By 1943, the shortage of labour had become a pressing problem in Japan. The following account is by a Japanese sent to Changchou to pick up Chinese labourers for transportation to Japan.
When I asked the commander of the Changchou region how the labourers had been gathered, he said they had been forcibly captured. The next day 50 of them were tied up with cord, and I led them on a two-kilometre march to the railway station, flanked by soldiers with bayonets. Among those watching this march were people who glared at me in anger and women with their hands pressed together who seemed to be mothers. When the freight train stuffed with labourers started off, these mothers cried, hitting the platform with both hands.
These labourers were sent to coal mines.
一九四三年，日本勞工短缺，已是嚴重問題。一個日本人奉命到常州，領取一批中國工人，準備送往日本。以下是他的記述：
我問常州區指揮官怎樣得到那些工人，他說是靠武力俘虜。第二天，五十個工人全部用繩綁着，由我率領，步行往兩公里外的火車站，兩旁有士兵手執刺刀隨行。望着我們前行的人群之中，有些恨恨的瞪着我，也有些看來是母親的女人，雙手互握。塞滿工人的貨運列車離站時，那些母親哭起來，用手拍打月臺。
那些工人被送到煤礦場工作。