뉴스레터

An expert forum titled "Speaking of Hope for the Victims of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan" was held in the NAHF Conference Room from 11:50 am to 1:50 pm on March 8, 2012. The panel consisted of Yoon Mi-hyang (Head of the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (the "Korean Council") and also a guest speaker for the History Concert ("Speaking of Hope! - For the Victims of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan!") celebrating the March 1st Movement held two days later in the Centennial Hall of Ewha Girls High School), Wada Yoshihiro (representing the Japanese Committee for the Establishment of the War & Women's Rights Museum), and myself. We spoke on the follow-ups of Korea and Japan to the decision of the Consitutional Court of Korea, including the movements and the positions of the civil societies and the reactions of the governments of both countries.

Developments in the 'Comfort Women' Issue in Seoul, Tokyo, and the International Community

>I opened the forum by speaking on 「Developments in the 'Comfort Women' Issue in Seoul, Tokyo, and the International Community.」I pointed out, "Even after the decision of the Constitutional Court of Korea, Seoul is still at odds with Tokyo over the 'comfort women' issue. While Seoul does not deem the issue resolved by the Claims Agreement, Tokyo argues that the issue has been already resolved and they have no legal responsibility. Seoul's position is to seek primarily diplomatic means to resolve the dispute between both parties over the interpretation of the Claims Agreement in accordance with the provisions of Article 3 of the same Agreement and then, if failed, seek arbitration requested by either party. Tokyo's position is to take a 'humanitarian' approach to this issue independently of the claims issue that they consider settled. Meanwhile, the UN Human Rights Council (formerly known as the UN Commission on Human Rights) recommends that the Japanese government should take legal responsibility and make reparation to the individual victims. The resolution adopted in 2007 by the U.S. House of Representatives, the Dutch Parliament, and the European Parliament also recommends apology and reparation from the government or Prime Minister of Japan."

The next speaker was Mr. Wada Yoshihiro, who spoke on the recent developments of the Japanese civil societies related to military sexual slavery by Japan with focus on the 'Japanese Committee for the Establishment of the War & Women's Rights Museum (the "Japanese Committee")' which he represented. A Ph.D. candidate in Korean literature, Mr. Wada explained that what had brought him to the Japanese Committee was his personal connection to Ms. Yang Jeong-ja, a longtime supporter for the victim of military sexual slavery by Japan Ms. Song Shin-do. He introduced the audience to the activities of the Japanese Committee, including fundraising to build the museum, the symposium on the roles of active museums, the 'International Exhibition on War and Women's Human Rights' to show the photograph panels, and the learning session under the theme 'Sexual Violence Committed Today in Armed Conflicts.' Mr. Wada said, "It is hard to say that our activities have a great appeal to the Japanese public. So our challenge is to figure out how to connect with people who have little interest in these issues while trying hard to counter the logic and the argument of those who deny the 'comfort women' issue."

The 'comfort women' animated film 「A Girl's Story」(Directed by Kim Jun-ki) based on the testimony of Ms. Jung Seo-woon was screened before the Korean Council Head Ms. Yoon spoke on 「After the Constitutional Court's Decision and the 1,000th Weekly Wednesday Demonstration: Progress and Challenges Ahead」. Ms. Yoon first clarified that the term 'comfort women' is an euphemism resulting from the discussion at the 2nd Asian Solidarity conference held in Tokyo in October 1993, and explained that it was decided that in English they would be referred to as victims of military sexual slavery by Japan in order to specify the perpetrator and the nature of this system. She said that our society as well as the Japanese government should take the responsibility for the delayed resolution of the 'comfort women' issue that resulted in the prolonged suffering of the victims. She explained that the decision of the Constitutional Court of Korea was becoming a turning point for the resolution of the 'comfort women' issue, and that while the Korean government followed the procedures specified under the Claims Agreement, including bilateral negotiation and arbitration, the Korean Council and other civil societies would continue to exert pressure on the Japanese government by persuading the UN Council on Human Rights, the ILO and other U.N. agencies to issue recommendation that Japan should admit legal responsibility and make reparation to the victims in the ways they desire.

The 'Comfort Women' Issue: Present Status and Possible Solution

The ensuing Q&A session received a flood of questions from the audience: How is the total number of comfort women estimated? Which of the demands for the Japanese government ((1) admit the war crime of military sexual slavery; 2) reveal the truth; 3) make an official apology; 4) make legal reparation; 5) accurately record the crime in the history textbooks; 6) erect a memorial for the victims and establish a historical museum; and 7) punish those responsible for the war crime) does the Korean Council want done first? Realistically speaking, what is the significance of demanding punishment for those responsible when most of them are dead? The Korean Council demands the legislation of the「Bill to Promote the Resolution of the Issue of the Victims of Sexual Slavery during the War (the 「Promotion Bill」)」submitted by the Democratic Party of Japan, when it was the opposition party, along with the Communist Party. Isn't it possible to include the Japanese victims in the subjects of the Promotion Bill? How much are the young Japanese interested in the 'comfort women' issue and what are the measures to increase their interest?
The panel gave answers to these questions as follows. I explained that the total number of comfort women was estimated based on the record found in the daily log of the Medical Director of the Ministry of the Army of Japan which stated their plan to place one comfort woman per every 100 soldiers, but it could vary depending on how many shifts that comfort women worked. Mr. Wada Yoshihiro explained that while there were quite a few young Japanese people around him who were interested in social issues, they were relatively less interested in the 'comfort women' issue than in environmental issues or peace movement. Therefore, he added, figuring out how to connect with them is one of the very important challenges for him. Ms. Yoon said that making an official apology and legal reparation are the first things to be done to resolve the 'comfort women' issue, and that considering the local atmosphere of Japan, it seemed impossible to include the Japanese victims in the subjects of the「Promotion Bill」. NAHF President Chung Jae-jeong said that there are two aspects of the 'comfort women' issue, one being that the issue requires fundamental resolution as it relates to the protection of women's rights and the responsibility for the colonial rule and the other being that the issue must be resolved while the elderly victims are alive. He advised that if and when the Japanese government presents any solution to the 'comfort women' issue, the Korean Council and other related civil societies should use caution in dealing with it.

This export forum continued for about 2 hours in a heated atmosphere. It was a meaningful event that furthered the understanding of developments in the 'comfort women' issue in the governments and the civil societies of Korea and Japan and in the international community following the decision of the Constitutional Court of Korea and allowed the exchange of candid opinions on specific solutions.