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| It's a long road... Posted: 27 Jun 2007 03:03 AM CDT |
| Asked for apology, Japan plays for time in sex slavery standoff Posted: 27 Jun 2007 02:40 AM CDT New York Times - Even before a United States Congressional panel overwhelmingly passed a resolution on Tuesday urging Japan to apologize for its wartime sex slavery, the Japanese government said it would have no comment. But the vote of 39 to 2 by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs has set the stage for an adoption by the full House of Representatives next month, at which point Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will face pressure to respond in some way or another. Already Abe, who initially said Japan would not apologize even if the resolution passed, has quieted his defiance in a bid to minimize its impact. In a news conference before the vote, Abe said he had no comment on the resolution, saying only that ties between Japan and the United States were "unshakable."
The nonbinding resolution, which was spearheaded by Michael M. Honda, Democrat of California, calls on Japan to take responsibility in "a clear and unequivocal manner for its Imperial Armed Forces' coercion of young women into sexual slavery."
Tom Lantos, a California Democrat who heads the committee, said that Japan's refusal to apologize formally was "disturbing to all who value" relations between the United States and Japan.
"Post-war Germany made the right choice," Lantos said. "Japan, on the other hand, has actively promoted historical amnesia. The facts are plain: there can be no denying that the Japanese Imperial military coerced thousands upon thousands of women, primarily Chinese and Koreans, into sexual slavery during the war."
In a statement, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she looked forward to passing the resolution in the House and "sending a strong message that we will not forget the horrors endured by the comfort women," the euphemism used in Japan for the sex slaves.
The resolution began gathering support in early March after Abe, who had led a movement to revise Japan's wartime history through his political career, denied the military's direct role in coercing women into sex slavery and said he would not apologize even if the resolution were passed.
After his remarks caused a furor in Asia and the United States, Abe softened his remarks, trying to placate foreign critics and his right-wing base at home.
In his first visit to Washington as prime minister in April, Abe vaguely expressed sympathy for the former sex slaves while carefully avoiding taking any historical responsibility. President Bush, in an attempt to help Abe overcome this issue, said he accepted his apology. |
| Japan says U.S. sex slave resolution won't harm ties Posted: 27 Jun 2007 02:31 AM CDT Reuters - Japan said on Wednesday that its ties with Washington would not be shaken by a U.S. Congressional move to seek an apology for forcing women to serve as sex slaves during World War Two. The non-binding resolution introduced by Japanese-American lawmaker Mike Honda was approved 39 to 2 by the House of Representatives' International Relations Committee on Tuesday and is expected to pass to the full house.
"Japan-U.S. ties are unshakable. That will not change in the future," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki told a news conference.
Shiozaki said Japan would not comment on proceedings in another country's legislature, a stock response apparently aimed at keeping a lid on emotions over the sensitive issue.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe caused an uproar in March when he said there was no proof that the government or the military had forced thousands of women, mostly Asian, into sexual servitude.
He has since apologized to the "comfort women," as the sex slaves are euphemistically known in Japan, and reiterated that he stood by a 1993 government statement acknowledging official involvement in the management of the brothels.
"The prime minister explained his views when he visited the United States in April," Shiozaki said, referring to Abe's apology at a summit with U.S. President George W. Bush.
"BLAME THE VICTIM"
The House committee's chairman, Tom Lantos, called Japan one of the United States' "closest partners in the world."
But he criticized persistent attempts by some conservative Japanese politicians to deny official involvement.
"The continued efforts by some in Japan to distort history and play a game of blame-the-victim are also highly disturbing," Lantos said during the committee's debate.
A group of Japanese lawmakers and commentators placed an advertisement in the Washington Post this month, stating that the women had worked as licensed prostitutes -- a stance Lantos termed "a ludicrous assertion totally counter to the facts."
A group of Japanese activists supporting former sex slaves welcomed the U.S. resolution.
"The women ... have been constantly attacked and abused by the repeated denial from ministers, high ranking officials and professors," the group said in a statement.
