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The Aso Mining Company in World War II: History and Japan's Would-Be Premier

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 May 2025

William Underwood
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Despite his recently failed third attempt to become prime minister, Aso Taro remains one of Japan's best-known and most influential politicians. The former foreign minister still aspires to the top post and in two books published earlier this year he has sketched a road map for the nation.

Japan the Tremendous, a bestseller written in a populist tone, highlights the peaceful nature of postwar Japan and calls the country a “fount of moral lessons” for Asia. Arc of Freedom and Prosperity: Japan's Expanding Diplomatic Horizons expatiates on Aso's tenure as foreign minister from October 2005 to August 2007.

Type
Part 2: Topics of Historical Memory in Japan
Information
Asia-Pacific Journal , Volume 11 , Special Issue S7: Course Reader No. 7. The Politics of Memory in Japan and East Asia , January 2013 , pp. 110 - 120
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2013

References

Endnotes

[1] Aso Hyakunen Shi. Iizuka, Fukuoka: Aso Cement Co., 1975.

[2] “Aso gaisho no kankei kaisha, choyosha ikotsu joho teikyo sezu, Kankoku de hihan” Yomiuri Shimbun online (Kyushu edition), Dec. 24, 2005.

[3] “Japan FM family firm in spotlight.” BBC News online. Nov. 30, 2005. Available. It should be noted that the Aso spokesman likely used the term “choyo” (best translated as labor “conscription”), not “kyosei renko” (best translated as “forced labor”).

[4] “Aso gaisho no shinzoku kigyo, tanko shikichinai no Chosenjin ikotsu 6 tai wo henkan” Yomiuri Shimbun online (Kyushu edition), Feb. 28, 2006. See also “Firm of Aso's father returned remains of 6 Korean workers to kin.” Kyodo News International online, Feb. 28. 2006. Available.

[5] This account of Korean remains at the Aso Yoshikuma charnel house (Japanese version here) is based on an unpublished manuscript, “Human Remains at the Aso Yoshikuma Coal Mine,” received from Hayashi Eidai in July 2006 and follow-up conversations with him. Hayashi prepared the manuscript for possible use by a Japanese Diet member during an interpellation session, but the issue has never been raised in the Diet.