Japan offered a "heartfelt apology" for the systematic mistreatment of Canadian prisoners during World War Two, helping to heal ties between the two nations, Ottawa said on Thursday. Thousands of Allied prisoners were forced by the Japanese Imperial Army to work as slave labourers during the war. Many were tortured or starved and died in captivity.
Canada said Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney and a group of veterans received the apology in Tokyo from Toshiyuki Kato, Japan's Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs. "This important gesture is a crucial step in ongoing reconciliation and a significant milestone in the lives of all prisoners of war," Blaney said in a statement. Around 1,600 Canadians were captured in December 1941 after the fall of Hong Kong.