Historians say thousands of women -- by one estimate as many as 200,000 -- were taken to frontline brothels to provide sex for Japanese soldiers.
The Congressional panel's passage of the resolution comes at a time when some analysts see a possible rift between Tokyo and Washington over their North Korea policy following last week's surprise visit to Pyongyang by a top U.S. envoy.
Signs of progress towards getting North Korea to abandon its nuclear arms program have put pressure on Japan to change its stern stance toward Pyongyang.
But Abe has said Tokyo would not provide aid to the North without progress in a dispute over Japanese citizens kidnapped decades ago by Pyongyang's agents. |
| Rights groups hail U.S. vote on 'comfort women' resolution Posted: 27 Jun 2007 02:26 AM CDT Kyodo News - Human rights groups welcomed Tuesday the passage by a U.S. House of Representatives committee of a resolution seeking an apology from Japan for the sexual exploitation of Asian women by the Japanese military during World War II. The 39-2 vote in the House Foreign Affairs Committee paves the way for a vote on the measure in the full House, which sponsor Mike Honda said could come in the second or third week of July. The global human rights watchdog Amnesty International applauded the vote and urged the House as a whole to pass the measure.
In a statement, the group called the pressing of women into sexual servitude by the Japanese imperial army "crimes against humanity."
"Amnesty International urges nations across the world to follow the U.S. Congress's lead and put pressure on the Japanese government to ensure that survivors receive full reparation including restitution, compensation and rehabilitation," T. Kumar, Amnesty International USA advocacy director for Asia and the Pacific, said in the statement.
The 121 Coalition, an umbrella group for organizations who support reparations for victims, welcomed the vote and called on House leaders to schedule a full vote on the resolution as soon as possible.
Passage of the resolution "will send an important message to the government of Japan that the remaining comfort women survivors deserve justice and the restoration of their fundamental dignity," the coalition said in a statement.
Rights groups have pressed the Japanese government to act quickly on the issue, pointing to the advanced age and dwindling numbers of women who were forced to work in the military-run brothels during the 1930s and World War II.
A separate coalition comprised of women's rights and humanitarian groups cited the need for urgency in a statement lauding Tuesday's vote.
"The Japanese government must apologize and make reparations when there are 'comfort women' victims still here with us today," the statement said.
That coalition also called on Japan to teach future generations about the comfort women issue in order to prevent a "war crime like this" from happening again.
Sponsors of the measure are hopeful the bill will pass a vote in the full House, which unlike during previous attempts to pass similar legislation, is now under the control of Democrats.
The measure has the support of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who called Tuesday's vote "a strong statement in support of human rights."
"I look forward to the House of Representatives passing this resolution and sending a strong message that we will not forget the horrors endured by the comfort women," Pelosi said in a statement.
The measure has garnered strong support among both Democrats and Republicans, despite the repeated insistence by Tokyo that the issue has been sufficiently addressed and a warning by Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ryozo Kato that passing the resolution would harm U.S.-Japan ties.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has previously offered an apology for the suffering endured by the women. He has also repeated that he stands by a 1993 official statement acknowledging and apologizing over the matter.
Abe came under fire earlier this year when he appeared to doubt the Japanese military's use of coercion in recruiting women to work in the brothels, although he later expressed regret about misunderstandings over his remarks and reiterated his sympathy for the victims.
The Bush administration has taken a noncommittal stance on the resolution, calling it a matter for Congress to decide. During a visit by Abe to the United States in April, Bush called the comfort women issue "a regrettable chapter in the history of the world" but said he accepted Abe's apology. |
| Some Japanese-Americans fear for 'comfort women' resolution fallout Posted: 27 Jun 2007 02:19 AM CDT Kyodo News - As a U.S. House committee passed a resolution Tuesday seeking Japan's apology over the sexual exploitation of Asian women during World War II, some members of the Japanese-Americans community expressed concern for the unpredictable impact such a resolution may have on U.S.-Japan relations. "We do believe that it is important that (neither) this issue nor any other issue have a negative impact on U.S.-Japan relations," said Irene Hirano, executive director and president of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.
