Japanese MPs vow help Indonesian 'jugun ianfu'

Japanese MPs vow help Indonesian 'jugun ianfu'

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Four female Japanese members of parliament have arrived in
Jakarta with the hope of encouraging Indonesian women who were
forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World
War II to speak out.

During their two-day visit to the capital, the women
legislators from different opposition political parties will
check on the condition of the so-called "comfort women," known as
"jugun ianfu" in the Japanese language.

The Japanese MPs believe that reparations for -- and the
investigation into -- these human rights abuses did not end when
Japan paid 13.8 million Japanese yen (about US$102,600) in
compensation to the Indonesian government in 1998 through the
Asian Women's Fund organization, which is supported by the
Japanese government.

"The Japanese government claimed that the matter has been
settled under the Memorandum of Understanding with the Asian
Women's Fund (AWF). But AWF is not representing the government,"
said the mission's leader Tomiko Okazaki of the Democratic Party
of Japan.

She also publicized reports voicing doubts that the AWF money,
collected from donors, and ostensibly used to build homes in
several Indonesian provinces, has ever actually benefited the
elderly women.

Okazaki said that the coalition of parties, which also
includes the Japanese Communist and Social Democratic Parties, is
now pushing for an act on the resolution for issues concerning
former victims of wartime sexual slavery.

While acknowledging that these efforts have come 60 years too
late, she highlighted that the fact that the act would force the
Japanese government atone for its historical misdeeds by
conveying an official apology, and providing proper compensation
to the victims.

"If this act is passed, then the Japanese government must take
the responsibility to order a full investigation into what really
happened during that time," she said.

Haruko Yoshikawa of the Japanese Communist Party said that she
was convinced that the act would succeed because, although the
ruling coalition holds 56 percent of the seats in the upper
house, many of the legislators sided with the opponents.

During World War II, some 200,000 young women from Indonesia,
Korea, China, the Philippines, Taiwan and other Asian countries
were taken from their families and forced to serve as sex slaves
by Japanese soldiers.

Many efforts have been made to bring their cause to justice
through a proper apology and reparations. But Tokyo, to the ire
of many of its Asian neighbors, has remained steadfast in its
stance that its previous compensations have been sufficient.

The Indonesian government has never mustered the political
will to fight for the interests of comfort women.

Jakarta's stance was perhaps best epitomized a few years ago
in the words of the former minister of social affairs Inten
Suweno, who said that the funds already provided by Japan were
sufficient, and that the matter should be dropped, as the issue
was "a disgrace to the nation."

The only trial against the Japanese government ever held here
took place in 1944, but it was for jugun ianfu violations under
the aegis of the Dutch colonial administration.

The Foundation of Former Indonesian Japanese Militia (Heiho)
and Jugun Ianfu registered 17,000 comfort women across the
country, although the Ministry of Social Affairs set the number
at only 10,000.

The Japanese legislators were scheduled to meet with several
top state officials on Wednesday for further talks.