North Korea has called for an apology, compensation, and investigation to be carried out for the Koreans who lost their lives during the air raid on Tokyo, the capital of Japan, conducted by the United States in 1945. It is claimed that Koreans were buried in different locations without their identities being investigated, and that their bodies were later unearthed and used in horrifying and unethical experiments.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), a statement was made regarding the “Tokyo Bombing” of 1945 by the North Korea Association, founded by Korean workers and families forcibly employed during Japan’s colonial rule on the Korean Peninsula. The statement highlighted that during the air raid on March 10, 1945, where 275 B-29 aircrafts loaded with napalm bombs bombed Tokyo, the Japanese administration detained groups of Koreans who were subjected to inhumane treatment, humiliation, and forced to work in dangerous and arduous tasks, resulting in the death of many during the attacks.

“100 THOUSAND OF OUR CITIZENS WERE KILLED” The statement, claiming that approximately 100 thousand people, 10% of whom were Koreans, lost their lives in the air raid, alleged that the identities of the deceased Koreans were not investigated and they were buried in different locations. It further claimed that their bodies were later unearthed and used in horrifying and unethical experiments. The statement called on Japan to apologize and pay compensation to the families of the Koreans who lost their lives in the attack.

“EVEN AFTER DEATH, THEY COULD NOT RETURN TO THEIR LOVED ONES” The statement requested a full investigation into the remains of the victims and for the results to be made public. It stated, “The Korean victims could not return to their homeland, where their loved ones, mothers, fathers, spouses, and children were waiting for them even after death. This tragic fate is a direct result of the Japanese imperialists’ occupation of Korea and the abduction of Koreans.”