Hirano made the remark at a New York meeting Monday between leaders of Japanese-American community and Japanese government missions, including Sen. Daniel Inouye, a Hawaii Democrat, and Japan's Ambassador to the United States Ryozo Kato. The meeting, fourth of its kind, was launched in 2003.
"We are oftentimes the first to be impacted when there is a negative relationship between our two countries," Hirano said, adding that the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese-Americans during World War II was the "direct impact" of the worsening relations between the two.
Citing a more recent example, Hirano said the murder of Chinese American Vincent Chin in the early 1980s stemmed from trade frictions between Japan and the United States. Chin, who was mistaken for a Japanese at a Detroit bar, was beaten to death by two white autoworkers frustrated by the declining industry.
"We are very concerned about issues that might negatively impact our relationship because we feel there is a personal and direct impact that we face," Hirano said.
The House Resolution 121 was submitted in January by Rep. Michael Honda, a California Democrat, and some Republicans. It urges the Japanese prime minister to offer an official and unequivocal apology to the victims, known euphemistically in Japan as "comfort women."
Historians say up to 200,000 young women, mostly from Korea but also from China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan, were forced to work in brothels used by the Japanese military.
The issue grabbed the renewed spotlight earlier this year when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe voiced doubts about the Japanese military's involvement in coercive recruitment of such women.
Abe later said he will stand by the 1993 statement issued by then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono that stated that the women were often recruited against their will.
Not all Japanese-American organizations have sided with Tokyo's argument against the passage of the resolution. For example, the Japanese American Citizens League Chicago Chapter adopted a resolution in April formalizing its support for the House resolution.
"I don't think this will significantly impact the Japan-U.S. relations...if anything, it's going to help strengthen them," said Won Kyung Lee, executive director of the Korean American League for Civic Action who has reached out to many Japanese-American organizations in the process of garnering support for the resolution.
Lee said offering unequivocal apology to the aging victims will help improve Japan's relations with its neighbors and will also help increase its standing in the world.
"It's not a personal attack against the Japanese government or the people or Japanese-Americans. I don't think this passage will negatively affect the Japanese-Americans community because we don't look at it as 'us against you.' It's a larger issue...it's more of a global, human rights issue," Lee said.
Now that the committee has voted in favor of the resolution, attention will shift to whether it will be put to a vote on the full floor of the House, with Honda saying the resolution could be voted on possibly in mid-July. |
| Japan shuns US pressure for 'comfort women' apology Posted: 27 Jun 2007 02:15 AM CDT AFP - Japan on Wednesday brushed aside growing pressure from US lawmakers for a fresh apology for Tokyo's wartime sexual enslavement of an estimated 200,000 women. "Our government stance has been clarified on many occasions, including (during) our prime minister's visit to the United States in April," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki told a news conference. "I don't think we want to add more than that."
By an overwhelming 39 votes to two, the House of Representatives foreign affairs committee on Tuesday passed a resolution calling for an "unambiguous" apology from Japan for the mass coercion of "comfort women" into army brothels.
The vote was met with warm applause in a committee room packed with people, including surviving Korean comfort women. The resolution now goes to a vote in the full House, which could come as early as mid-July.
Abe sparked controversy in March by saying there was no evidence the imperial army directly coerced thousands of women into brothels across Asia during World War II.
He has since stressed he stands by Japan's landmark 1993 apology to the women and expressed his sympathy for the women during his US visit in April.
"I already stated my view when I recently visited the United States," Abe told reporters Tuesday ahead of the US vote.
Asked about the impact the lawmakers' moves could have on bilateral ties, Abe said: "I am convinced that the Japan-US relations are unshakable as an indispensable alliance."
But critics say he has not taken back his initial remarks. Some 44 Japanese lawmakers, including those close to Abe, took out a full-page advertisement in The Washington Post earlier this month denying Japan's military forced the women into sexual slavery. |
| Tokyo has apologized repeatedly: Japanese media Posted: 27 Jun 2007 02:16 AM CDT Kyodo News - The U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee overwhelmingly passed a resolution Tuesday demanding an apology from Japan over the sexual exploitation of young women in the Asia-Pacific region by the Japanese military during World War II. The nonbinding resolution was approved by 39-2. Rep. Michael Honda, a California Democrat of Japanese descent, and some Republicans submitted in January the resolution about the women, known euphemistically in Japan as "comfort women."
