[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 126 (Thursday, August 2, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1702]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN SHOULD APOLOGIZE

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 30, 2007

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of H. Res. 121, of which I am a cosponsor, which expresses the sense of 
the House of Representatives that the Government of Japan should 
formally acknowledge, apologize, and accept historical responsibility 
in a clear and unequivocal manner for its Imperial Armed Force's 
coercion of young women into sexual slavery, known to the world as 
``comfort women,'' during its colonial and wartime occupation of Asia 
and the Pacific Islands from the 1930s through the duration of World 
War II.
  As a co-chair of the Human Trafficking Caucus, I am all too familiar 
with the terrible problem of sexual slavery. H. Res. 121 reminds us 
that women throughout history have faced this type of inhumane 
treatment. According to the resolution, some textbooks used in Japanese 
schools downplay this tragedy, and public and private officials wish to 
rescind a 1993 statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono, which 
expressed the Government of Japan's sincere apologies and remorse for 
the ordeal faced by the ``comfort women.'' I believe that if we are 
going to successfully combat this problem worldwide, nations must come 
to terms with their pasts so that such practices do not happen again in 
the future.
  Human trafficking is a $10 billion worldwide industry and one of the 
largest organized crime rings in history. According to the State 
Department, approximately 800,000 people are trafficked across 
international borders for labor and commercial sex purposes each year; 
the number is in the millions when trafficking within borders is 
counted. While we have a lot of work ahead of us to end human 
trafficking, I believe that through our collective efforts, we can make 
a difference.
  I want to commend Representative Honda for sponsoring this 
legislation and for his tireless efforts to get this bill to the floor 
today. I am committed to ending modern-day slavery, and I urge all of 
my colleagues to support this legislation.

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