The NHRCK issued a statement calling on the Japanese government to take active measures to protect the human rights of ‘comfort women’
In August, 1993, the Japanese government issued an apology through the ‘Kono Statement’, acknowledging the Japanese military’s involvement in the forceful mobilization of comfort women and hurting the dignity of the victims. In 2007, however, during his first term as Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe expressed doubts about the statement, leading the U.S. House of Representatives to unanimously approve a resolution demanding formal apology and responsibility from Japan.
Prime Minister Abe has recently expressed his intention to revise the Kono Statement, deepening the concern of the international community and triggering the National Human Rights Commission of Korea to issue a strong statement in a bid to demand the Japanese government to do more to protect the human rights of the comfort women and prevent recurrence of such war crimes.
The NHRCK urges the Japanese government to fully acknowledge its mobilization of comfort women and to comply with the recommendations of international human rights organizations demanding its apology and compensation for the victims. The Commission went on to ask Japan to exert efforts to inform its public of its true history regarding comfort women.