"What they said today in their vote was that, yes, there were victims, there were women who were used as sex slaves, yes, there was a systematic military program that captured, coerced women and girls to be used as sex slaves," Honda told reporters after the passage of the resolution.
"It is time that the Japanese government approach and acknowledge, take full responsibility and apologize in an unambiguous, formal way," he said.
The passage comes despite Tokyo's claim that Japanese prime ministers have repeatedly offered apologies over the issue. Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ryozo Kato has warned that the passage of what he says is a factually unfounded resolution would harm otherwise sound Japan-U.S. relations.
Now that the committee has voted in favor of the resolution, attention has shifted to whether it will be put to a vote on the full floor of the House, with Honda being upbeat on the resolution's passage through the full chamber soon.
"This resolution will go to the floor as a whole, and it'll probably be done the second or third week of July, hopefully," he told reporters, adding that given the 39-2 vote, the resolution "will have a good chance of being passed."
The resolution drew about 140 co-sponsors from both Democratic and Republican parties, which urges the Japanese prime minister to "formally acknowledge, apologize and accept historical responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner" for the sexual mistreatment of the former comfort women.
"It is a resolution that seeks admission of a horrible truth in order that this horror may never be perpetrated again," said Tom Lantos, chairman of the committee.
Its passage followed deliberations on proposed changes in wording to somewhat soften the demand for an apology and also added a line to note the importance of Japan-U.S. relations. The changes were proposed by Lantos and ranking member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
Similar resolutions have been submitted to Congress four times. The last resolution won committee-level approval last September, but a full vote by the lower chamber was blocked by the then majority Republican Party.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has previously offered an apology for the suffering endured by the women. He has also repeated that he stands by a 1993 official statement acknowledging and apologizing over the matter.
Abe came under fire earlier this year when appeared to doubt the Japanese military's coercion in connection with the women for the brothels for its soldiers.
During his visit to the United States in April, Abe expressed regret about misunderstandings over his remarks and reiterated that he feels sorry for the women who suffered.
The U.S. State Department took a noncommittal stance on the comfort women resolution, with spokesman Tom Casey saying merely that it is "up to our Congress. They're a separate branch of government, and they'll look at things as they see fit."
"In terms of U.S. policy on this, look, the president spoke to this issue when the prime minister was here and as far as the administration's concerned I think he's made our policy views clear on that," he told reporters.
During Abe's visit, President George W. Bush said the comfort women issue "is a regrettable chapter in the history of the world and I accept the prime minister's apology." |
| Comfort women resolution full text Posted: 27 Jun 2007 02:07 AM CDT Kyodo News - The following is the text of the resolution on "comfort women" passed through the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Tuesday. Whereas the government of Japan, during its colonial and wartime occupation of Asia and the Pacific Islands from the 1930s through the duration of World War II, officially commissioned the acquisition of young women for the sole purpose of sexual servitude to its Imperial Armed Forces, who became known to the world as ianfu of "comfort women;"
Whereas the "comfort women" system of forced military prostitution by the government of Japan, considered unprecedented in its cruelty and magnitude, included gang rape, forced abortions, humiliation, and sexual violence resulting in mutilation, death, or eventual suicide in one of the largest cases of human trafficking in the 20th century;
Whereas some new textbooks used in Japanese schools seek to downplay the "comfort women" tragedy and other Japanese war crimes during World War II;
Whereas Japanese public and private officials have recently expressed a desire to dilute or rescind the 1993 statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono on the "comfort women," which expressed the government's sincere apologies and remorse for their ordeal;
Whereas the government of Japan did sign the 1921 International Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Women and Children and supported the 2000 United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security which recognized the unique impact of armed conflict on women;
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Whereas the House of Representatives commends Japan's efforts to promote human security, human rights, democratic values, and rule of law, as well as for being a supporter of Security Council Resolution 1325;
