Washington, DC— Today the Asia and Pacific Subcommittee, of which Congresswoman Watson is a member, held hearings on legislation that calls for the Government of Japan to formally acknowledge, apologize, and accept historical responsibility for its Imperial Armed Force’s coercion of 200,000 women into sexual slavery from the 1930s through World War II.

The legislation, House Resolution 121, is sponsored by Representative Michael Honda (CA-15).  Congresswoman Watson is an original cosponsor of the legislation.  

Congresswoman Watson delivered the following remarks:

“Thank you, Chairman Faleomavaega, for holding this important and historic hearing–and I should note your first since being elevated to Chairman of the Asia Subcommittee–on the sexual enslavement of over 200,000 women by the Japanese Imperial Army during its colonial occupation.

“I also want to thank my friend and colleague, Representative Michael Honda, for providing the leadership in introducing House Resolution 121, a resolution that expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Government of Japan should formally acknowledge, apologize, and accept historical responsibility for its Imperial Armed Force’s coercion of young women into sexual slavery, known as “Comfort Women,” from the 1930s through the duration of World War II.

“I commend Mr. Honda for his appreciation and understanding that people, institutions, and governments must take responsibility for their actions, both good and evil, and that apologies on matters of historical import are critical to the process of healing and reconciliation.  Knowledge of the past, as well as acknowledgment of the past, is key to understanding the present.  To paraphrase Lord Ackton, knowledge of the past is the safest and surest emancipation.

“So it is in the spirit of emancipation from the past, as well as reconciliation and justice for the so-called Comfort Women, that I am certain Mr. Honda has introduced House Resolution 121 and appears here today before the Asia and Pacific Subcommittee.  The purpose of H.Res. 121 is not to bash the Government of Japan but rather to speak to truth, to speak to the fact that the historical and current plight of Comfort Women has not been properly witnessed, nor has compensation to the victims been sufficiently provided.

“Mr. Honda’s heritage as a Japanese-American and the fact that he lived in a Japanese-American internment camp in California during World War II are also pertinent and instructive.  Approximately 40 years after the imprisonment of Japanese-Americans, the U.S. Government formally apologized for its role and offered reparations.

“No nation’s hands are clean when it comes to human rights violations.  We cannot selectively speak or seek the truth.  We must speak it and seek it wherever it lies.  Japan is an important ally of the United States.  That will not change.  But I am certain that Japan’s bilateral, as well as multilateral relations, will be strengthened, particularly on the Asian continent, when it fully and with due diligence confronts its past.  By honestly and openly facing its past, Japan will enrich its future. 

“In closing, Mr. Chairman, I also want to thank the women who lived through the horrifying experience of enslavement and have traveled a long distance to offer their testimony to the Subcommittee today.”