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Monday 20 Jul 2015 - 12:51 Makkah mean time-4-10-1436
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Los Angeles (IINA) – Japan's Mitsubishi corporation has made a landmark apology for using US prisoners of war as forced labor during World War II, BBC reported.
Hikaru Kimura, a senior executive, expressed remorse at a ceremony in Los Angeles that prisoners had been put to work in mines operated by the firm. It is believed to be the first such apology by a Japanese company.
James Murphy, 94, one of the few surviving former US prisoners forced to work in Japan was present to accept the apology.
He said this was "a glorious day... for 70 years we wanted this."
"I listened very carefully to Mr Kimura's statement of apology and found it very very sincere, humble and revealing," Murphy added.
Murphy told US media earlier that he spent a year at a copper mine near Hanawa, an experience he described as "a complete horror".
"It was slavery in every way: no food, no medicine, no clothing, no sanitation," he said.
Relatives of other former prisoners were also present at the ceremony.
The mines operated at four locations run by Mitsubishi's predecessor company, Mitsubishi Mining Co.
Mitsubishi is acting independently of the Japanese government which has already issued a formal apology to American prisoners.
Japanese government officials say that it is an important gesture ahead of the 70th anniversary of the end of the war in August.
AB/IINA
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