Whereas the United States-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of United States security interests in Asia and the Pacific and is fundamental to regional stability and prosperity;
Whereas, despite the changes in the post-Cold War strategic landscape the United States-Japan alliance continues to be based on shared vital interests and values in the Asia-Pacific region, including the preservation and promotion of political and economic freedoms, support for human rights and democratic institutions, and the securing of prosperity for the people of both countries and the international community;
Whereas the House of Representatives commends those Japanese officials and private citizens whose hard work and compassion resulted in the establishment in 1995 of Japan's private Asian Women's Fund;
Whereas the Asian Women's Fund has raised $5,700,000 to extend "atonement" from the Japanese people to the comfort women; and
Whereas the mandate of the Asian Women's Fund, a government-initiated and largely government-funded private foundation whose purpose was the carrying out of programs and projects with the aim of atonement for the mistreatment and suffering of the "comfort women," comes to an end on March 31, 2007, and the fund is to be disbanded as that date: Now, therefore, be it
That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the government of Japan
(1) should formally acknowledge, apologize, and accept historical responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner for its Imperial Armed Forces' coercion of young women into sexual slavery, known to the world as "comfort women," during its colonial and wartime occupation of Asia and the Pacific Islands from the 1930s through the duration of World War II;
(2) would help to resolve recurring questions about the sincerity and status of prior statements if the prime minister of Japan were to make such an apology as a public statement in his official capacity;
(3) should clearly and publicly refute any claims that the sexual enslavement and trafficking of the "comfort women" for the Japanese Imperial Armed Forces never occurred; and
(4) should educate current and future generations about this horrible crime while following the recommendations of the international community with respect to the "comfort women." |
| U.S. House Committee Passes 'Comfort Women' Resolution Posted: 27 Jun 2007 02:04 AM CDT Chosun - The U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday passed a resolution denouncing Japan's sexual enslavement of Asian women during World War II.
Submitted by Rep. Michael Honda, a California Democrat of Japanese descent, the resolution urges Japan to acknowledge and apologize for enslaving the so-called "comfort women".
Immediately after the committee meeting opened, some 10 representatives scrambled to voice support for the resolution.
According to the resolution, the Japanese government was involved in the conscription of Asian women as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers until World War II ended. The resolution also says the Japanese military forced sex slaves to have abortions and humiliated them to the point of suicide.
Although it is not binding, if it passes an upcoming plenary session of the House the resolution would likely put intense pressure on the Japanese government to overcome its reluctance in admitting to and apologizing for the enslavement of the comfort women. |
| U.S. house panel passes resolution on "comfort women" Posted: 27 Jun 2007 02:02 AM CDT Xinhua - A U.S. House panel overwhelmingly passed a bill on Tuesday, urging Japan to acknowledge formally and accept responsibility for the sexual exploitation of "comfort women" by the Japanese military during World War II. The measure, passed on a 39-2 vote in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is now allowed to proceed to a full House vote. The passage was greeted by cheers from supporters of bill who crowded the room of House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The Amnesty International applauded the vote, and urged the full House to pass the measure.
"Amnesty International urges nations across the world to follow the U.S. Congress's lead and put pressure on the Japanese government to ensure that survivors receive full reparation including restitution, compensation and rehabilitation," according to a statement from the organization.
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), said the H.R. 121 resolution "seeks admission of the horrible truth, in order that this horror may never be perpetrated again."
He criticized the Japanese government for continuously promoting "historical amnesia," although "the facts are plain."
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.), says the " government of Japan should formally acknowledge, apologize and accept historical responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner for its Imperial Armed Forces' coercion of young women into sexual slavery, known to the world as 'comfort women.'"
It also urges the Japanese Prime Minister to make a public apology, calling on the Japanese government to refute any claims that the episode never happened and wanting future generations to be told of "this horrible crime."
After Tuesday's vote, attention will shift to whether the bill will be put to a vote on the full floor of the House.
Honda said the resolution could be voted on in the full House in mid-July.
