The government earlier this week repeated its call for Japan to formally apologize to Taiwanese women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II and offer compensation to the women, known euphemistically as “comfort women.”
“Over the past years, our stance has been that Japan should issue a formal apology and offer compensation to comfort women,” said Shyue-yow (周學佑), deputy director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
Chou refuted comments made by former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) in an article in the latest edition of the Japanese monthly magazine Voice. Lee said the comfort women issue was settled in Taiwan and did not have to be raised further.
“It is untrue that the issue has been resolved,” Chou said, adding that Taiwan has never reached an agreement with Japan on the issue of comfort women.
The government is to continue its efforts to help Taiwanese comfort women demand a formal apology and compensation from Japan, he said.
Chou said the government has also taken action to help women who suffered from Japan’s wartime atrocities.
In 1992, the government set up a cross-agency task force to tackle comfort women-related issues and the task force allocated NT$21 million (US$640,791) in compensation to Taiwanese comfort women in 1997, Chou said.
In January 1998, each of the 42 people identified as comfort women received NT$500,000 in compensation, he added.
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