ARTICLES & STORIES

THE KINKASEKI MEMORIAL - HOW IT ALL BEGAN. . .

THE STORY OF THE KINKASEKI MEMORIAL

     The war was over; the Japanese, who had ruled Taiwan for 50 years, left the island, and the Taiwan Metal Mining Co. took over the operation of what had been the largest copper mine in the Japanese Empire. The prisoners of war who had been forced to slave in the dark depths of the mine were also gone, repatriated home to rebuild their lives.

     In time - the ore having run out, the mine eventually closed. Tall grass overgrew the mine sites, and the mine equipment...

THE KINKASEKI COPPER MINE

     Taken from an Allied intelligence report on POW Camps and conditions on Formosa compiled in October 1945. . .

     "The Kinkaseki Copper Mine had the largest output of copper in the Japanese Empire. It was a commercial enterprise, although run along military lines - with the foremen and staff wearing insignia denoting seniority or rank. The main mine head was situated one mile from the Kinkaseki Prisoner-of-War Camp.

     Although mining conditions universally are severe, it is to be emphasized that few can equal the hazards of this mine....

LIFE AS A PRISONER

Conditions in the Kinkaseki Camp...

..." the food was never enough - the meager rice ration was supplemented at morning and night by about ½ pint of watery vegetable soup. . . we only had two thin blankets and had to sleep on wooden boards with only about 1 ½ feet of space per man... at every conceivable opportunity the guards would find an excuse to hit us.

. . .we were screamed at, shouted at, slapped, kicked and bashed. . . for the slightest infringement (of the rules) anyone could be sentenced to the...

THE KINKASEKI MEMORIAL DEDICATION

     On Sunday November 23rd 1997, the final chapter in the story of Kinkaseki was written, as over 150 friends and supporters gathered in the park that now stands on the site of the former POW camp, to dedicate the memorial to the more than 1,000 Kinkaseki Prisoners of War and those who were held in all the other prisoner of war camps on Taiwan. The weather was appropriate - slightly cloudy, but bright; a lovely fall day in Taiwan.

     Present with us for the dedication ceremony were three former Kinkaseki POWs -...

THE REST OF THE STORY. . .

by Michael Hurst - from the Winter 2001 newsletter

     Early in December 2001, I read an article in an American POW newsletter by historian Greg Michno, who had written a soon to be published book on the subject of the hellships, called 'Death on the Hellships'. Greg had somehow obtained official Japanese records and decrypts of sailing rosters and orders for all of the convoys and ships carrying POWs. He also had captured records and documents, plus offical US Navy records showing ships sunk, places and dates. His research is exhausting, and he finally corrects...

JAPAN’S UNWARRANTED CRITICISMS

June 2004. . .

     We recently received an article relating to the news that Japan had condemned the atrocities committed by American troops on some of the Iraqi prisoners of war. While these acts are certainly not right and should be condemned, as the following article points out, Japan is hardly in any position to criticize the actions of a few soldiers when their entire military was responsible for the slaughter of tens of thousands of prisoners of war held under their jurisdiction during World War II.

     In addition to this, hundreds...

HISTORY GROUPS DEMAND JAPAN TO FULLY ACCEPT WAR RESPONSIBILITIES

August 2005

     The Rape of Nanking Redress Coalition and several affiliated World War II Truth in History groups – including the Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society, are demanding that Japan bring proper closure to all pending WW II issues on the 60th anniversary of the end of the war this V-J Day.

     The groups express strong objection to the repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine – for the purpose of worshipping war criminals and promoting militarism - by Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his cabinet and LDP party members, as well...

ENOURA MARU MEMORIAL SERVICE - JANUARY 9, 2005

     January 9, 1945 – was the date of the bombing of the hellship Enoura Maru at Takao Harbour, Formosa, with the loss of more than 300 American POW lives. On January 9th 2005 – the 60th Anniversary of that tragic event, the Society held a special memorial service to remember the Enoura Maru and the men who suffered and died that day. The ceremony was held in conjunction with the City of Kaohsiung Cultural Affairs Bureau at a pier at Kaohsiung Harbour. Following the service on the pier, wreaths were laid on the water...