U.S. Senate Approves Japanese Imperial
Army Disclosure Act
October 3, 2000

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Senate last night approved legislation authored by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to require the full disclosure of classified records and documents in the possession of the U.S. government regarding the activity of the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II.

The measure was included in the FY 2001 Intelligence Authorization Bill. The following is the Senator’s statement on the legislation:

“I am extremely pleased that the Senate approved this important legislation. I now hope that the House moves quickly to join us in approving the measure.

This legislation has been sought by a large number of Californians who believe that there is an effort to keep information about possible Japanese Imperial Army abuse of prisoners of war such as human experimentation with poisonous gas and germ warfare from the public record.

This legislation is needed because many of the records and documents regarding Japan's wartime activities remain classified and hidden in U.S. government archives and repositories. Even worse, according to some scholars, some of these records are now being inadvertently destroyed.

For the many U.S. Army veterans who were subject to these experiments in POW camps, as well as the many Chinese and other Asian civilians who were subjected to these experiments, the time has long since passed for the full truth to come out. Japan and the United States are now good friends and close allies. As friends, we can face the past together.

This legislation will establish, within 60 days after the enactment, the Japanese Imperial Army Records Interagency Working Group. The group will remain in existence for three years to locate, identify, inventory, recommend for classification, and make available to the public all classified Imperial Army records in the United States. It is to do so in coordination with other agencies, and to submit a report to Congress describing its activities.

It is my belief that the establishment of such an Interagency Working Group is the best way to make sure that the documents that need to be declassified will be declassified, and that this process will occur in an orderly and expeditious manner.

This legislation will help the victims of the Japanese Imperial Army, as well as their families and descendants gain information about what occurred fifty years ago. If old wounds are to heal, there must be a full accounting of what happened.

If the Asia-Pacific community is to move forward into the 21st Century it is necessary that we deal fully, fairly, and honestly with the past. It is only by doing so that we can avoid repeating the mistakes of the past and build a more just world for the future.

This legislation is intended to create an environment of honest dialogue and discussion in the Asia-Pacific region, so that the countries and people of the region can move beyond the problems that have plagued us for the past century, and work together to build a peaceful and prosperous Asian-Pacific community in the next century.”