ngoinformationforthehumanrightscommitteetaskforc.docVIP

NGO Information for the Human Rights Committee Task Force PUBLIC STATEMENT List of Issues to be taken up in consideration of the Fifth Periodic Report of JAPAN The Issue of the “Comfort Women” February 29, 2008 Asia-Japan Women’s Resource Center 14-10-211, Sakuragaoka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0031, Japan Tel: +81-3-3780-5245 Fax:+81-3-3463-9752 E-mail: ajwrc@ URL: /  The Asia-Japan Women’s Resource Center presents this report regarding the Japanese military system of sexual slavery during World War II (the so-called “comfort women”), which relates to the Japanese Government’s responsibility under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, in order to propose questions for the Human Rights Committee to submit to the government, and to provide background information. We also intend to submit an alternative report that will provide more detailed information. The Asia-Japan Women’s Resource Center, established in 1995 with the aim of building a society based on respect for human rights and gender equality, is a nongovernmental organization with the consultative status to the U.N. Economic and Social Council. February 29, 2008 Asia-Japan Women’s Resource Center 14-10-211, Sakuragaoka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0031, Japan Tel: +81-3-3780-5245 Fax:+81-3-3463-9752 E-mail: ajwrc@ URL: / The Issue of the “Comfort Women” Related Articles Article 2: Obligation to ensure human rights Article 3: Equal rights of men and women Article 8: Prohibition of slavery and forced labor Response in the Government Report There is no description included in the fifth report. C. Questions Responsibility to Respond to the Recommendations of the International Community Question: For over a decade, the international community has been demanding that the issue of the “comfort women” be sincerely dealt with as a universal human rights issue. What sort of political response is being considered by the Government of