Japan Press Weekly

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2014 September 17 - 23 [JCP]

JCP Kasai gives address on wartime ‘comfort women’ issue in Seoul

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Kasai Akira delivered an address at a forum held in Seoul on September 17, expressing his determination to make every effort to resolve the issue of the Japanese military’s sex slavery system during World War II (the so-called “comfort women” issue).

This forum was organized by South Korea’s National Elders Conference. The conference, a private organization composed of key figures such as former cabinet ministers and speakers of the national assembly, often advises the President on important political issues. The body invited Kasai to the forum as a guest speaker.

Kasai gave a talk on the theme, “How to resolve the comfort women issue”. He pointed to the fact that the 1993 statement issued by Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary at the time Kono Yohei admitted that the Imperial Japanese Army coerced Asian women, including a lot of Koreans, into “serving” Japanese soldiers. Kasai went on to stress that the following three points are necessary to settle the matter: acknowledging the historical facts; Japan’s official apology to victims; and passing on the historical facts to future generations in both nations.

After the meeting, Kasai had a talk with Kim Heejung, the South Korean Minister of Gender Equality and Family. Mentioning that 2015 is the 50th year of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea, Kasai said, “We will work even harder to solve the comfort women issue in order to promote friendship between the two countries as well as to create peace and security in Northeast Asia.” Kim said in response, “I hope many Japanese lawmakers will stand with you.”

From September 16 to 18, the JCP parliamentarian met with executives of South Korea’s ruling and opposition parties, introducing the JCP’s initiatives for peace and cooperation in Northeast Asia. He also visited facilities in Seoul where ex-comfort women are living together and had talks with them.

Past related article:
> JCP Kasai attends anniversary event of ‘comfort women’ facilities in South Korea [August 12, 2013]