Japan memorial service again omits acknowledgment of forced Korean labor

Japan yet again failed to acknowledge the coercive nature of Koreans' wartime labor during its memorial service for workers of the Sado mines on Saturday.

The ceremony began around 1:30 p.m. at the Aikawa Development Center on the western side of Sado Island and proceeded without Korean government representatives, mirroring last year’s split events when Seoul staged its own service the following day, media reports said.

The memorial address by Japan's Deputy press secretary Yukiko Okano referenced that many workers came from the Korean Peninsula but omitted any statement that they were mobilized against their will, consistent with concerns previously raised by Seoul over Japan's wording, according to coverage of the event and prior statements by officials.

Korea decided again this year not to attend Japan's service, citing unresolved differences over specific phrasing about the nature of coercion that a dignified commemoration must clearly note that Korean workers were mobilized involuntarily and forced to labor.

Japan pledged to hold an annual memorial and install exhibits reflecting the site’s full history, including Koreans’ hardships, as part of the conditions for the Sado mines’ inscription on the Unesco World Heritage List last year, and new displays have been installed under that commitment, according to official accounts.

Despite those steps, Seoul and Tokyo remain divided over how to characterize the history, particularly whether official remarks must explicitly acknowledge forced mobilization, a dispute that has complicated participation in the commemoration.

The Sado mines — Japan’s largest historic gold and silver mining complex, developed from the early Edo period — were recognized for their contribution to the country’s economy and trade, even as the site is also associated with the large-scale forced labor of Koreans under Japan’s 1910–45 colonial rule, according to public records and past reporting.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]