Japan Press Weekly

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2008 November 26 - December 2 [HISTORY]

JCP calls for early settlement of ‘comfort women’ issue

Women who were forced to serve the Japanese Army during World War II as sex slaves (“comfort women”) in various Asian countries on November 25 called on Japanese political parties to help to reach a settlement of the issue with the Japanese government.

They were in Tokyo from Korea, China, Taiwan, East Timor, and the Philippines to participate in the 9th Asian Solidarity Conference for the Issue of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan held from November 23-25 in Tokyo.

The Asian Solidarity Conference is requesting that the Japanese government: (1) officially recognize the historical fact that the former Imperial Japanese Army forced many women in the Asia-Pacific region to work as its sex slaves; (2) apologize and pay compensation to the victims; and (3) make efforts to restore victims’ human dignity.

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo and other JCP lawmakers met with them in the Dietmembers’ Building.

Shii said, “The JCP has been consistent in addressing this issue and taking it up in the Diet. South Korea, the United States, and the European Union have adopted resolutions urging the Japanese government to settle this issue. It is shameful that the Japanese Diet has done nothing on this important issue. The government should make an official apology and provide compensation. The JCP will work together with other parties to establish a law to this effect.”

JCP calls on other opposition parties to join forces

JCP Diet Policy Commission Chair Kokuta Keiji on November 25, during a meeting with his counterparts in other opposition parties, proposed that the four opposition parties jointly submit a bill in the current Diet session to promote the resolution of the issue.