Representatives of a group of Taiwan aboriginals will go to
court in Japan next Monday to defend a lawsuit they filed against
the Japanese government. It protests Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi's visits to Tokyo's controversial Yasukuni
Shrine.
At a press conference in Taipei on Tuesday, a representative of
the plaintiffs showed some historical photos.
They show the crimes committed by Japanese soldiers against
Taiwan aboriginals in the years from 1895 to 1945. This was the
period in which Japanese imperialists occupied the Chinese
island.
The plaintiffs are demanding the names of Taiwan aboriginals be
removed from the Yasukuni Shrine. The Taiwan natives were
press-ganged into joining the Japanese military during World War
II.
Koizumi has made repeated visits to the shrine, which honors 14
Class-A WWII war criminals along with the over 2 million Japanese
soldiers who died in wars since 1869.
Next week, the plaintiffs will go to the Osaka District Court to
pursue their lawsuit.
They say the Japanese leader's visits are a great insult to the
people of Taiwan and have caused them psychological suffering.
(CCTV.com June 10, 2005)