As part of a coordinated global action, former "comfort women" and their supporters marched and staged a demonstration yesterday in Taipei demanding an apology and reparations from the Japanese government.
Yesterday marked the 62nd anniversary of Japan's surrender at the end of World War II.
But more than six decades later, the Japanese government still denies some war crimes ever took place, despite calls from "comfort women" for acknowledgment.
During World War II, an estimated 200,000 Asian women were forced by the Japanese Imperial Army to serve as "comfort women," or sex slaves.
Tokyo has not apologized, but set up the Asian Women's Fund in 1995 to issue compensation.
The march yesterday, attended by dozens of protesters, was another attempt to pressure Tokyo into admitting that its troops enslaved women during the war.
"Apologize, Japan!" The demonstrators shouted as they marched in Taipei, starting near Zhongxiao-Fuxing MRT station and walking toward Japan's representative office, the Interchange Association, Taipei Office.
Several former "comfort women" were in attendance, carrying signs that read: "Give us back our reputation," "Give us back our dignity" and "Protest against Japan."
The protesters were stopped by police 50m from the Interchange office.
"The facts of history won't disappear just because you are trying to hide them," Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Shu-ying (黃淑英) said at the protest.
"We will continue until Japan apologizes," Huang said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Joanna Lei (雷倩) said that she would push for a resolution urging Japan to apologize and provide appropriate compensation.
"The resolution will be passed along with the budgets for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Presidential Office and will be legally binding," Lei said.
An anonymous official with the Interchange Association said the office was aware of the protest but would not comment.
Also see story:
Japan marks anniversary of World War II surrender
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
RSS