Ma vows to assist comfort women seek reparations

During a call to one of the surviving “comfort women” in Taiwan, the president said his government will provide legal assistance to war victims like her to seek compensation and an apology from the Japanese authorities.

The 86-year-old woman, Lu Man-mei of Hsinchu County, was one of those who were forced to provide sexual services to Japanese soldiers during World War II.

She is one of 13 surviving “comfort women” in Taiwan. In 1999, nine of the Taiwanese women filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government, but it was dismissed by the Japanese Supreme Court in 2005.

During Ma's visit, Lu showed him photos of herself when she was young.

She had been working in the laundry business until recently, but got hurt just before the Lunar New Year and has not been able to work since then, she said.

During World War II, the Japanese army forced into prostitution at least 400,000 women in China, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia and the Philippines.

In Taiwan, the number of victims was estimated at 1,200 to 2,000, but only 58 were confirmed as war victims by the Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation (TWRF).

Most of the 13 surviving “comfort women” in Taiwan live alone and suffer from diseases related to uterus damage, according to the TWRF.

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