A new initiative in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) to document abuses committed between 1931 and 1945 by Japanese forces has aroused much interest among fellow survivors in China.

The investigation committee for the truth of the forced mobilization of Koreans under the colonial rule of Korea by the Japanese imperialists started work on February 1, and is due to collect and scrutinize reports of exploitation and mistreatment until the end of June.

The committee is seeking information from those who were forced to work as soldiers, laborers and "comfort women" from September 18, 1931 to the end of WWII. On the first day alone, they received 2,573 reports from survivors and their relatives all over South Korea.

This South Korean project has attracted the attention of compensation campaigners in China. The founder of the Civil Claims Against Japan Campaign, Tong Zeng, thinks that the Chinese government should work with them to systematically collect evidence of crimes committed here.

"This is very important not only to the living but also to the departed," said Tong.

He added that this year, the 60th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, provides an opportunity to record history before more victims pass away and their stories lost forever.

He said the government could authorize departments like the Ministry of Civil Affairs to work with the Red Cross Society of China and other associations and individuals on this issue.

So far, groups seeking claims against Japanese war abuses have documented use of chemical weapons, forced labor and germ warfare. But due to a lack of organization and coordination, the evidence has not been collated in a systematic way.

One expert on Japanese issues said that it is an enormous project that faces difficulties in terms of funding and coordination, and could not rely on academia alone.

Tong received more than 10,000 letters from across the country after publicizing the thinking behind civil claims against Japan at the beginning of 1990s. He is publishing them online at www.tzsl.org and expects to finish his work by June. The documents bear powerful witness against crimes committed by Japanese troops.

Li Dunqiu, an expert on Korean Peninsula issues, said that the South Korean government's endeavors to investigate this aspect of history will help Koreans, especially youngsters, in understanding and reflecting on the Japanese invasion, and that it should be supported by China.

(China Youth Daily translated by Li Shen for China.org.cn, February 6, 2005)