27 March, 2019, the presentation of the next unique exhibit from the museum funds was held in the framework of the «Exhibit of the Month» project. Exhibits related to the history of the city, donated by residents and guests of the city, collected in the museum’s funds will be presented in the project. Exhibits change monthly.
This time part of the sailor uniform of the United Naval Forces of Japan during the Second World War of 1941–45 was presented. These are pants of a Japanese war prisoner.
According to the Karaganda regional archive on January 1, 1946, two sections of the camp for Japanese war prisoners designed for 1509 and 818 war prisoners situated in Temirtau city. The main camp was located on the right bank of the Samarkand reservoir.
Japanese war prisoners participated in the construction of the Synthetic Rubber factory, the Kazakh factory, Karaganda Hydro Power Station-1 and hydroelectric complex, built houses and roads.
Severe climatic conditions, hard work and malnutrition undermined prisoners' health. 27 Japanese citizens were buried on the territory of the Spassky camp.
In 1946 the repatriation of Japanese war prisoners began. In 1950, Spassk- Factory camp No. 99 was eliminated.
The memory of camps for Japanese war prisoners in Temirtau is perpetuated in the name of the gulf of the Samarkand reservoir - the Gulf of Japan.
«Exhibit of the Month» project was attended by the regional and city media and Orishchenko Valentina Yegorovna, who presented the museum an unique exhibit.
