Japan Press Weekly

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2011 December 14 - 20 [HISTORY]

Actions held nationwide in solidarity with Korean sex slave victims

Actions took place at various locations throughout Japan on December 14 in concert with the 1,000th “Wednesday Demonstration” by South Korean victims of the Japanese Imperial Army’s sexual war crimes.

Calling for the resolution of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery issue, the “Wednesday Demonstration” was launched in January 1992 and has been held every Wednesday in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul by Korean victims, the so-called “comfort women”, and their supporters.

In Tokyo, 1,300 citizens took part in a “human chain” action encircling the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, calling on the government to disclose full information about the sexual slavery issue, offer an official apology to the Korean victims, and immediately compensate them for their suffering. The action was organized by civic groups working on issues of wartime violence against women and the issue of Japan’s military sexual slaves.

In the action, on behalf of the organizers, a representative of the group tackling the “comfort women” issue reported that out of 234 Korean victims who went public with their sufferings under the Japanese military regime, only 63 are still alive now. She also said, “Whenever the ‘Wednesday Demonstration’ is carried out, participants hope that ‘today’s action would be the last.’ However, the Japanese government never responded.” She expressed her determination to continue working until the issue is resolved.

An 89-year-old Korean woman, one of the sexual slavery victims living in Tokyo, said, “I want an immediate solution. War should be prevented from happening again.”

A 28-year-old female participant from Kanagawa Prefecture said, “The Demonstration has been held 1,000 times. The Japanese government must respond to the victims’ demands.”

In addition to the action in Tokyo, various actions took place in the cities of Sapporo, Sendai, Nagoya, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka.

In Sapporo City, Hokkaido, about 150 unionists and citizens during their lunch hour held a rally and marched in demonstration through the city’s main street.

A representative of a civic organization working on the sexual slave issue in the rally expressed her solidarity with South Korean victims of sexual slavery who waged the protest for 20 years in front of the Japanese Embassy.

She condemned the Japanese government for refusing to negotiate with the South Korean government on the issue and said that Japan should address the issue without delay.