An estimated 200,000 women were forced to serve as sex slaves, known as "comfort women," for Japanese forces during World War II, and most of them came from countries invaded by Japan at that time.
However, many Japanese politicians have been constantly denying the crime.
Earlier this month, a group of Japanese politicians and academics put an ad in The Washington Post, saying there is no proof women were forced into sexual enslavement.
The move backfired and sparked furors in many Asian countries and Asian communities in the United States.
U.S. congressional sources said after the incident, many U.S. lawmakers who were ambivalent about the resolution now support it.
Honda said the resolution now has over 140 cosponsors in the House.
"Now there is more support for the measure than ever," said a congressional source, who asked not to be quoted by name.
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| US lawmakers want apology for sex slaves Posted: 27 Jun 2007 02:00 AM CDT AP — A congressional panel on Tuesday endorsed overwhelmingly a resolution urging Japan to apologize formally for coercing thousands of women to work as sex slaves for its World War II military. The 39-2 approval by the Foreign Affairs Committee allows the measure to be considered by the full House. A large crowd of supporters applauded and cheered after the lawmakers' vote. Japan "has actively promoted historical amnesia; the facts are plain," the committee's chairman, Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., said. This resolution "seeks admission of the horrible truth, in order that this horror may never be perpetrated again."
More than 140 lawmakers from both political parties have agreed to co-sponsor the nonbinding resolution, which urges Japan to "formally acknowledge, apologize and accept historical responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner" for the suffering of so-called "comfort women" during the 1930s and 1940s.
While popular among U.S. lawmakers, the resolution has caused unease in Japan. Officials there say their country's prime ministers have apologized repeatedly — including during Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Washington in April — for the Imperial Japanese Army's forcing of women to work in military brothels during World War II.
Abe said Tuesday he was not in a position to comment on a decision by Congress. But he told reporters that he was "convinced that Japan-U.S. ties remain unshakable."
In Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki suggested there would be no further apology from the government on the wartime brothels, despite the passage of the resolution by the House committee.
"The alliance between the U.S. and Japan is irreplaceable. There is no change at all to the fact that the Japan-U.S. relation will continue to be unshakable," Shiozaki said.
The State Department did not take a position on the bill. Spokesman Tom Casey said that the resolution is "up to our Congress. It's a separate branch of government; they'll have to look at things as they see fit."
Some U.S. lawmakers questioned the resolution.
"I wonder how many times we expect a government to apologize for the sins of an imperial government of the past," Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo said. "Asking the Japanese government to take historical responsibility for atrocities of the defunct imperial-era government is somewhat counterproductive and unfair to the people of Japan."
Critics contend that, despite the apologies, Japan has never assumed responsibility fully for the treatment of the women.
In Australia, Jan Ruff O'Herne, an 84-year-old former Dutch colonist born in Java who now lives in Adelaide, said she hoped Japan would finally apologize to her and thousands of other women forced to work as so-called comfort women.
"This is a step in the right direction," O'Herne said after the House committee vote. "I'm full of hope. It would be fantastic for the comfort women, late in our lives and after all these years, to get this finalized with an apology."
People across Asia and the United States, including conservative supporters of Japan in Congress, were infuriated at Abe's suggestion in March that no proof existed that the military had coerced women into brothels. U.S. officials later said Abe's subsequent public statements supporting a 1993 government apology were convincing.
Japan acknowledged in the 1990s that its military set up and ran brothels for its troops. It has rejected most compensation claims, saying they were settled by postwar treaties.
The Asian Women's Fund, created in 1995 by the Japanese government but run independently and financed by private donations, has provided a way for Japan to compensate former sex slaves without offering official government compensation. Many comfort women have rejected the fund.
Supporters of the resolution want an apology similar to the one the U.S. government gave to Japanese-Americans forced into internment camps during World War II. That apology was approved by Congress and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1988.
Historians say up to 200,000 women were forced to have sex with millions of Japanese soldiers during the war.
In February, three elderly former comfort women testified to a congressional panel of their rape, torture and humiliation by Japanese soldiers during the war.
