A local Japanese government held a memorial ceremony on Saturday to remember and mourn more than 100 Chinese victims of the "Hanaoka incident" at the end of World War II.

Some 250 people joined the ceremony hosted by the government of Odate in Akita-ken prefecture, including a survivor from the incident, 86-year-old Li Tiyi, and relatives of some of the victims.

On June 30, 1945, over 700 forced Chinese laborers at mines in Hanaoka launched an uprising to protest against their inhuman treatment from their Japanese captors.

More than 130 laborers were tortured to death by the Japanese within three days of the uprising.

Odate mayor Hajime Kobatake said the inhumane actions of the Japanese army were intolerable, and Japan should not commit the same mistake again.

He added he hoped friendly Sino-Japanese ties would be passed down from generation to generation.

A Hanoaka victim's relative, Zhou Changming, said he hoped people will take history as a mirror and not to repeat it.

Representatives from the Chinese embassy to Japan, and Akita-ken prefecture government officials also attended the ceremony.
 
(CRI July 1, 2007)