Sense Of House That Japan Should Apologize For Its Imperial Armed Forces' Coercion Of Young Women Into Sexual Slavery

Floor Speech

SENSE OF HOUSE THAT JAPAN SHOULD APOLOGIZE FOR ITS IMPERIAL ARMED FORCES' COERCION OF YOUNG WOMEN INTO SEXUAL SLAVERY -- (Extensions of Remarks - August 04, 2007)

* Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 121, which expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Government of Japan should formally apologize and accept historical responsibility for its Imperial Armed Forces' coercion of young women into sexual slavery during its occupation of Asia and the Pacific Islands from the 1930s through the end of World War II.

* During this time period, the government of Japan created a system of forced military prostitution where young females were used as involuntary sexual servants or "comfort women'' in one of the largest cases of human trafficking in the 20th century. Over 200,000 women are believed to have been coerced into these government sanctioned programs, and only an estimated 25 percent survived this horrible and painstaking ordeal. Although the government of Japan has made some efforts to address these past grievances, they have repeatedly undermined the sincerity of their own statements by engaging in questionable practices to disregard these unfortunate events. Some Japanese textbooks have attempted to downplay the existence of "comfort women,'' and several officials have tried to dilute or retract previously expressed apologies.

* The nation of Japan has long been a valuable friend and ally of the United States, and I understand their desire to look forward to the future, but that should not come at the expense of ignoring the horrible events of the past. In light of its historical shortcomings, the Japanese government must be willing to publicly accept responsibility for its past sins and offer a sincere and formal apology if they wish to be forgiven by the international community. They should also discourage any efforts to refute the existence of "comfort women.'' It is important for future generations to be aware of these events in order to ensure that these tragedies will not be repeated. There is no greater enemy than ignorance of the past.

* Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the many women and families that were affected by these terrible crimes. Please join me in voting for H. Res. 121 so that we can ensure that this tragedy is properly addressed and acknowledged.

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