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| Australian government urged to make Japan apologize Posted: 27 Jun 2007 01:56 AM CDT News.com.au - The Australian Government should demand Japan formally apologise for forcing women into sex slavery during World War II, an Australian "comfort woman" says. Jan Ruff O'Herne, 84, said today she hoped Japan would restore her dignity by formally apologising to her and as many as 200,000 other women forced to work as so-called comfort women for Japan's WWII military. A US congressional panel overnight overwhelmingly endorsed a resolution urging Japan to apologise for coercing the women to work as sex slaves during the war.
More than 140 US politicians from both parties co-sponsored the non-binding resolution urging Japan to "formally acknowledge, apologise and accept historical responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner" for the suffering of comfort women.
Ms O'Herne, who travelled to Washington in February to give testimony to the panel of her repeated rape by Japanese soldiers, hoped the Australian Government would make a similar demand.
"It does put pressure onto Japan and I'm hoping that the Australian Government will also come to support this comfort women issue," she said today, noting Canadian and Dutch governments were making similar demands.
"If it comes from more governments, it will put more pressure on Japan. They can't just deny, it's like denying the Holocaust - this happened and they should take responsibility for their actions, which they have never done."
The Adelaide woman said the US resolution gave her hope of a Japanese apology.
"It (a formal apology) would be terrific for the so-called comfort women because we all are getting old and later in life it would be wonderful to get this apology," Ms O'Herne said.
"It would mean a lot ... it would give us back our dignity. And the important thing is it would send a message to the whole world that rape in war is a war crime and should be punished as such."
Lobby group Friends of Comfort Women in Australia today welcomed the US resolution.
"Now the Government of Japan has unprecedented international pressure to right the wrongs of its history," group spokeswoman Anna Song said.
"I hope this activates Australian MPs to show their support, especially ... to Ms O'Herne." |
| Yes! Comfort women motion passed! Posted: 26 Jun 2007 09:10 PM CDT U.S. House committee passes resolution demanding Japan's apology on comfort women Yonhap - A U.S. House committee on Tuesday passed with overwhelming support a resolution condemning Japan's sexual enslavement of women during the past century. Resolution 121 passed the Foreign Affairs Committee 39 to 2 after an hour and half of debate by legislators. But the final text was toned down in part from the initial version that demanded an unequivocal apology by the Japanese prime minister.
Instead, the resolution says it "would help" resolve recurring questions about Tokyo's sincerity "if the prime minister of Japan were to make" a clear-cut apology.
It, however, retains demands that the government of Japan "formally acknowledge, apologize, and accept historical responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner" for coercion of young women into sexual slavery.
Rep. Michael Honda, the author of the resolution, told reporters immediately after the passage that he is optimistic the resolution will go to the House floor around second week of July and be passed there as well.
Loud applause exploded in the audience as soon as the resolution passed. Former comfort women and Korean-American activists who spent years advocating their cause were seated throughout the audience, watching the debate.
By Tuesday, 149 congressmen co-sponsored the resolution, well over the 120 asked for by committee leaders before marking it up for a vote.
This is the second time that the House committee endorsed the resolution on comfort women, a euphemistic term for tens of thousands of young girls, mostly Korean, who were forced into prostitution to serve Japanese soldiers before and during World War II. Korea was under Japanese colonial rule at the time.
The House body, previously called the International Relations Committee, passed a similar resolution in September last year. Resolution 121 was endorsed again by the new Congress, controlled by Democrats.
Earlier resolutions, proposed in 2001 and 2005, expired even before reaching a committee vote.
Committee chairman Tom Lantos said Tokyo's refusal to officially apologize to the comfort women was "disturbing."
"Post-war Germany made the right choice. Japan, on the other hand, has actively promoted historical amnesia," he said.
Amnesty International applauded Tuesday's results.
"Amnesty International urges nations across the world to follow the U.S. Congress's lead and put pressure on the Japanese government to ensure that survivors receive full reparation, including restitution, compensation and rehabilitation," it said in a statement.
