 Asian lawmakers and victims of Japan's war of aggression rally in Tokyo WW II victims and lawmakers from Asian countries held an international meeting on May 21 and 22 in Tokyo to join forces to call for Japan's war of aggression to be settled in the 60th year after the end of WW II. About 200 people took part in the rally devoted to "calling with victims for Japan to settle the wartime past." After reports and discussions, the meeting adopted an appeal urging Japan to choose to change to advance toward reconciliation with victimized countries by August 15. Nine members of parliament from South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Japan discussed how they can contribute to achieving the settlement. A South Korean Democratic Party representative called for more meetings of Asian lawmakers. Another South Korean lawmaker, who represents the governing Uri Party, urged Japan to decidedly act to settle problems so as to earn the trust of other Asian countries. A lawmaker from Taiwan called on Japan to boldly confront its wartime past and act with justice. Japanese Communist Party House of Councilors member Yoshikawa Haruko, who has been involved in the effort to give relief to wartime sex violence victims, urged the government to express remorse for the war of aggression. She also said that the JCP is determined to firmly maintain the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution and defend the peace in Japan. Tsuchiya Koken, chair of the organizing committee of the rally and former president of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, said that apologies by the Japanese government to Asian people are the short cut to peace in Asia. Subgroup discussions were made on four subjects: comfort women for the Japanese Army; investigation of massacres; compulsory labor and detention; and the history textbook issue. The outcome of the discussion was reported to a plenary meeting which pointed out the significance of applying the pressure of international solidarity on the Japanese government to settle the past at the 60th year marking the war's end. -- Akahata May 21&23, 2005 |