The California State Assembly approved a bill (AB619) Aug. 25 requiring bidders for an estimated 4 trillion yen high-speed railway project to release information on their transportation of prisoners-of-war during World War II. As the California State Senate earlier approved the bill, it is set to become law if the governor signs it.
As a precondition for participating in the tender for the high-speed railway construction project, the bill stipulates that rail companies that transported POWs during World War II must disclose information on whether they still keep records of that activity and whether they paid compensation after the war.
East Japan Railway Co. (JR East), a member of a corporate alliance that intends to participate in the tender in a bid to sell its Shinkansen bullet train system, could be subject to the law.(Source: Mainichi Daily News, Aug 27, 2010).