Reflection on Humanity on the Atrocious Past and Pacifism Against Resurgence of Japan Militarism

1. This is the third time I have attended an international conference in Tokyo on the question of the post-war responsibilities of Japan. This time I am encouraged to see a significant and symbolic breakthrough in the global movement for war-crime redress again Japan: in addition to the good hard work undertaken by our Japanese lawyers’ team and volunteers, we see that we are now drawing in the experience and moral support of the German and Jewish Council, as well as that of the Japanese Canadians and Japanese-Americans. The Honda AJR27 Resolution passed in the California State Assembly, coupled with State Legislation enabling lawsuits for damages for forced labour to be brought in California against Japan (the recent lawsuits taking place in the USA against Japanese multinational-corporations) have added a new dimension and impetus to the movement. I am truly encouraged by this new development.

2. As an activist in the global movement seeking war-crime redress against Japan, I have often been asked: why did it take more than half a century for the war-crime victims to come out to seek redress? Have they nearly forgotten the Asian Holocaust until the ‘90s when the movement started? My answer is that the war-crime victims of Japanese militarism, particularly those Chinese victims I personally know of, do have a deep collective memory of this dark period of human history. Their experience was too sad and tragic for them to forget; many of the victims have in fact for the last 50 odd years lived in the shadow of their painful memories and one victim told me that from time to time she wakes up from nightmares, with tears on her face and sweat all over her body (as told to me by Yuan Julin, a Chinese Comfort woman). As a matter of fact, many of us must have heard tragic and horrible stories about the brutalities of Japanese soldiers during the War. How could the older generation have forgotten.

3. The reason for the belated emergence of the events on the global movement has an historical context. After the War, most of the Asian countries suffered internal political turmoil and even military conflicts during their post colonial era. Most Asian people, including the Chinese, were continuously struggling for survival. Moreover, in many Asian countries including China, Korea, the Philippines, and Indonesia, the people simply could not voice out their demands due to the lack of political freedom. In short, the Asian people who were war-crime victims were disempowered from making their justified claims for war-crime compensation.

4. Now the overall political situation and climate in Asia has changed. People in the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and recently Indonesia have, through the process of political democratization of their countries, become empowered with more political rights and freedom. In China, although the people still only enjoy relatively limited political freedom, yet the Government has once again re-iterated that the Sino-Japanese Agreement in 1972 only resolved the issue of reparations payable to the State, and therefore the Japanese Government should handle the individual claims of war victims in an appropriate and just manner. I have every reason to believe that in the near future, more and more war-crime victims and their successors will awaken to their rights to pursue compensation from Japan in order to redress their deeply hidden grievances.

5. Moreover, during the last 10 years I have personally witnessed this process of awakening. First in about 1990 when Mr. Teng Tsen, a law graduate from Beijing University, who then served as a social worker for the aged, started to organize and collect testimonies from the comfort women in China. His persistent effort to collect signatures from the Deputies of the National People’s Congress in order to put the reparation issue on the agenda of the Congress, though unsuccessful had won him country-wide respect and a world-wide reputation. Second, in 1991, teams of volunteers and Japanese lawyers also started to build a network among the victims and their representative NGOs in various Asian countries. Third, overseas Asian scholars and activists also consolidated their network to form the present Global Alliance for the presentation of the history of World War II in Asia. All these events have significantly contributed to the awakening process and the formation of the present global movement.

6. At this point in time, we, as organizers of the global movement, must plan and work harder to make the Japanese Government realise that they simply cannot ignore or run away from the problem : they must face it – it is the reality. Although the lawsuits in Tokyo Court, although have not been successful until now, they have at least served to make the Japanese people aware of the accusations against their government and the representatives of their country. Each time there is a trial, we must make the people realise that it is the dignity and conscience of the Japanese Government or even the nation that is on trial. Further, we must extend our advocacy against the Japanese Government to all possible forums – the US Congress and State Assemblies, the Canadian, UK and Australian Parliaments, the Assemblies in the Philippines, Indonesia, South Korea, the Hong Kong Legislative Council and if possible and more importantly in the Chinese National Congress and the Japanese Diet, and the United Nation Human Rights Commission. Let our call for justice be heard in all political forums and be given realization by appropriate resolutions or legislation by all law-making bodies, as has been done by the members of the State Assembly in California.

7. We have to work hard and fast as we are running against time. The war-crime victims are of advanced age and many are sustaining themselves with will power so that they can see the restoration of justice for the crimes against each of them, before their hearts can rest in peace. In 1993, I undertook an oral history project in Hong Kong for 20 victims, some of whom are now dead. Further, it is imperative for us to act promptly to make the Japanese Government admit and learn from its past mistake before it will, as it has the vulnerable tendency to do, repeat a similar mistake of aggression. For our Japanese friends, we entirely agree that it is of paramount importance to protect the Japanese Constitution guaranteeing peace and democracy. Moreover, our Japanese friends should use the democratic channels available to them to educate the public and compel the government to change and correct its mistake as well as to deal responsibly with all the war crime victims.

8. The global movement is not a nationalistic movement. The movement is above the boundaries of states, nations, races and politics. Our movement is not motivated by hatred or animosity against Japan as a nation or against any Japanese people. We are all involved in this global movement as international citizens for our common ideal to seek justice, humanity and peace.

- HO CHUN YAN, ALBERT