Mitsubishi apology hopes rise

The Japanese army transports Chinese to Japan to work as laborers, and thousands died as a result of mistreatment. Provided to China Daily

Tong Zeng, head of the China Association for Compensation Claim against Japan, presented a draft version of an "apology letter" offered by the company at a news conference in Beijing on Friday, and Tong confirmed the offer of 100,000 yuan for each victim.

China News Service revealed the full text of the draft, prepared in both Japanese and Chinese, and said Mitsubishi will pay into a "fund for the victimized laborers and their family members".

About 40,000 Chinese nationals were kidnapped and forcibly taken to Japan during World War II to work in coal mines and on construction sites, where harsh conditions led to the death of almost 7,000.

Of the 3,765 Chinese laborers claimed to have been used by Mitsubishi Mining, the wartime predecessor of Mitsubishi Materials, 720 died at the time, and only 1,500 survivors or relatives have been found, Kyodo said.

Cui Shuping's late father was taken away to work for Mitsubishi between 1944 and 1945.

"They (the Japanese) did not treat him as a human being, and this had a lifelong impact on him," said Cui, from Beijing, whose father died at age 89 in 2013. "The year of forced labor haunted him for the rest of his life."

Relatives such as Cui were disturbed to learn that Mitsubishi declined to confirm the Kyodo report on Friday.