Asahi: Philippines to seek 'comfort women' apology
The Philippine parliament is expected to pass a resolution within days calling for a formal apology and compensation from Japan for forcing Filipino women to provide sex to Japanese soldiers during World War II. The resolution, the first of its kind by the Philippines, was approved unanimously by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives on Tuesday. The resolution will be presented to the House of Representatives plenary session soon. Last year, similar resolutions calling for an apology from Japan to the victims, euphemistically referred to as "comfort women," were passed in the United States, Canada and the Netherlands and by the European Parliament. Those moves triggered full-scale deliberations on the resolution in the Philippines. The resolution states that conservative voices in Japan have tried to tone down or even nullify the 1993 statement by then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono, in which the government offered its "sincere apologies and remorse" for the wartime transgressions. The resolution urges the Philippine government to push Tokyo to officially acknowledge its responsibility for the forced sex, apologize for its involvement and compensate the victims. At least 10 former comfort women sat in on the committee's deliberations on Tuesday...more...