Japan 'failed' on 'comfort women' issue

UN human rights chief blasts inaction

The UN high commissioner for human rights expressed profound disappointment on Wednesday over Japan's failure to pursue a comprehensive, impartial and lasting resolution of the issue of wartime sexual slavery.

Navi Pillay warned that the human rights of the victims, euphemistically known as "comfort women," continue to be violated, decades after the end of the World War II.

"During my visit to Japan in 2010, I appealed to the government to provide effective redress to the victims of wartime sexual slavery," the high commissioner said in a statement.

"Now, as my tenure in office comes to an end, it pains me to see that these courageous women are passing away one by one without their rights restored and without receiving the reparation to which they are entitled," she added.

Pillay stressed this is not an issue relegated to history, as human rights violations against these women continue to occur as long as their rights to justice and reparation are not realized.

Instead of justice, she added, the women are facing increasing denials and degrading remarks by public figures in Japan.

A report issued by a study team appointed by the Japanese government in June stated that it was not possible to confirm that women were forcefully recruited.

After the release of this report, a group in Tokyo publicly declared that comfort women were not sex slaves but wartime prostitutes.

"Such statements must cause tremendous agony to the women, but we have not seen any public rebuttal by the government," Pillay said.

Over the years, Japan has received recommendations from a number of independent UN experts, human rights treaty bodies and the Human Rights Council under its Universal Periodic Review to take concrete measures to tackle the issue.

Most recently, the UN Human Rights Committee, which oversees implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, called on Japan to take immediate and effective legislative and administrative measures to ensure that all allegations of sexual slavery are investigated and perpetrators prosecuted.