Several groups are calling for a formal apology from Japan during a vigil held in Taipei in memory of Taiwanese “comfort women”, a euphemistic term for women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II.
The vigil on Friday was organized by the Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation. The foundation’s executive director, Kang Shu-hua, said there are only a few former comfort women who are still alive. She also said the foundation hopes the Japanese government will issue a formal apology to them before they all pass away.
Kang’s comments came in response to remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe earlier in the day on the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. In Abe’s talk, he did not use the word “comfort women”, saying only that “we must never forget that there were women behind the battlefields whose honor and dignity were severely injured”. Kang expressed regret over Abe’s remarks and demanded a formal apology.
Aug. 14 is observed as a memorial day for comfort women in countries across Asia, including Taiwan, South Korea, China, Indonesia, and the Philippines.