Japan holds first memorial for ‘all workers’ at Sado gold mines but blurs WWII atrocity. Why?

Associated Press

SADO, Japan (AP) — Japan hs held a memorial ceremony near the Sado Island Gold Mines, listed in July as a UNESCO World Heritage site after the country moved past years of disputes with South Korea and reluctantly acknowledged the dark side of their history. At these mines, hundreds of Korean laborers were mobilized during World War II. Japanese officials paid tribute to “all workers” at the mines Sunday, but didn’t acknowledge or apologize for its use of Korean forced laborers — part of what critics call a persistent policy of whitewashing Japan’s history of sexual and labor exploitation before and during the war. South Korea’s government boycotted the memorial service.