A/HRC/30/NGO/X

United Nations

General AssemblyDistr.: GeneralXX August 2015
English only

Human Rights Council
Thirtieth session
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including theright to development

Written statement* submitted by Human Rights Now, a nongovernmental organization in special consultative status
The Secretary-General has received the following written statement which is circulated inaccordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31.
[31 August 2015]*GE.15-This written statement is issued, unedited, in the language(s) received from the submitting
non-governmental organization(s).

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Japan’s Military Sexual Slavery
1. Ongoing violations of victims’ human rights
Survivors of Japan’s military sexual slavery continue to suffer grave distress not only from thedecades-long denial of their rights to justice and reparation, but also from increasing denials of thefacts and to their dignity by some high-ranking public figures, politicians and the mainstream media
in Japan. The government, moreover, has condoned such attempts, re-victimizing survivors.
Ignoring the recommendations reiterated by UN human rights bodies, including this Council, 1 thegovernment has failed to take any legislative or administrative measures to provide justice andreparation to victims, or to raise awareness of the general public, particularly youth through correct
history education, leaving them seriously deceived by propaganda denying the heinous crime.
2. Denial of historical facts
It is internationally recognized that the entire system of sexual slavery was planned, designed andoperated by the Imperial Military of Japan. However, the government of Japan and the ruling
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), particularly under second Abe administration since December
2012, have redoubled their efforts to evade their obligations by narrowing down the debate to themanner of recruiting victims. Prime Minister Abe himself has repeatedly stated that no evidence has
been found which directly suggests forcible recruitment by the army or authority.
In addition, following the Japanese mainstream newspaper Asashi Shinbun's retraction of its articles
on the issue based on the testimony of a former Japanese soldier, Seiji Yoshida, in August 2014,right-wing critics and the media launched on an aggressive campaign accusing Asahi’s present andformer writers of distorting global perception on the “comfort women” issue. The media focused onminor flaws in Yoshida's testimony; however, these were not substantial enough to discredit all theevidence on the issue or to deny the existence of Japan's military sexual slavery system. Many
politicians, including some members of the LDP, encouraged or condoned the campaign.
Moreover, last October Prime Minister Abe stated, “Now unjust slander is being circulated in theworld portraying Japan as a nation that forced them into sex slaves." 2 He complained that many
people had been hurt and frustrated by Asahi’s wrong reports, which tremendously jeopardized
Japan's reputation in the international community. Around the same time, the government of Japan
requested Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, former UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women
For the latest recommendations of this kind, see Human Rights Committee’s concluding observations on
the sixth periodic report of Japan (UN Doc. CCPR/C/JPN/CO/6 of 24/July/2014, para.14).
See also its previous recommendations (CCPR/C/JPN/CO/5, para. 22). Many other UN
human rights bodies that made recommendations pertinent to this issue include theCommittee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (UNDoc.CEDAW/C/JPN/CO/6, para. 38), and the Committee on Economic, Social and CulturalRights (UN Doc.E/C.12/JPN/CO/3, para. 26).
2
Oct 3, 2014, Budget Committee, House of Representatives.
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from 1994-2003, to “correct” part of her 1996 report related to the issue. The request, however, wasimmediately rejected.3More recently, a special committee within the LDP tasked with "restoring Japan's honor and trust"issued a report stating that Japan should "object to erroneous recognition of the facts" concerningthe ”comfort women” issue, which have "significantly tarnished Japan's honor and trust." 4 The
report complained that some governments wrongly referred to "comfort women" as "sex slaves",
which "presented a one-sided argument not backed by the objective facts." In addition to relevant
Asahi articles, the report also criticized a response made by then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei
Kono at a 1993 press conference—in which he asserted a factual basis for the Japanese militaryforcibly recruiting women to “comfort stations” or military brothels—for internationally spreading
a false impression.5
As the Human Rights Committee rightly argues, 6 whether victims were “forcibly deported” by
Japanese military during wartime or “recruited, transported and managed in comfort stations” byentities on behalf of the military, any such acts carried out against victims’ will are sufficient toestablish human rights violations involving the direct legal responsibility of Japan. So-called “falsereporting” is not tarnishing Japan’s reputation, but a continued failure to acknowledge full
responsibility for the military sexual slavery system and attempts to re-write history is. .
3. Distortion of history education

The government of Japan has failed to follow the recommendations of UN human rights treaty
bodies urging it to educate students and the general public about Japan’s military sexual slavery
with adequate descriptions in history textbooks.7
Instead, the government has taken steps to prevent youth from learning the factual history throughits authorization system of textbooks to be used in public schools. The system amounts tocensorship practiced by the Ministry of Education to effectively exclude “unfavorable descriptions”
from history textbooks. The number of junior high school textbooks including some reference to the“comfort women” issue started decreasing from 2002, and such textbooks had completelydisappeared by 2012.
In a similar way, a number of history museums managed by local governments erased critical3

