Family Quote by George Weller
““The owner of the coal mines, Baron Takaharu Mitsui (1900–1983), a graduate of Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and world famous as a philatelist, was head of one of the two most powerful industrial families in Japan (along with Mitsubishi), and among the wealthiest men in the country. His mines produced half of its coal, though those at Omuta had been closed down in the 1920s as unsafe. He was well aware of the work and living conditions of the POWs, having visited the camp several times in his open touring car. Like other companies that used Allied prisoners as slave labor—Mitsubishi, Nippon Steel, Kawasaki—Mitsui paid the Japanese army a leasing fee per prisoner of two yen per day (above the average Japanese daily income), and the army kept the money. Though the prisoners were supposedly being paid a wage that was a minuscule fraction of this, very few ever received anything.””
About This Quote
Source Historical Account: WWII POW Labor, Mitsui Coal Mines, 1940s
The passage describes how Mitsui and other Japanese firms exploited Allied POWs as slave labor, paying the army a fee while offering prisoners negligible wages, highlighting wartime corporate complicity and human rights abuses.
In simple terms: Japanese firms used POWs for cheap labor, paying the army while giving prisoners almost nothing.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and condemn corporate exploitation of vulnerable workers.
Themes
war ethics
human rights
corporate responsibility
historical memory
Mood
somber
reflective
critical
Type
historical
informative
ethical
When to use this quote
- museum exhibit
- history lesson
- human rights advocacy
- corporate policy review
Key Concepts
exploitation
complicity
wartime economy
Questions to Reflect On
- How did corporate leaders justify using POW labor?
- What mechanisms allowed such exploitation to continue?
A Different Perspective
The narrative may overlook broader economic pressures on companies during wartime.
