Japan refuses to provide list of Korean forced laborers at Sado mines
Mannequins are displayed inside the Sohdayu mine, part of the Sado mine complex, on the Japanese island of Sado, July 28. Yonhap
Korea is requesting Japan release a list of Korean victims who were forced to work at the controversial wartime site known as the Sado complex of mines. However, observers said Thursday that Tokyo is likely to remain steadfast in its refusal, believing that the dispute over the mine has been resolved.
According to diplomatic sources, the Korean government has repeatedly asked for this list, stored at the Niigata Prefectural Archives in Japan, since early negotiations over the Sado mines’ UNESCO World Heritage site designation. But Japan has refused to do so.
The list was photographed in 1983 during a historical study of Niigata Prefecture and is reported to exist in microfilm format, as the original photograph is no longer available. It is known to contain the names of hundreds of Korean laborers.
While not an original document, this list is significant as it may be the only known official list of the Korean laborers mobilized at the mines. Currently, the available materials related to these laborers include a tobacco distribution list disclosed in 2021, which contains fewer than 500 names of the estimated 1,500 laborers.
As such, if disclosed, the Korean laborer list from the Niigata Prefectural Archives is expected to provide a more comprehensive and accurate record of the victims of forced labor.
The mines, located on Sado Island off the west coast of Niigata Prefecture, were used for war-related manufacturing during World War II. Historical records indicate that over 1,500 Koreans were coerced into labor there during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial era.
Korea's foreign ministry said Thursday that it is continuing related discussions with Japan regarding the Sado mines, but it declined to comment on detailed negotiations about the list of laborers.
Photos of the tobacco distribution list containing names of Korean laborers are displayed at the Aikawa History Museum near the Sado mines in Japan, July 27. Courtesy of Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Yang Ki-ho, a professor of Japanese studies at Sungkonghoe University and former consul-general of Korea in Kobe, believes the likelihood of Japan providing the list immediately is slim.
"Given the controversy surrounding the Sado mines after their UNESCO World Heritage listing, Japan is unlikely to comply with the request swiftly, as it may see the release of the list as fueling further controversy. Additionally, the Japanese government may be hesitant to appear as though it is yielding to Korea's demands," Yang said.
He added that Japan's insincere attitude after the UNESCO inscription raises questions about whether it will keep its promise to hold annual memorial services for Korean victims.
Some observers also suggest that Japan’s reluctance may stem from concerns about potential lawsuits from the families of forced labor victims if the list is disclosed.
Yang noted that Korea should have pushed harder for Japan to provide the list before the UNESCO inscription, when Seoul had greater leverage in the discussions.
"If Seoul had maintained its objection, the listing might have been impossible, giving South Korea a significant upper hand in the negotiations. Now that the mine has been inscribed, it will be more challenging for Korean officials to achieve fruitful negotiations," the professor said.
The mines were inscribed as a World Cultural Heritage site on July 27 during a UNESCO World Heritage Committee session in New Delhi. The decision was reached by consensus among the 21 committee members, including representatives from both Korea and Japan.
The Center for Historical Truth and Justice, a local civic group representing forced labor victims, argued that holding a memorial service without disclosing the list of victims is meaningless.
In return for Seoul endorsing Japan's UNESCO bid, Tokyo promised to hold annual memorial ceremonies honoring the Korean workers and to accurately portray the history of Japan's forced labor of Koreans in an exhibition hall near the mine site.
According to South Korea's foreign ministry, the Japanese government is considering holding the inaugural memorial event this September, but details regarding attendees and the venue have yet to be finalized.
"In a situation where Japan has not even properly disclosed the list of victims, how can they hold a memorial service for victims whose names are unknown?" the center officials said during a press conference earlier this week.
The group also urged the Korean government, which has pledged to put more effort into persuading Japan to reflect the victims' history accurately, to strongly request that Japan disclose the list.