MOFA urges Japan to hold talks on comfort women

2016/01/08

Tokyo must waste no time in entering into talks with Taipei on officially apologizing to and compensating Taiwan comfort women, ROC Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin said Jan. 6

The Japanese government is obligated to restore the dignity of Taiwan women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) and provide for the welfare of the surviving victims, Lin added.

The minister made the remarks to Mikio Numata, head of Japan’s mission in Taiwan, after summoning him to reiterate the government’s unyielding stance on the issue.

The meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei City followed comments by Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga the day before during a regular news conference. Suga said his government does not intend to launch new negotiations with other countries on the issue, including Taiwan.

Late last year, Japan and South Korea reached a landmark agreement in Seoul that Japan will pay 1 billion yen (US$8.31 million) to set up a fund for the South Korean victims. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also officially apologized and offered his sincere reflection.

Lin said the MOFA and Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan are closely monitoring related developments and will continue demanding an affirmative response on the matter from Tokyo.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=241005&ctNode=2194&mp=9)