Inspired by a US House of Representatives resolution seeking an apology from Japan to World War II-era "comfort women," the Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation and four female legislators yesterday urged Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to face the issue with a "political conscience."
The US House of Representatives on Monday passed a nonbinding resolution demanding "an official, unequivocal and unambiguous apology for the indignity the comfort women suffered."
Foundation executive director Fran Gau (
PHOTO: LU PEI-DER, TAIPEI TIMES
Wu Hsiu-mei (吳秀妹), a 91-year-old woman who was forced to work as a "comfort woman" during World War II, said she was happy when she heard of the resolution.
"My health was ruined [by being a `comfort woman'] when I was young ... The Japanese government is shameless for not wanting to admit [the `comfort women' program]," she said.
"The resolution represents the fact that the world hopes Japan would look at the harm it did during World War II, particularly the harm to the most disadvantaged `comfort women,' with a different attitude," Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Joanna Lei (雷倩) said.
"If Japan can own up to its war crime and apologize for this `historical shadow,' it can also release itself from the fetters of the past," Lei said, urging Japan to use the resolution as an opportunity for reflection.
"As we can see, many of the women are very old now. How many of them will live to see an apology [from Japan]?" she said. "Belated justice is not justice."
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Sue-ying (
Gau and the legislators urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to offer more assistance to surviving comfort women.
Gau said that the foundation and eight former "comfort women" will proteste in front of the Interchange Association (Taipei Office) on Aug. 15 -- the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.
ENTERTAINERS IN CHINA: Taiwanese generally back the government being firm on infiltration and ‘united front’ work,’ the Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association said Most people support the government probing Taiwanese entertainers for allegedly “amplifying” the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda, a survey conducted by the Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association showed on Friday. Public support stood at 56.4 percent for action by the Mainland Affairs Council and the Ministry of Culture to enhance scrutiny on Taiwanese performers and artists who have developed careers in China while allegedly adhering to the narrative of Beijing’s propaganda that denigrates or harms Taiwanese sovereignty, the poll showed. Thirty-three percent did not support the action, it showed. The poll showed that 51.5 percent of respondents supported the government’s investigation into Taiwanese who have
South Korean K-pop girl group Blackpink are to make Kaohsiung the first stop on their Asia tour when they perform at Kaohsiung National Stadium on Oct. 18 and 19, the event organizer said yesterday. The upcoming performances will also make Blackpink the first girl group ever to perform twice at the stadium. It will be the group’s third visit to Taiwan to stage a concert. The last time Blackpink held a concert in the city was in March 2023. Their first concert in Taiwan was on March 3, 2019, at NTSU Arena (Linkou Arena). The group’s 2022-2023 “Born Pink” tour set a
A Philippine official has denied allegations of mistreatment of crew members during Philippine authorities’ boarding of a Taiwanese fishing vessel on Monday. Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) spokesman Nazario Briguera on Friday said that BFAR law enforcement officers “observed the proper boarding protocols” when they boarded the Taiwanese vessel Sheng Yu Feng (昇漁豐號) and towed it to Basco Port in the Philippines. Briguera’s comments came a day after the Taiwanese captain of the Sheng Yu Feng, Chen Tsung-tun (陳宗頓), held a news conference in Pingtung County and accused the Philippine authorities of mistreatment during the boarding of
88.2 PERCENT INCREASE: The variants driving the current outbreak are not causing more severe symptoms, but are ‘more contagious’ than previous variants, an expert said Number of COVID-19 cases in the nation is surging, with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) describing the ongoing wave of infections as “rapid and intense,” and projecting that the outbreak would continue through the end of July. A total of 19,097 outpatient and emergency visits related to COVID-19 were reported from May 11 to Saturday last week, an 88.2 percent increase from the previous week’s 10,149 visits, CDC data showed. The nearly 90 percent surge in case numbers also marks the sixth consecutive weekly increase, although the total remains below the 23,778 recorded during the same period last year,
RSS