing)