Taiwan resolution calls on Japan to compensate comfort women

Tuesday 11th November, 03:26 PM JST

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9 Comments

MichaelJP at 08:23 PM JST - 11th November

This is what I understand: Chiang Kai-shek explicitly renounced the right to demand reparations from Japan, reasoning that the continued economic destruction of Japan at that period would result in a significant increase in communist influence in the country. However, Taiwan did get the rights to all Japanese assets in the country, which amounted to over 42 billion yen at the time.

If this is correct, can Taiwan reneg and demand more money?
ilcub76 at 08:49 PM JST - 11th November

As long as it's only a resolution, it has no teeth. Do you really think Japan will turn around and say, "We're so sorry. Here's a wad of money"? This will also fall on deaf and dumb politicians' ears.
Triple888 at 09:21 PM JST - 11th November

"If this is correct, can Taiwan reneg and demand more money?"

It's not the authorities of Taiwan that wanted the money but the victims. Any sane human being will see that compensation (on the personal level) is the right thing to do.
proxy at 09:52 PM JST - 11th November

"allegedly forced hundreds of thousands of women to become prostitutes"

That might as well read "allegedly forced hundreds of millions of women to become prostitutes" because just because it is alleged does not mean those numbers are anywhere near reality.
Current estimates average out at around 200 000 woman involved. Some scholars estimate that 40% of that number were Japanese prostitutes.

Most foreign nationals that were comfort woman were prostitutes that entered freely into the system for their own benefit.

So the maximum number of woman that were forced into it is tens of thousands not hundreds. Of the women and girls that were forced into being comfort woman most were sold into prostitution by their parents through brokers. The parents are at least as culpable as Japan. Yes, thousands of woman (10 000-15 000) were rounded up by the imperial army and raped hundreds of times. One rape is too many but the statement "allegedly forced hundreds of thousands of women to become prostitutes" is tossed around too liberally to demonize Japanese people.
Pivot at 10:20 PM JST - 11th November

Proxy, that's some great statistics there. Sources, please? I like the way you present them like they are the final word.

Honestly, haggling over numbers serves no purpose. Yes, the numbers are very likely overestimated, just as yours might be seriously conservative. The point is, that many many women WERE rounded up by the imperial army and raped hundreds of times, until death in many cases. Certainly, it was a war and things happen - but the lack of admission even to ANY extent by people in such high positions as the MAYOR of the CAPITAL CITY is what is disgusting in the eyes of many outside. And it is this point that people like you cannot seem to grasp.
proxy at 10:25 PM JST - 11th November

I forgot to mention why the numbers are relevant.

Taiwan today, like Japan, is listed as a tier 2 country in regards to human trafficking. Young girls from South East Asia are, today, sold to brothels in Taiwan and sexually exploited. Taiwan, like Japan, could do a lot more to crack down on people that are forcing, in this time, young girls to work as prostitutes against their will.

In 2007 between 600 000 - 800 000 people were transported across international borders against their will. Most of them were woman and girls that were sexually exploited, i.e. they were raped and forced into prostitution. There are probably woman in every large city that have been forced into prostitution and cannot escape. I would prefer to see governments, Japan's and Taiwan's included, to spend their time and energy on stamping out the human trafficking, rape and exploitation of woman that is occurring in our time.
proxy at 11:22 PM JST - 11th November

By the way, Shi Wen-long, one of the richest people in Taiwan and a bit of a nut claims that no Taiwanese woman were forced into prostitution during the war. Ballooning the figures only forces Japan to be defensive. If lower figures like 15 000 were used for the number of woman and girls forced into prostitution, the Japanese government would be much more likely to offer direct compensation. And then Japan could ask for an apology and money from Australia for all the Japanese woman they raped.
MichaelJP at 11:24 PM JST - 11th November

Good points proxy, both Japan and Taiwan really need to focus on eliminating the ongoing trafficking of women.

see: http://www.humantrafficking.org/updates/794

On human trafficking, Taiwan was primarily a destination for Southeast Asian and Chinese nationals trafficked into forced labor or sexual exploitation, the report said. There were numerous reports of women -- mainly from Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand -- being forced or coerced into the commercial sex trade after receiving fraudulent offers of employment or marriage from dishonest labor or marriage brokers, the report said. There were also reports of women being trafficked from Taiwan for sexual exploitation purposes to Canada, Japan, the UK, the US and other countries, the report said.
usaexpat at 12:19 AM JST - 12th November

Last year I blasted the US and EU resolutions as being toothless tigers and worse yet leveled by countries who were not victims of Japan's sex slavery. On this I side with Taiwan because they experienced the criminal behavior. I would also side with China or South Korea or the Philippines or anywhere else who chose to pass such resolutions. Only victims can demand appologies not third parties to a conflict. I hope the Japanese government does the right thing but I rather doubt it.