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On the afternoon of November 25, DPJ Vice President Yoriko Madoka and DPJ member Tomiko Okazaki met with delegations currently in Japan to participate in the 9th Asian Solidarity Conference for the Military Sexual Slavery by Japan. The delegations were composed of over 30 victims, lawmakers and supporters from South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, East Timor, Indonesia, the United States and Canada. After hearing their stories directly, Madoka and Okazaki reiterated their strong determination to find a solution to the issue of "comfort women."
In her opening remarks, Madoka noted that in 2007 the US Congress and parliaments in the Netherlands, Canada, the European Union and South Korea had all adopted declarations calling for a resolution of the issue, and that the UN Human Rights Committee, which took up the issue last month, had urged Japan to offer a public apology and to compensate victims
individually. Madoka said she agreed with that stance and went on to explain the process of DPJ's efforts to solve the issue of wartime sexual slavery, including the formulation of a specific legislative bill. Finally, she thanked the participants for the opportunity of hearing their expectations in person and promised to do her utmost to resolve the issue.
DPJ member Tomiko Okazaki, who was actively involved in the formulation of the legislative bill, thanked the participants for visiting Japan and told them that she shared their perspective. She also expressed her determination to press the Japanese government toward apologizing to the victims and offering them compensation, in order to develop genuine friendly relations for the sake of future generations.
During the meeting, Madoka and Okazaki shook hands with every delegation member and listened to their views on the matter of wartime sexual slavery. South Korean lawmaker Guo Jung Suk, Philippino victims representative Leonor H. Sumawan and Chinese attorney Kang Jian thanked the DPJ for its
work and strongly called for further efforts to promote a better understanding of the issue on the national level by engaging both the Diet, the government and the people of Japan. They insisted that the practice of
enslaving women for sexual purposes was a crime sanctioned by the State and not the result of isolated acts by members of the Japanese military. They also underlined that government attempts to evade responsibility could cause further damage. Finally, the delegates called for a swift resolution of the issue while the surviving victims were still alive, and to share the notion of respect for the human rights of all people across the world.
In conclusion, Madoka stressed her intention to work for a better understanding of the issue throughout Japan. She said she strongly felt it was her responsibility to do her utmost to ensure the development of friendly relations between Japan's and Asia's future generations because wartime sexual slavery was also Japan's problem, rather than because of calls from abroad.
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