At the end of World War II, the former Soviet Army seized 600,000 Japanese soldiers and held them in forced labor camps.
Most were kept in Siberia, but about 25,000 were taken to Uzbekistan. They were forced to work in coal mines, and on major building projects in the capital, Tashkent.
Their story has inspired one man in the central Asian country, who has made a documentary about this little-known chapter of history.
[url]http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/worldupdate/20160216.html[/URL]