An Urgent Petition Campaign for 1.2 million Endorsements:
We Demand Urgent Legislation on the Issue of 'Comfort Women' and the System of Sexual Slavery by the Japanese Military during WWII
Since Kim Hak-sun of South Korea came forward in 1991 as a former 'comfort woman' during WW2, many victimized women of various countries have also spoken out. However, many women who were abducted and forced into comfort houses for the Japanese military (either through enticement or by force), and endured unimaginable humiliation and sufferings thereafter, have already died, and those still living are now in their 80s or 90s. In 1993, Yohei Kono, the then Chief Cabinet Secretary issued a comment, based on historians' research, saying: ' I offer an apology and feel personal remorse. A further sincere discussion should be held as to how Japan as a nation should express such feelings.'
However, nothing concrete has been done so far by the Japanese government. We, as citizens of a country which caused such harm and suffering, and also as human beings, have only a little amount of time left to materialize our sincerity into actions.
Now that the Japanese government has changed, let us work together to establish a law as soon as possible in order to resolve the problem of the' comfort women' who suffered under Japanese military sexual slavery.
The 18-year-struggle by victimized women has moved the world!
Regarding the issue of 'comfort women', the House of Representatives in the US Congress passed a unanimous resolution in July 2007, which stipulates that the Japanese government should officially acknowledge, apologize for, and accept the historical responsibility for the enforced sexual abuse towards those women. Following this, similar resolutions have passed in the parliaments in the Netherlands, Canada, EU, South Korea and Taiwan. Additionally, some international organizations, includingthe UN and the ILO, have continually issued their recommendations, which had beenignored by the former ruling coalition of the LDP and the Komei Party with an excuse that they had 'no legal obligation.'
This obstinate and insincere attitude on the part of the former Japanese government, which hasd long trampled on the human rights of many victimized women, neglecting its obligation to an official apology and compensations even 64 years after the end of WWII, and ignoring recommendations by international societies, has drawn much distrust from people all over the world.
In Japan, people have spoken out in local assemblies nationwide, demanding a resolution!
In Japan, starting with Takarazuka Municipal Assembly in March, 2008, eleven other municipal assemblies of Kiyose, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Mino-o, Mitaka, Koganei, Kyo-tanabe, Ikoma, Sennan, Kokubunnji,Nagaoka-kyo,Funabashi,Kunitachi, passed their resolutions of recommendation to the Cabinet, requesting the resolution of the 'comfort women' issue. These kind of efforts are now spreading to various places in Japan.
Now is the time for legislative resolution!
A comprehensive solution to this issue will lead to a true reconciliation and peace between the Japanese and people in other Asian countries . It is the duty of the Japanese national government to listen to voices from within Japan and from international communities, so that they will now earnestly tackle this problem and aim for an early legislation.
In the summer of 2009, a new coalition government of the DPJ, SDP, PNP came into power. Of the three parties, the DPJ and SDP, in combined efforts with the Communist Party, have submitted to the Diet, consecutively eight times since 2001, 'a bill for accelerating the solution to the problem of the victims of the enforced wartime sexual slavery.'
We request that the new central government draft and pass a relating bill as soon as possible, in order not to leave this problem unresolved into the next generation. The Japanese government must deliver its heartfelt apology to the now elderly victims, and establish a compensation scheme for these survivors of Japanese military sex slavery during the Asia Pacific War.
We Call for Legislative Resolution of the Japanese Military "Comfort Women" Issue!!
To: Japanese Prime Minister, Naoto Kan;
Chair of the House of Representatives, Takahiro Yokomichi;
Chair of the House of Councilors, Takeo Nishioka
We request that our new central government draft and pass a relating bill
without delay, seeking a comprehensive resolution to the "Comfort Women" issue. The Japanese state and its government must not leave this problem unresolved into the next generation. It must deliver an official, heartfelt apology and offer a concrete and comprehensive compensation package to the now elderly victims and survivors of Japanese military sex slavery during the Asia Pacific War.
I agree and hereby sign.
Non-web-based petition sheets can be downloaded from this site.
<PDF file 182KB>
The National Executive Committee of Urgent 1,200,000 Petition Campaign Requesting
Legislative Resolution to the Issue of Japanese Military Slavery during WWII
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