Ukishima Maru
Encyclopedia
The Ukishima Maru was a Japanese naval
transport vessel. She was originally built as a passenger ship
in March 1937. During World War II
, she served as a naval vessel after receiving heavy armament. She measured 4,731 gross register tons.
, headed towards the Korean port of Busan
. On the 24th, the ship entered the port of Maizuru, where the ship contacted an American naval mine, exploded and sank, killing 524 Koreans and 25 Japanese on board, according to Japanese government figures. However, the actual numbers of passengers and victims are unknown. The American and Japanese government both officially reported that the sea mine was the cause of explosion.
and the North, view this incident as a deliberate Japanese war crime committed by the Japanese government of the time
to conceal information about the Japanese military base. This view was illustrated in the 2001 North Korean film Souls Protest
.
80 South Koreans, survivors and relatives of the victims of the incident, have filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government, seeking some 8 billion yen in compensation, an official apology and the remains of the victims that are kept in a shrine in Japan. On 2005, a South Korean man, claiming to be a survivor of the incident, told an internet-based news media (http://www.ohmynews.co.kr) that shortly before the explosion, most Japanese soldiers and officers left the vessel and also that the explosives were hidden inside the hull.
The court rejected, however, claims of the plaintiffs demanding official apologies and return of the remains of the victims.
The court also rejected claims of 65 plaintiffs on the ground that their relationship with the victims could not be established.
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
transport vessel. She was originally built as a passenger ship
Passenger ship
A passenger ship is a ship whose primary function is to carry passengers. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freighters once common on the seas in which the transport of passengers is...
in March 1937. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, she served as a naval vessel after receiving heavy armament. She measured 4,731 gross register tons.
The Ukishima Maru incident
On August 22, 1945, Ukishima Maru was carrying 3,725 Korean labourers and their families from a military facility in the Aomori prefectureAomori Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region. The capital is the city of Aomori.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Aomori prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
, headed towards the Korean port of Busan
Busan
Busan , formerly spelled Pusan is South Korea's second largest metropolis after Seoul, with a population of around 3.6 million. The Metropolitan area population is 4,399,515 as of 2010. It is the largest port city in South Korea and the fifth largest port in the world...
. On the 24th, the ship entered the port of Maizuru, where the ship contacted an American naval mine, exploded and sank, killing 524 Koreans and 25 Japanese on board, according to Japanese government figures. However, the actual numbers of passengers and victims are unknown. The American and Japanese government both officially reported that the sea mine was the cause of explosion.
The Korean view
Koreans, both the SouthSouth Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
and the North, view this incident as a deliberate Japanese war crime committed by the Japanese government of the time
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
to conceal information about the Japanese military base. This view was illustrated in the 2001 North Korean film Souls Protest
Souls Protest
Souls Protest is a 2000 North Korean film directed by Kim Chun-song. The film is an epic dramatisation of the Ukishima Maru incident in which hundreds of Koreans were killed when the ship was sunk by a mysterious explosion, and supports the Korean view that the explosion was deliberately set off...
.
80 South Koreans, survivors and relatives of the victims of the incident, have filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government, seeking some 8 billion yen in compensation, an official apology and the remains of the victims that are kept in a shrine in Japan. On 2005, a South Korean man, claiming to be a survivor of the incident, told an internet-based news media (http://www.ohmynews.co.kr) that shortly before the explosion, most Japanese soldiers and officers left the vessel and also that the explosives were hidden inside the hull.
The Japanese Court Ruling
The Kyoto District Court has ordered, on August 27, 2001, the Japanese government to pay 45 million yen to 15 South Koreans, who are survivors and the relatives of the victims of the incident. The court ruled that the Japanese government had failed in its duty to transport passengers safely as a legal relation was established between the government and the passengers at that time.The court rejected, however, claims of the plaintiffs demanding official apologies and return of the remains of the victims.
The court also rejected claims of 65 plaintiffs on the ground that their relationship with the victims could not be established.