BETA


2007/2682(RSP) Resolution on Justice for the 'Comfort Women'

Progress: Procedure completed

Legal Basis:
RoP 135

Events

2008/01/23
   EC - Commission response to text adopted in plenary
Documents
2007/12/13
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2007/12/13
   EP - Debate in Parliament
Details

The debate was followed by a vote on a motion for a resolution.

2007/12/13
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

Following the debate held in plenary, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Justice for the 'Comfort Women' (sex slaves in Asia before and during World War II). The resolution was adopted by 54 votes in favour, none against and 3 abstentions. Welcoming the excellent relationship between the EU and Japan, Parliament expressed its solidarity with the women who were victims of the "comfort women" system for the duration of World War II. It recalled that the government of Japan, during its colonial and wartime occupation of Asia and the Pacific Islands from the 1930s until the end of World War II, officially ordered the acquisition of young women, who became known to the world as ianfu or "comfort women", for the sole purpose of sexual servitude to its Imperial Armed Forces. The "comfort women" system included gang rape, forced abortions, humiliation, and sexual violence resulting in mutilation, death or eventual suicide, in one of the largest cases of human trafficking in the 20th century.

Parliament welcomed the statements by Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono in 1993 and by the then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama in 1995 on the "comfort women", as well as the resolutions of the Japanese parliament (the Diet) of 1995 and 2005 expressing apologies for wartime victims, including victims of the "comfort women" system. It also welcomed the Japanese Government's initiative to establish, in 1995, the now-dissolved Asian Women's Fund, a largely government-funded private foundation, which distributed some "atonement money" to several hundred "comfort women". However, Parliament considered that this humanitarian initiative could not satisfy the victims’ claims of legal recognition and reparation under public international law, as stated by the UN Special Rapporteur Gay McDougall in her report of 1998.

Parliament pointed out that the dozens of "comfort women" cases brought before Japanese courts had all ended in the dismissal of plaintiffs’ claims for compensation, despite court judgments acknowledging the Imperial Armed Forces" direct and indirect involvement, and the State's responsibility.

It called on the Japanese Government :

- formally to acknowledge, apologise, and accept historical and legal responsibility, in a clear and unequivocal manner, for its Imperial Armed Forces' coercion of young women into sexual slavery, known to the world as "comfort women", during its colonial and wartime occupation of Asia and the Pacific Islands from the 1930s until the end of World War II ;

- to implement effective administrative mechanisms to provide reparations to all surviving victims of the "comfort women" system and the families of its deceased victims ;

- to refute publicly any claims that the subjugation and enslavement of "comfort women" never occurred.

The Japanese parliament (the Diet) was asked to take legal measures to remove existing obstacles to obtaining reparations before Japanese courts. In particular, the right of individuals to claim reparations from the government should be expressly recognised in national law, and cases for reparations for the survivors of sexual slavery, as a crime under international law, should be prioritised, taking into account the age of the survivors.

Lastly, Parliament encouraged the Japanese people and government to take further steps to recognise the full history of their nation, as is the moral duty of all countries, and to foster awareness in Japan of its actions in the 1930s and 1940s, including in relation to "comfort women". The government of Japan must educate current and future generations about those events.

Documents
2007/12/13
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2007/12/11
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2007/12/11
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2007/12/11
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2007/12/11
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2007/12/11
   EP - Motion for a resolution
Documents
2007/12/11
   Joint motion for resolution
Documents

Documents

Activities

Votes

RC B6-0525/2007 - Justice pour les femmes de réconfort - résolution #

2007/12/13 Outcome: +: 54, 0: 3
DE PL IT GB FR EL ES LT SK AT NL CY EE SE CZ PT
Total
10
11
6
7
4
4
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
icon: PPE-DE PPE-DE
33

France PPE-DE

2

Lithuania PPE-DE

1

Slovakia PPE-DE

2

Czechia PPE-DE

1
icon: PSE PSE
8

Greece PSE

1

Lithuania PSE

For (1)

1

Austria PSE

2

Portugal PSE

For (1)

1
icon: UEN UEN
6

Italy UEN

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
3

Netherlands ALDE

1

Cyprus ALDE

For (1)

1

Estonia ALDE

For (1)

