Japan asks author of 1996 UN sex slave report to make retractions

Source:Global Times-Agencies Published: 2014-10-17 0:33:02

Japan has requested the author of a UN report, which condemns Japan's wartime use of "comfort women," to retract part of the content, the Kyodo News reported.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Thursday that Japan had brought up the request after Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun admitted to false reporting on the issue.

Radhika Coomaraswamy, a former UN special rapporteur on violence against women, published the report in 1996 that described Japan's wartime sexual slavery as a violation of international law and urged Tokyo to make an official apology and pay compensation.

"Given that the Asahi Shimbun withdrew its past erroneous reports on comfort women, we explained this to Ms. Coomaraswamy and asked her to correct her views expressed in the report," The Kyodo News Agency quoted Suga as saying. "But I've heard that she refused to correct it." 

It was reported that Kuni Sato, Japan's ambassador in charge of human rights and humanitarian issues, met with Coomaraswamy on Tuesday in New York to make the request.

Coomaraswamy's report cited statements from a former Japanese soldier, Seiji Yoshida, as saying that he witnessed Korean women forcibly taken to Japanese military brothels. The Asahi Shimbun retracted its reports based on Yoshida's statements in August, claiming that the statements were fabricated.

It was reported that Coomaraswamy refused to make a correction, citing reasons that Yoshida's statements only constitute part of the evidence.

South Korea on Thursday expressed regret over Japan's continued denial of its wartime past, the Yonhap News Agency reported.

"Historical truth cannot be concealed even if Japan tries to gloss over the sex slave issue. Only grave criticism from the international community will follow," said Noh Kwang-il, spokesman for Seoul's foreign ministry. "Seoul will not tolerate Japan's attempt to blur the truth of history."



Posted in: Asia-Pacific

blog comments powered by Disqus