在第二次世界大战中后期,日本三井集团为了保证军需品的产量,急于获得尽可能多的白人战俘劳工,因为他们具有较高的技术水平。数千美国士兵在菲律宾和其他地区投降后,被用船运送到日本本土,他们被迫在日本的矿山工作。在大牟田这个日本最大最危险的煤矿中,被当作奴隶一般使用的众多美军战俘遭受了残酷的虐待。 In the latter part of World War II, in order to ensure the production of military supplies, the Japanese Mitsui Group was anxious to get as many White POW workers as they could because of their high technical level. Thousands of U.S. soldiers were transported by ship to Japan after surrendering in the Philippines and elsewhere and were forced to work in mines in Japan. In Omuta, the largest and most dangerous coal mine in Japan, many U.S. prisoners of war who were generally used as slaves suffered cruel abuses.