By Kim Se-jeong
The Korean government gave awards to at least one Japanese war criminals in the 1970s in recognition of their “contribution” to Korean society, an opposition lawmaker claimed Thursday.
One such award went to Sasakawa Ryoichi, a Class A war criminal who served in Unit 731, which conducted secret research on biological and chemical warfare during World War II. This army unit was notorious for conducting various biological experiments on living people.
Ryoichi received the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit in 1976 from Korea’s welfare ministry.
Two other winners also served in Unit 731 ― Kato Katsuya received the Order of Civil Merit in 1973 for having treated leprosy patients, while Take Midaro was awarded in 1978 for contributing to “medical sector development” in Korea. Midaro is known to have participated in Japan’s project to produce an atomic bomb.
A ministry spokesman said it is difficult to find records about the beneficiaries because “it happened a long time ago.”
According to Rep. In Jae-keun of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy, the ministry awarded medals to a total of 15 Japanese people since 1970.
A report released by the lawmaker’s office contained their profiles and dates of the awarding ceremonies.
“It is sad that people with such backgrounds were able to receive awards from the Korean government,” Rep. In said. “They were chosen because the ministry recommended them. An investigation is necessary to see whether it was intentional or just a mistake.”
The awards were created to recognize a person’s contribution to the public good in Korean society, and anyone can receive one regardless of their nationality.
Two of the awardees also had records showing controversial behavior after receiving their awards.
Hiroshi Nakajima, a recipient of the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit in 1981, became director general of World Health Organization in 1988. He was later accused of bribing voters to get re-elected for a second term in 1993. In 1992, he allegedly attempted to smuggle cultural assets from the Soviet Union after its collapse.
The awardee of the Order of Civil Merit in 1983, Harada Ken, later became a member of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party and called on the Japanese prime minister to visit the Yasukuni Shrine, which houses the remains of Class A war criminals, on a regular basis. He was awarded for his contribution to improving the “rights of children” in Korea.
The lawmaker’s office said it conducted online research to find their records. Asked about possible misidentification, Seong Ha-rim, one of her assistants, dismissed this saying his team was confident about their research.