A memorial gathering was held in Tokyo on Sunday for those who died in detention in Siberia and elsewhere after being captured by the former Soviet Union following World War II. About 200 people, including former detainees and bereaved family members, attended the civic group-sponsored event at the Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery, offering flowers at the altar. The gathering, the 24th of its kind, was held on the 81st anniversary of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin’s secret order of internment issued on Aug. 23, 1945.
The cemetery holds about 17,000 sets of remains of unidentified detainees, though other remains are believed to be still uncollected. In a speech, former detainee Masaru Nishikura, 101, said this year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the repatriation of detainees from Siberia. Given the increasing difficulty in preserving memories as the number of survivors dwindles, Nishikura expressed hope that the whole picture of the tragedy will be made clear and passed on so that lessons can be drawn.
Bereaved family members from South Korea were present for the first time in 15 years. A 65-year-old man whose father was a detainee delivered a eulogy in Korean and then talked about the struggles of former detainees after their return home. The gathering was held to remember the wounds left by the war and impress once again the importance of dignity of human beings and the preciousness of peace, the South Korean attendee said.
On Sunday night, an event to read out a list of about 46,300 victims created by the late Tsuneo Murayama, a former detainee, started for a four-day run. About 120 people, including bereaved families, are set to take turns reading during the period while praying for the souls of the victims.
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