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Japanese legislators want apology

Tomiko Okazaki of Japan's Democratic Party, right, and Yoko Tajima of Japan's Social Democratic Party, second right, hold hands with former comfort women at a press conference held yesterday by KMT Legislator Chiang Yi-wen, second left, to ask the legislature to pressure Japan on the issue of reparations to former comfort women. PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES

Speaking in Taipei yesterday, two Japanese opposition lawmakers joined in the chorus calling for Taiwan's Legislative Yuan to pass a resolution in support of a bill that would require the Japanese government to apologize to and compensate former "comfort women."

"We believe it would be helpful to our push for such a bill if we could get a resolution in Taiwan's legislature to support our move," said Tomiko Okazaki, a lawmaker and member of Japan's Democratic Party.

The term "comfort women" refers to the more than 200,000 women from Taiwan, China, South Korea, North Korea, the Philippines and Indonesia who were forced to serve as sex slaves for the Imperial Japanese Army before and during World War II.

Okazaki made the remarks at a press conference held by KMT Legislator Chiang Yi-wen (江綺雯). Yoko Tajima of Japan's Social Democratic Party also attended.

Both these female members of the Diet were present at the press conference at the invitation of Chiang. The decleration of support is intended to influence the Japanese Diet as it gets ready to vote on new bills surrounding the issue of comfort women.

Two former Taiwanese comfort women, in their 70s and 80s, were also present at the press conference.

"We are encouraged by the fact that there are people, both in Taiwan and Japan, who care about us," said Chen Tao (陳桃), one of the former comfort women at the conference. "All we ask for is a formal apology from the Japanese government."

Okazaki added that she hoped the resolution would be passed by the Legislative Yuan before a special session of the Japanese Diet is called on Oct.18.

According to Chiang, the Japanese government has so far refused to give official compensation to former wartime sex slaves, saying obligations related to wartime atrocities were settled under the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty.

But a private Asian Women's Fund was set up in June 1995, funded by private contributions from the Japanese people, to offer each surviving comfort woman ?2 million (about US$17,000) in compensation.

"However, since the fund was liquidated on May 1 this year, the only way to solve the comfort-women issue now is through legislation," said Chiang, adding that most of the surviving women, including those from Taiwan, had turned down the compensation offer because the money came from private donations rather than the Japanese government.

Chiang said that the Tokyo District Court is expected to rule on Oct. 15 on a lawsuit that was filed by nine former comfort women from Taiwan in July, 1999. The suit was filed against the Japanese government and asks for a formal apology and compensation of ?10 million (about US$85,000) each.

"Judging from other cases that had been filed by former comfort women from other countries, we are not optimistic that the court will rule in favor of the comfort women," said Chiang.

Taiwan currently has 37 registered former comfort women.
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