Statement on Japanese High Court Dismissal of

Taiwanese "Comfort Women" Court Appeal

 

Five years have passed since women, who were forced, coerced or deceived into sexual slavery during Japanese invasion and colonization in Taiwan, broke half a century of silence and filed a reparation suit to demand justice to the Japanese government.

We supported this court struggles as we responded to the earnest appeals made by the victimized survivors who bore the pain to speak out about the atrocities they suffered, although they may have at times wished to keep the facts to themselves as something that never took place.

The United Nations Human Rights Commission has made recommendations to the Japanese government that are in accordance with our court actions.  The community of international law experts around the world has also alarmed the Japanese government to correct its low level of human rights consciousness.  Yet, the Tokyo District Court of Japan presented a heartless judgment of substandard content.  Despite that, we continued to support the survivors’ appeal case, because we wished to maintain a belief in the conscience and corrective capacities of the judiciary.

We are extremely regretful as residents of Japan to face the spirit of this Tokyo High Court ruling that is devoid of empathy for the pains of people in another country, thereby, exposing the lack of justice and righteous judicial practice in the state of Japan.

Today, the government, the majority party in most part, and the financial community of Japan are evidently transforming Japan into a Warrior State, whereby the state responsibility of illegal conduct in past war is to be repealed.  We believe that the function of the judiciary is to vindicate the victims' grief as they file a suit for the injustice they have suffered.  However, today's ruling demonstrates that the Japanese judiciary seemingly subjects itself only to the government, while displaying no sincere will to restore the balance of the scale.

Yet, we believe that justice prevails.  Court which backsets justice shall eventually fail itself, as the judges shall be faced in a position to be judged and accounted for according the history's verdict.  With this belief, we will appeal to the Supreme Court and to the Court of Truth of even higher authority to achieve the restoration of human rights for the survivors whose rights have been violated for being a woman, for being under colonial rule, for being forced into sexual slavery, and for being subjected to perpetual deprivation to this date.  We are determined to continue our struggles until the state of Japan one day enforces its responsibility and restores the trust of citizens of our neighboring countries.

 

Association of people supporting the lawsuit by former “comfort women” from Taiwan

February 9, 2004