[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 68 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 68

 Expressing the sense of Congress that the Government of Japan should 
     formally issue a clear and unambiguous apology for the sexual 
enslavement of young women during colonial occupation of Asia and World 
    War II, known to the world as ``comfort women'', and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 16, 2005

    Mr. Evans (for himself, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. Honda, Mr. Towns, Mr. 
 Grijalva, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, 
    Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Kucinich, Ms. Norton, Mr. George Miller of 
   California, Mr. Crowley, and Mr. Sanders) submitted the following 
     concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                        International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of Congress that the Government of Japan should 
     formally issue a clear and unambiguous apology for the sexual 
enslavement of young women during colonial occupation of Asia and World 
    War II, known to the world as ``comfort women'', and for other 
                               purposes.

Whereas the Government of Japan during the colonial occupation of Asia and the 
        Pacific Islands during World War II organized the subjugation and 
        kidnapping of young women for the sole purpose of sexual servitude, 
        known to the world as ``comfort women'';
Whereas the enslavement of comfort women was officially commissioned and 
        orchestrated by the Government of Japan to include gang rape, forced 
        abortions, sexual violence, human trafficking, and numerous other crimes 
        against humanity;
Whereas the comfort women were girls as young as 13 years of age or women 
        separated from their own children;
Whereas the comfort women were either abducted from their homes or lured into 
        sexual servitude under false pretenses;
Whereas many comfort women were eventually killed or forced to commit suicide 
        upon cessation of hostilities;
Whereas historians conclude that as many as 200,000 women were enslaved but very 
        few survive today;
Whereas the Government of Japan did not fully disclose these war crimes during 
        negotiations for reparations with former enemies and colonial states and 
        further it did not officially acknowledge the crimes until 1994;
Whereas the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) concluded after a 1993 
        mission of inquiry that ``these women are entitled to the fullest 
        possible relief permissible in international law'';
Whereas the Government of Japan has not issued state reparations to former 
        comfort women or acknowledged governmental responsibility for this crime 
        against humanity; and
Whereas the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women 
        concludes that a private fund to compensate comfort women ``is a clear 
        statement [of the Government of Japan] denying legal responsibility for 
        the situation of these women and . . . does not vindicate the legal 
        claims of comfort women under public international law'': Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),  
That it is the sense of Congress that the Government of Japan--
            (1) should formally issue a clear and unambiguous apology 
        for the sexual enslavement of young women during the colonial 
        occupation of Asia and the Pacific Islands during World War II, 
        known to the world as ``comfort women'';
            (2) should immediately pay reparations to the victims of 
        these crimes;
            (3) should educate future generations about this horrible 
        crime against humanity; and
            (4) should publicly refute claims that the subjugation and 
        enslavement of comfort women never occurred.
                                 <all>