(Source)
Japan has reiterated its apology for the suffering inflicted on Filipino “comfort women” during World War II. More than 1,000 women were kidnapped and forced in sexual slavery by military personnel during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines from 1942 to 1945. Today, only 18 survivors remain alive. Kaneko Mariko, deputy press secretary of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized that Japan has long apologized and is considering reparations through the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty.
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Lila Pilipina “regrets” apology: However, Lila Pilipina, an organization founded in 1994 by survivors reassure women and their followers, condemned the recent statementarguing that the Japanese claim distorts historical facts to gain Philippine support and the recent signing of the reciprocal access agreement between Japan and the Philippines. This military pact allows for the deployment of their respective forces on each other’s territory, aimed at addressing security challenges in the South China Sea, particularly in response to China’s aggressive actions in the region. Lila Pilipina stresses that the post-war reparations mainly favored Japan, leaving individual victims largely uncompensated. They urge the Philippine Senate to reject the agreement.
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The explanation: “The Japanese government has never sincerely apologized to Filipino ‘comfort women’ and other victims of war rape. Private letters of apology sent by Japanese state leaders in the 1990s did not carry the force of a full and official apology. The establishment of an Asian Women’s Fund after these letters also does not indicate sincere remorse, as the funds were in fact donations from private citizens and in no way reparations for the damage done by the Japanese Imperial Government, which should bear full responsibility for these crimes.”
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