Frustrated by a string of failed lawsuits brought by women forced to work as sex slaves for Japan's army in the 1930s and 1940s, activists are taking the issue to the public through a mock trial in Tokyo.
The tribunal is not legally binding, but seeks to clarify who was responsible for forcing thousands of mostly Asian women to work in brothels for the Japanese imperial army before and during World War II.
The event, which started with a ceremony yesterday, comes just days after Japanese courts rejected lawsuits brought by former sex slaves demanding compensation and apologies.
Organizers, including women's support groups and non-governmental organizations from eight countries, hope to use the pressure of world opinion to get Japan to change its stance.
Some 78 former sex slaves will appear as witnesses and a ruling will be handed down on Dec. 12 by a group of judges from five different nations.
The tribunal will hear evidence over five days on the responsibility of a number of high-ranking officials in the Japanese military at the time, including former emperor Hirohito, organizers said.
Gabrielle McDonald, a former president of the Yugoslavia War Crimes Tribunal and one of the judges, said that while Japan has issued a general apology for wartime misdeeds, that was not enough for the sex slaves. "That doesn't quite reach the solution that may be necessary: acknowledging the extent of mistreatment that comfort women experienced, and satisfying them both psychologically and financially," she said.
Former sex slave Kim Young-suk was more direct. "I was taken at the age of 11," she told a news conference on Wednesday. "The Japanese government should be [held] responsible.
The Taipei Times' Irene Lin will be reporting on the tribunal from Tokyo starting tomorrow.
RSS