A coalition of Korean-American groups put out a joint statement saying the victims will now "be able to restore their dignity."
"We are convinced that in the near future, the House of Representatives will also pass the resolution."
Honda, a Californian Democrat, submitted the resolution in January. His role drew public attention because he is of Japanese ancestry. His family was a victim of internment during World War II, an experience he said propelled him to seek Japan's apology for comfort women just as the U.S. did for the internment.
The final text was amended in an agreement between Lantos and ranking member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen to add two paragraphs emphasizing the U.S.-Japan alliance.
The alliance is the "cornerstone" of U.S. security in Asia and the Pacific, the amendment said.
The two countries continue to cooperate on "shared vital interests and values... including the preservation and promotion of political and economic freedoms, support for human rights and democratic institutions," it said.
Lantos said the Congress does not seek to hold Japan in "perpetual punishment."
"We want a full reckoning of history to help everyone heal, and then move on," he said.
Rep. Donald Manzullo, a Illinois Republican, voted no on the resolution, questioning whether the committee "has the wisdom" to judge another country.
"We are being asked to vote on the quality of acknowledgement and the quality of the apology as argued between two great allies," he said.
Lantos quickly rebutted, saying, "We are not dealing with inter-country disputes. We are dealing the fundamental issue of human rights."
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher voted in favour, but asked that the committee also consider a separate resolution lauding the importance of U.S.-Japan relations.
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REACTIONS
The 121 Coalition
The 121 Coalition, a national coalition representing nearly 200 civic organizations committed to defending the human rights of "Comfort Women" survivors, enthusiastically welcomes today's passage of House Resolution 121 in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The resolution, designated as H.Res. 121, was introduced by Representative Michael Honda (D-California) last January. It expresses "the sense of the House of Representatives that the Government of Japan should formally acknowledge, apologize, and accept historical responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner for its Imperial Armed Force's coercion of young women into sexual slavery, known to the world as 'comfort women,' during its colonial and wartime occupation of Asia and the Pacific Islands from the 1930s through the duration of World War II."
H.Res. 121 has received bipartisan support from 149 co-sponsors and today's vote is an indication that this historic resolution is headed for passage by the full House of Representatives. "We commend the leadership of Chairman Tom Lantos for championing H.Res.121 before the full Committee on Foreign Affairs," said Annabel Park, National Coordinator for the 121 Coalition. "We now respectfully ask Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer to schedule consideration of H.Res.121 on the House Floor as soon as possible."
Members of the coalition feel that passage of H.Res.121 will send an important message to the Government of Japan that the remaining "Comfort Women" survivors deserve justice and the restoration of their fundamental dignity, and that truth, reconciliation, and stability in the region require Japan's acknowledgment of historical responsibility for its World War II-era policies. From 1932 through the end of World War II, during its colonial and wartime occupation of Asia and the Pacific Islands, the Government of Japan organized the systematic trafficking, enslavement, and brutal rape of 200,000 girls and women. H.Res.121 calls on the Government of Japan to officially acknowledge and accept responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner for organizing and maintaining this system of sexual slavery.
The 121 Coalition, comprised of human rights and pan-Asian civic organizations from across the United States, remains deeply committed and fundamentally united in our support for this important human and women's rights issue.
For more information about H.Res. 121.
Amnesty International
T. Kumar, Amnesty International USA Advocacy Director for Asia & the Pacific, issued the following statement in response to today's committee passage:
"Amnesty International applauds the Foreign Affairs Committee for passing House Resolution 121, and urges the full House to pass the measure.
"Tens of thousands of women were abducted and deceived into becoming 'comfort women,' forced to live in military-controlled 'comfort stations' and repeatedly raped and condemned to sexual slavery. Comfort stations were organized throughout occupied Asia before and during World War II. Amnesty International strongly believes that the crimes perpetrated against these women were crimes against humanity.
"Amnesty International urges nations across the world to follow the U.S. Congress's lead and put pressure on the Japanese government to ensure that survivors receive full reparation including restitution, compensation and rehabilitation."
More on Amnesty International's work on Japan
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