4. During the wartime, the Japanese Government had declared to have giant reserve to support the issue of the Military Yens. This declaration could not be rebutted.
5. In legal sense, the Japanese Government failed to declare the abandonment
of the Military Yens as what a government, being a currency issuer, should
have complied.
Taken from: http://www.cnd.org/NJMassacre/index.html
6. it was unlawful for the Japanese Government to declare the useless of the Military Yens on 6 September 1945. The reasons are as follows:
a) The declaration had not made known to the Asians.
b) Even when the declaration was announced on 6 September, 1945, a Taiwanese
still deposited 10,000 Military Yens into the post security on 20
October 1945, Further, on 11 June 1996, the Japanese Government had settle
the debts concerning the Military Yens with the Taiwan Government.
c) On 4 March 1997,a senator declared the abandonment of the Military Yens
since 6 September 1945. However, this only concerns with Japan only, not the
other countries.
7. Limitary Yens equal to cash. There is a responsibility upon the issuer.
8. Military Yens are private property; it has no dealings with the treaty between governments.
9. The Japanese Government still exists; therefore, she
could not evade her
liability and responsibility to the Military yens.
Taken from: http://www.cnd.org/NJMassacre/index.html
For the past thirty odds years, our association has continuously been requesting the Japanese Government to exchange back the Military Yens. On 13 August 1993, the case of the 'Military Yens' was put on court in Japan. After 28 times of court trial, on 17-06-99, the Japanese Court gave the verdict that she admitted there was tremendous harm done to the Hong Kong citizens during the war, however, since there was no compensation law in Japan, the court turned down our claims for the compensation and exchange of 'Military Yens''.
We have in hands the concrete evidence, i.e. the Military Yens, which were forced to exchange. Therefore, it should be an issue of 'exchange, not reparation.
The Japanese Government should handle the matter in the same
way as in Taiwan. The debt should be settled, and there should not be a double
standard in discriminalizing the Hong Kong citizens, or even distracting and
misleading the justice.
The Japanese still exists as the economic giant in the world. In order to
safeguard her reputation, we hope you could urge the government to exchange
the Military Yens from us. Thanks for your kind attention. We hope you could
look at this matter.
Hong Kong Reparation Association
President: Ng Yat Hing
Vice President: Ho Dat Man
Chow Bing
*This web site is made for reference only and contains absolutely no commercial meaning.
A sympathetic and
unjust incident, which is unforgettable and still remains
unsolved. In winter 1941 the Japanese Army invaded and occupied Hong Kong,
Then she coerced the Hong Kong citizen to exchange their life saving including
cash, foreign currencies, gold and property for Japanese Military
Yen which was announced to be the only legal tender. The circulation
of other currency, including Hong Kong and foreign banknotes, were prohibited.
Serious or even capital punishment would be entailed upon violation. The
Japanese troops squeezed all the money and property from the Hong Kong citizens.
In autumn 1945, the Japanese Army retreated from Hong Kong. They had not
re-exchanged the Military Yens, which were then left as useless papers.
The holders of the Military Yens were suddenly turned to live in poverty,
bankruptcy or even beggars. What the troops left was only the disparity
and pain to the victims. We have been, acting on behalf of all the war victims
in Hong Kong, to claim, against the Japanese Government for the 'exchange'
of the Military yens. However, despite our endless claims and lawsuits,
our requests are still unmet. There are solid facts and evidence that these
Military Yens ought to be exchanged:
Taken from: http://www.cnd.org/NJMassacre/index.html
1. There were still Military Yens in hands of the Hong Kong citizens who are requesting for 'exchange' not compensation. It is a deception to issue legal tender without take up the responsibility as an issuer.
2. There is no connection between the signed Sun Francisco
Treaty and our request for exchange. The treaty did not mention about the
issue of Military Yens. In addition, it was the Japanese troops that forced
us the citizens to exchange the yens, it had nothing with the British.
3. On the back of each Military Yens is the wordings of 'legal tender' which guarantee its legal circulation and acceptability as made by the Japanese Government.