20 Jun 2017

Reparation offered for those affected by Guam's WWII occupation

5:50 pm on 20 June 2017
Japanese military officers watch over Chamorro workers at a rice field in Guam. During the occupation in WWII, much of Guam's population was subjected to forced labour.

Japanese military officers watch over Chamorro workers at a rice field in Guam. During the occupation in WWII, much of Guam's population was subjected to forced labour. Photo: US National Parks Service

The United States government has begun accepting applications for compensation to Guamanians who suffered under Japanese occupation in World War II.

The payments are part of a bill signed into law by then-President Barack Obama in December, ending a decades-long battle for reparations.

Guam was seized from the US by Japanese forces in 1941, and the island's population was subjected to so called culture alignment, forced labour, beheadings, rape and torture until the island was recaptured in 1944.

An estimated 10 percent of Guam's population was killed during the 30-month occupation.

Guam's delegate to Congress in Washington, Madeleine Bordallo, said the funding has been set aside in the 2017 defence budget for the island, which hosts several bases.

Ms Bordallo said victims and their descendants can claim between US$10,000 and US$25,000, and have until the end of June next year to submit a claim.