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/10/16/national/history/government-requests-revision-of-1996u-n-sex-slave-report/#.VeF1B-l5ifQ
4
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/07/29/national/politics-diplomacy/ldp-panel-demandscounterarguments-false-allegations-comfort-women-issue/#.VeF37ul5ifQ
5Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono released the so-called “Kono Statement” in 1993 admitting that“[t]he recruitment of the ‘comfort women’ was conducted mainly by private recruiters whoacted in response to the request of the military. The government study has revealed that inmany cases they were recruited against their will, through coercion, etc., and that, at times,
administrative / military personnel directly took part in the recruitment.”
6UN Doc. CCPR/C/JPN/CO/6 of 24/July/2014, para.14
7
Op cit 1.

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descriptions of "comfort women" from their exhibits. 8 There was also a case where a municipality
refused to let liberal citizens' groups use its facilities for an exhibition on the "comfort women"
issue, claiming that it would have led students to form a one-sided opinion on the issue.9 In contrast,
many local municipalities throughout Japan have allowed right-wing groups to use public halls fortheir one-sided "Comfort Women exhibitions" justifying the sexual violence committed by theJapanese military and insulting the victims and survivors as prostitutes. 10
4. Denial of Japan's military sexual slavery outside Japan

Instead of taking measures to memorialize the issue outside Japan, the government of Japan has
tried to change the views of other governments and international society critical of Japan's policy on
the issue.
In December 2014, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested McGraw-Hill Education, one of themajor publishing companies in the U.S., to ‘modify’ some articles about the issue in their history
textbooks. In rejecting the request, McGraw-Hill explained that the descriptions in question arebased on historical facts. Prime Minister Abe himself criticized the McGraw-Hill textbook, statingthat it inaccurately depicted Japan’s actions relating to the issue. 11 He pledged to increase efforts tofight what he called mistaken views abroad concerning Japan’s wartime actions. The LDP's July 28,
2015 report also demanded the correction of "false" descriptions on “comfort women”.
In February 2015, in response to questions regarding the status of lawsuits filed by three Japaneseplaintiffs living in Glendale, CA, USA, against the city, demanding the removal of a “comfortwomen” statue installed in a city park of Glendale, Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga said that “theerection of the statute is not reconcilable with the position and initiatives of our government." 12 The
LDP's July 28, 2015 report also stressed the need for lobbying against the movement outside Japan
to install statutes, memorials, or billboards, and to adopt resolutions, regarding “comfort women”.
5. Recommendations
Endorsing the recommendations of UN human rights bodies and mechanisms, Human Rights Now
would like to suggest this Council renew its recommendations to the Japanese government asfollows:(a) Officially acknowledge legal responsibility for the crime of planning and operating the sexual
slavery system as committed by the Imperial Military of Japan, including the forcible nature of thesystem;
8For example, Peace Museum of Saitama deleted a sentence about the "comfort women" issue in its
chronology of Showa period in October 2013.
9
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/03/25/national/saitama-city-blocks-one-sided-exhibit-oncomfort-women/
10
For example, between July and November 2014, at least 5 cities (Takatsuki-city, Ikoma-city, Sakai-city,Higashi-Osaka-city, and Nishinomiya-city) have allowed right-wing groups to use their
public halls.
11
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/30/world/asia/japans-premier-disputes-us-textbooks-portrayal-ofcomfort-women.html?_r=0
12
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/02/26/national/politics-diplomacy/korean-american-activistraps-sugas-response-to-failed-lawsuit-against-comfort-woman-statue/#.VeF4Wel5ifQ4

A/HRC/30/NGO/X(b) Apologize unreservedly to the victims and survivors to restore their dignity;(c) Prosecute and punish perpetrators who are still alive with appropriate penalties;(d) Refrain from any attempt to deny the facts or negate responsibility;(e) Refute and sanction any attempts to deny the facts or to defame and re-traumatize the victims
through repeated denials;(f) Take immediate and effective measures, both legislative and administrative, and provide all
survivors with appropriate remedies;(g) Disclose all relevant documents, information, and other materials in the government’spossession;(h) Acknowledge survivors’ oral testimony as solid evidence; and(i) Educate students and the general public about this issue by citing the factual events in all history
textbooks and other educational materials, and at public facilities and memorials.
Human Rights Now also suggests that a new mechanism be established to enable the Human Rights
Council to effectively prevent UN member states, particularly the members of this Council, from:concealing or denying the facts relating to grave human rights violations, justifying atrocities,
neglecting to provide remedies to victims, and re-traumatizing

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