Islanders who suffered 1940s war atrocities on Guam get paid
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Joe Rosenthal/AP
FILE - In this Aug. 9, 1944 file photo, U.S. soldiers walk by a bombed out cemetery in Agana, Guam. The 1941 Japanese invasion of Guam, which happened on the same December day as the attack on Hawaii's Pearl Harbor, set off years of forced labor, internment, torture, rape and beheadings. Now, more than 75 years later, thousands of people on Guam, a U.S. territory, are expecting to get long-awaited compensation for their suffering at the hands of imperial Japan during World War II. (AP Photo/Joe Rosenthal, File)
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By ANITA HOFSCHNEIDER Associated Press
Posted at 12:50 PM, Feb 27, 2020
and last updated2020-02-27 15:50:58-05
HAGATÑA, Guam (AP) — More than 3,000 people on Guam are expecting to get long-awaited compensation from the U.S. government for their suffering at the hands of imperial Japan during World War II.
Japan invaded Guam in 1941 and occupied the U.S. territory for nearly three years. Now, payments of $10,000 to $25,000 will be made to those who underwent forced labor or internment, suffered severe injury or rape, or lost loved ones during that time.
The United States' 1951 peace treaty with Japan forgave Japan of the responsibility to pay Guam reparations. Instead, the compensation program is being funded with federal tax money normally reserved for Guam's government.
Joe Rosenthal/AP
FILE - In this August, 1944 file photo, people of Guam pour out of the hills into the Agana refugee camp. The 1941 Japanese invasion of Guam, which happened on the same December day as the attack on Hawaii's Pearl Harbor, set off years of forced labor, internment, torture, rape and beheadings. More than 75 years later, thousands of people on Guam, a U.S. territory, are expecting to get long-awaited compensation for their suffering at the hands of imperial Japan during World War II. (AP Photo/Joe Rosenthal, File)
Joe Rosenthal/AP
FILE - This Nov. 1, 1944 file photo shows the first religious service on Guam after U.S. landings are attended by soldiers, Nov. 1, 1944. An indigenous Chamorro serves as altar boy in this improvised hut. The 1941 Japanese invasion of Guam, which happened on the same December day as the attack on Hawaii's Pearl Harbor, set off years of forced labor, internment, torture, rape and beheadings. More than 75 years later, thousands of people on Guam, a U.S. territory, are expecting to get long-awaited compensation for their suffering at the hands of imperial Japan during World War II. (AP Photo/Joe Rosenthal, File)
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