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
3

France Verts/ALE

2

Spain Verts/ALE

1
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
2

Germany GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Sweden GUE/NGL

1
icon: IND/DEM IND/DEM
2

Poland IND/DEM

2

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

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events/2
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type
Decision by Parliament
body
EP
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-6-2007-0632_EN.html title: T6-0632/2007
summary
events/2
date
2007-12-13T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
body
EP
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url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-6-2007-0632_EN.html title: T6-0632/2007
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activities
  • date: 2007-12-13T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=14529&l=en type: Results of vote in Parliament title: Results of vote in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20071213&type=CRE type: Debate in Parliament title: Debate in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P6-TA-2007-632 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T6-0632/2007 body: EP type: Results of vote in Parliament
committees
    docs
    • date: 2007-12-11T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B6-2007-525&language=EN title: B6-0525/2007 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
    • date: 2007-12-11T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B6-2007-528&language=EN title: B6-0528/2007 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
    • date: 2007-12-11T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B6-2007-531&language=EN title: B6-0531/2007 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
    • date: 2007-12-11T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B6-2007-538&language=EN title: B6-0538/2007 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
    • date: 2007-12-11T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B6-2007-542&language=EN title: B6-0542/2007 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP
    • date: 2007-12-11T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=P6-RC-2007-525&language=EN title: RC-B6-0525/2007 type: Joint motion for resolution
    • date: 2008-01-23T00:00:00 docs: url: /oeil/spdoc.do?i=14529&j=0&l=en title: SP(2008)0411 type: Commission response to text adopted in plenary
    events
    • date: 2007-12-13T00:00:00 type: Results of vote in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=14529&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
    • date: 2007-12-13T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20071213&type=CRE title: Debate in Parliament summary: The debate was followed by a vote on a motion for a resolution.
    • date: 2007-12-13T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P6-TA-2007-632 title: T6-0632/2007 summary: Following the debate held in plenary, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Justice for the 'Comfort Women' (sex slaves in Asia before and during World War II). The resolution was adopted by 54 votes in favour, none against and 3 abstentions. Welcoming the excellent relationship between the EU and Japan, Parliament expressed its solidarity with the women who were victims of the "comfort women" system for the duration of World War II. It recalled that the government of Japan, during its colonial and wartime occupation of Asia and the Pacific Islands from the 1930s until the end of World War II, officially ordered the acquisition of young women, who became known to the world as ianfu or "comfort women", for the sole purpose of sexual servitude to its Imperial Armed Forces. The "comfort women" system included gang rape, forced abortions, humiliation, and sexual violence resulting in mutilation, death or eventual suicide, in one of the largest cases of human trafficking in the 20th century. Parliament welcomed the statements by Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono in 1993 and by the then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama in 1995 on the "comfort women", as well as the resolutions of the Japanese parliament (the Diet) of 1995 and 2005 expressing apologies for wartime victims, including victims of the "comfort women" system. It also welcomed the Japanese Government's initiative to establish, in 1995, the now-dissolved Asian Women's Fund, a largely government-funded private foundation, which distributed some "atonement money" to several hundred "comfort women". However, Parliament considered that this humanitarian initiative could not satisfy the victims’ claims of legal recognition and reparation under public international law, as stated by the UN Special Rapporteur Gay McDougall in her report of 1998. Parliament pointed out that the dozens of "comfort women" cases brought before Japanese courts had all ended in the dismissal of plaintiffs’ claims for compensation, despite court judgments acknowledging the Imperial Armed Forces" direct and indirect involvement, and the State's responsibility. It called on the Japanese Government : - formally to acknowledge, apologise, and accept historical and legal responsibility, in a clear and unequivocal manner, for its Imperial Armed Forces' coercion of young women into sexual slavery, known to the world as "comfort women", during its colonial and wartime occupation of Asia and the Pacific Islands from the 1930s until the end of World War II ; - to implement effective administrative mechanisms to provide reparations to all surviving victims of the "comfort women" system and the families of its deceased victims ; - to refute publicly any claims that the subjugation and enslavement of "comfort women" never occurred. The Japanese parliament (the Diet) was asked to take legal measures to remove existing obstacles to obtaining reparations before Japanese courts. In particular, the right of individuals to claim reparations from the government should be expressly recognised in national law, and cases for reparations for the survivors of sexual slavery, as a crime under international law, should be prioritised, taking into account the age of the survivors. Lastly, Parliament encouraged the Japanese people and government to take further steps to recognise the full history of their nation, as is the moral duty of all countries, and to foster awareness in Japan of its actions in the 1930s and 1940s, including in relation to "comfort women". The government of Japan must educate current and future generations about those events.
    • date: 2007-12-13T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
    links
    other
      procedure/legal_basis/0
      Rules of Procedure EP 135
      procedure/legal_basis/0
      Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 135
      procedure/subject
      Old
      • 6.10.08 Fundamental freedoms, human rights, democracy in general
      New
      6.10.08
      Fundamental freedoms, human rights, democracy in general
      activities
      • date: 2007-12-13T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=14529&l=en type: Results of vote in Parliament title: Results of vote in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20071213&type=CRE type: Debate in Parliament title: Debate in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P6-TA-2007-632 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T6-0632/2007 body: EP type: Results of vote in Parliament
      committees
        links
        other
          procedure
          reference
          2007/2682(RSP)
          title
          Resolution on Justice for the 'Comfort Women'
          legal_basis
          Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 135
          stage_reached
          Procedure completed
          subtype
          Urgent debate or resolution
          type
          RSP - Resolutions on topical subjects
          subject
          6.10.08 Fundamental freedoms, human rights, democracy in general