Taiwan’s representative office in Japan is demanding that the Japanese government compensate and issue a formal apology to Taiwanese "comfort women". The office made the statement on Tuesday, referring to the many women who were forced into sex slavery by the Japanese during WWII. There are only four such women still alive today in Taiwan.
The statement was a rebuttal of televised comments on Monday by Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga. Suga said Tokyo “has been sincere in facing” the controversy over comfort women “outside of South Korea.”
Taiwan’s representative office in Japan said the government’s stance remains unchanged and that Japan must take responsibility in returning dignity and doing justice to the victims. The representative office has made its stance clear to Japan numerous times and has demanded that Japan hold talks with Taiwan as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, according to the presidential office, President Ma Ying-jeou said Japan should give Taiwanese comfort women the same treatment that it gave to victims of other countries.
Also on Tuesday, a foreign ministry official said the talks will be conducted between Taiwan’s Association of East Asian Relations and Japan’s Interchange Association. Those two organizations handle bilateral ties in the absence of official diplomatic ties. The Taiwanese official said no other platform will be set up to handle the matter.
Last August, at an event marking the end of the 70th anniversary of WWII, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed deep remorse and a sincere apology to former "comfort women".