Former Japanese comfort women want apology

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Indonesians who were made to serve as comfort women during World War II have reiterated their demand here for both compensation and an apology from the Japanese government.

Mardiyem, 71, claiming to represent hundreds of women who were sex slaves during the Japanese occupation, said during a public dialog at the Gadjah Mada University campus recently that former comfort women wanted the Japanese government to apologize for their criminal acts against the women, known as Jugun Ianfu in the Japanese language. The public dialog was organized by the Coalition of Indonesian Women (KPI).

"We will accept compensation directly from the Japanese government. But we also want the Japanese government to express its regret for what they did to us," Mardiyem said.

Mardiyem was one of hundreds of women who were forced to become comfort women for Japanese soldiers from 1942 to 1945 in Yogyakarta.

KPI, along with the Yogyakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH), has been supporting the women in their campaign to receive support from the Indonesian government.

The administration of former president Soeharto, through then minister of social affairs Inten Suweno, received Rp 9 billion in compensation for the former comfort women in 1996.

The money was received from the Asian Women Fund (AWF), which was set up by the Japanese government.

It was reported that Rp 775 million of this money was used to renovate five homes for the elderly. However, there has never been an official account of how the money was used.

Inten refused to give the former comfort women part of the money, saying this could reveal the nation's past disgrace.

She also refused to compile a detailed record of the number and addresses of former sex slaves in Indonesia.

LBH Yogyakarta criticized Inten's stance, saying her refusal to compile a detailed record of the former comfort women was in her own financial interest.

Therefore, LBH Yogyakarta demanded the Japanese government dissolve AWF and provide compensation directly to the women, without any interference from the Indonesian government. It said an official letter of apology also was expected.

According to data collected by LBH since 1993, there are 1,156 former sex slaves living in Java and East Nusa Tenggara.

KPI secretary-general Nur Sjahbani Katjasungkana said the coalition would attend an international tribunal on Japanese war crimes during World War II, to be held in Tokyo in December.

"KPI plans to fight for the former Indonesian comfort women," Nursjahbani said. "We will continue with what LBH Yogyakarta has done for the women."

She said KPI also would meet with the House of Representatives to discuss the issue. She also urged State Minister of Women's Empowerment Khofifah Indarparawansa to support the former comfort women in their efforts. (44)