「慰安婦」問題を解決する気ゼロの日本政府
『Gazing at the Celestial Blue』さんの10月15日付エントリ『国連・自由権規約委員会による第5回日本政府報告書審査がはじまる』で各社の報道を丹念に載せておられるので、詳しくはそちらをご覧いただきたいのだが、国連の自由権規約委員会（Human Rights Committee）で日本政府が自由権規約を遵守しているかどうかを審査する会議が10月15〜16日に行なわれた。この結果はまだつかんでないが、この会議の文書が置いてあるページから、日本が出した報告書に関する考察の際に提起された問題のリストとそれに対する日本政府の答弁から、『慰安婦』問題に関する部分だけを抜き出しておく。
翻訳をする時間気力がないので申し訳ないが、これらの文書に目を通した感想を言えば、日本政府は「慰安婦」問題は、法的にはサンフランシスコ平和条約やそれに類する二国間条約で、真相究明や道義的責任も、河野談話、アジア女性基金、アジア歴史資料センター（アジ歴）、歴代総理のお詫びの手紙でほぼ解決したと考えており、それが国際社会に受け入れられるものだと信じているようである。いつも国連の各会議で答弁している通りの内容を繰り返しているだけなのだが、このまま同じ戯言を繰り返していれば、被害国や被害者がそのうち「和解」してくれるとでも思っているのであろうか？
LIST OF ISSUES TO BE TAKEN UP IN CONNECTION WITH THE CONSIDERATION OF THE FIFTH PERIODIC REPORT OF JAPAN (CCPR/C/JPN/Q/5) [23 May 2008]
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrc/docs/AdvanceDocs/CCPR-C-JPN-Q5.doc
21. Please indicate whether the State party considers assuming any legal responsibility for the “comfort women” system of military sexual slavery under the former Japanese military regime before 1945, and whether it intends to investigate and prosecute perpetrators who are still alive, educate the general public on this issue, and provide compensation to victims as a matter of right, including in countries that were not covered by the Asian Women’s Fund (1995-2007).
(page 4)
REPLIES TO THE LIST OF ISSUES (CCPR/C/JPN/Q/5):TO BETAKEN UP IN CONNECTION WITH THE CONSIDERATION OF THE FIFTH PERIODIC REPORT OF THE GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN(CCPR/C/JPN/5) [22 September 2008]
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrc/docs/AdvanceDocs/CCPR-C-JPN-Q-5Add1.doc
Question 21
In the first place, the Covenant does not apply retroactively to issues that arose before 1979, when the GOJ acceded to the Covenant, and thus, it is beyond the mandate of the Committee to deal with the issue of “comfort women” for the consideration of the report. With this as a premise, the GOJ submits the following facts, concerning this issue.
The GOJ devoted its fullest efforts to conducting surveys concerning the issue of “comfort women” from December 1991 to August 1993 and announced the result of the surveys. Upon announcing the result in August 1993, the GOJ released a statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary, which acknowledged the issue of “comfort women” as having severely injured the honor and dignity of many women. In the statement, thereupon, the GOJ extended apologies*1 and remorse. This position, presented in the said statement, is the GOJ’s consistent basic position, which has remained unchanged to this date.
As for the issue of reparations, assets, and claims related to the Second World War, the GOJ has been responding in good faith pursuant to the San Francisco Peace Treaty, bilateral peace treaties and other relevant treaties, etc. In this way, such issues of claims concerning the War, including the issue of “comfort women”, have been legally settled with the countries that are parties to these treaties, etc.
In accordance with such position, the GOJ, together with the people of Japan*2, seriously discussed what could be done about this issue, which led to the foundation of the Asian Women’s Fund (AWF) in July 1995. The Fund was designed to facilitate feasible remedies for former “comfort women” who had reached advanced ages. The GOJ exerted its maximum efforts for the projects of AWF, by such means as contributing approximately 4.8 billion yen from the national budget, until the Fund was dissolved in March 2007. The AWF publicized its activities as well as the factual findings on the issue of “comfort women” via its website (http://www.awf.or.jp/e-guidemap.htm). The Japan Center for Asian Historical Records has also disseminated historical documents of GOJ relating to this issue via its website (http://www.jacar.so.jp). The GOJ also delivered the “letter from Prime Minister to the former comfort women” through the activities of the AWF.
The GOJ will continue its efforts to promote an understanding of the sympathy of the Japanese people represented by the activities of the AWF. Succeeding the purpose of the AWF, the GOJ will actively cooperate with the activities for caring former “comfort women”*3.
(page 23 and 24. emphasis added.)
