Solidarity Conference 2005

Asian Solidarity Conference for the Issue of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan

7th Conference February 13, 2005

We have gathered here at the 7th Asian Solidarity Conference on Japan’s Military Sexual Slavery in Tokyo from South Korea, Mainland China, Philippines, Taiwan and Japan on February 12th and 13th, 2005 (the Netherlands and North Korea contributed their reports). It is our pleasure to especially note that three different groups from the Philippines came together for the first time at this conference.

Already 14 years have passed since a survivor of Japan’s military sexual slavery broke the silence in 1991. However, the Japanese government has not offered a sincere apology, reparation, or a full fact finding investigation.

This situation is interlinked with the movement led by the Japanese government and business community to revise the peace constitution, which was originally founded based on remorse toward aggression committed against the Asian countries.

During these years, a draft bill aimed to settle the military sexual slavery issue and to facilitate fact finding have been introduced at the Diet respectively for several times, but these bills are faced with no foreseeable realization. On the other hand, the “Asian Women’s Fund”, which was originally established by overriding the voices of survivors who had continually demanded apology and reparation, has announced to dissolve itself at the end of fiscal year 2006, however without acknowledging its due failures. Concurrently, a number of ‘comfort women’ litigation cases have been declined by the Japanese Supreme Court. Justice has not been realized even in the judiciary of Japan. Only the litigation cases of Taiwan and Mainland China remain pending today.

It has been the hope of aged survivors to see justice realize itself while they are still alive. However, one after another, many survivors have passed away in recent years without seeing justice come to life. Time is running out.

This year, to mark the 60th year after the end of the Asia-Pacific War, we confirm and propose the following points and action plans to achieve a proper settlement of the military sexual slavery issue.

We confirm as follows;

1. that the Asian Women’s Fund has been a failure, regardless of whether one accepted the “atonement money” or not, as it has failed to remedy the dignity of the survivors.
2. that we will object to Japan’s permanent membership of UN Security Councils until Japan offers an official apology, reparation and fact finding investigation.

Urgent action plans marking the 60th year since the end of WWII;

1. Compel the Japanese Diet to pass the bill to promote resolution on the issues of ‘comfort women’ and to oblige the Japanese government to offer an official apology and reparation.
2. Promote an international petition campaign to demand that recommendations by UN human rights bodies be implemented.
3. Organize a world simultaneous demonstration and action appeal in August to demand due settlement of the military sexual slavery issue.
4. Include facts related to ‘comfort women’ in each country’s textbooks to educate future generations. In particular, to prevent the adoption of junior high school textbooks, which deny facts regarding ‘comfort women’.
5. Support the pending military sexual slavery litigation in solidarity across Asia.

Action plans in solidarity with the international community;

1. Promote public hearings of testimonies together with the survivors.
2. Appeal to the international community to undertake solidarity actions in international for a such as Beijing +10, the UN Commission on Human Rights and ILO.
3. File objections and conduct truth finding regarding NHK Broadcasting coverage of Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan’s Military Sexual Slavery, which distorted and undermined the issue by political interventions.
4. Urge the Japanese government and other related governments to disclose the documents concerning military sexual slavery.
5. Build the museum network, aimed at retaining record/memory and promoting education on this issue, to expand the initiatives emerging in respective country and locality.
6. Establish solidarity with broader international movements promoting women’s human rights, working to end gender-based discrimination, and making a peace and non-violent society.