Establishment of the AW Fund, and the basic concept of its projects

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Establishment of the AW Fund, and the basic concept of its projects

On 18 July 1995, Prime Minister Murayama's statement regarding the Fund (Full Text) and the Fund proponents' "Appeal for Donations for the Asian Women's Fund"  were made public at a press conference.

An Appeal for Donations for the Asian Women's Fund

Fifty years have elapsed since the war came to an end.

The war caused enormous horror and ravaged the people of Japan and many other nations, especially those in Asia. Particularly brutal was the act of forcing women, including teenagers, to serve the Japanese armed forces as "comfort women," a practice that violated the fundamental dignity of women. No manner of apology can ever completely heal the deep wound inflicted on these women both emotionally and physically. Yet we should, by whatever means, do our best to appreciate their pain and make the greatest possible effort to salve their suffering in any way we can. We believe the obligation to do so today hangs heavy over Japan, the country that inflicted the suffering.

The Government of Japan has expressed its deep remorse, albeit belatedly, apologizing to the victims through the Chief Cabinet Secretary's statement of August 4, 1993, and the Prime Minister's statement of August 31, 1994. Further, on June 14 of this year, the Cabinet announced a concrete action plan, which is to be based upon four pillars:

1. Support will be given to the establishment of a fund that invites the people of Japan to atone for the institution of "comfort women".

2. The Government will contribute funds to the welfare and medical care of these women.

3. The Government will express remorse and apologize.

4. Historical documents and materials will be collated that will help make this a lesson to be drawn on.

Moneys from the AWF - donated by the Japanese as an offer of atonement to the "comfort women" - will be delivered to the women, as well as be used to provide support for measures to cope with current-day issues such as the eradication of violence against women. We have gathered together to propose this fund in the conviction that atonement in the form of compensation by the people of Japan to the victims of the institution of "comfort women" is urgently needed now, along with an apology by the Government.

Some of us proponents differ in our views. Some, for example, believe Government compensation is absolutely necessary, while others believe such compensation will be difficult to realize in a prompt manner because of legal and practical impediments. We are, however, united in one regard - our burning desire to take action immediately, because the time left to compensate these women of advanced age is running short.

We will continue to urge the Government to spare no effort in bringing to light all the facts of the case, and to express a heartfelt apology, in order that the honor and dignity of the victims of the institution of "comfort women" be restored. At the same time, we will be vigilant in our effort to make sure the Government apportions ample budgetary outlays and uses these funds to fully provide, in good faith, for the welfare and medical care of the victims. We will continually demand that our Government pursue an active policy of working to prevent still remaining infringements upon the dignity of all women, both in Japan and throughout the world.

Of paramount importance, however, is the need for as many Japanese citizens as possible to appreciate the suffering of the victims and to express a genuine desire for atonement. The indignities and pain suffered by these women, both during the war and in the fifty years since, can never be fully compensated for. But we are convinced that, if each and every citizen of Japan would do his or her best to understand the plight of the victims, and then act in a concrete manner to make amends, and if such a commitment - coming, as it must, from the heart - could reach the women involved, then our actions would help mitigate, to some extent, the trauma they have lived through and continue to live with.

It is the Japanese nation of the past that created the "comfort women." But Japan is not the government alone. Like other, Japan is a nation in which each citizen must shoulder the legacy of the past, live in the present, and create the future. To make amends for the past, then, fifty years after the fact, is our responsibility - we, the present generation, owe it to the victims, to the international community, and to future generations.

We sincerely urge you to take part in and contribute to this national fund, in order that as many Japanese citizens as possible translate into action the desire to make amends.

18 July 1995

Proponents of the "Asian Women’s Fund"

Ryoko AKAMATSU
Jinnosuke ASHIDA
Shinkichi ETO
Toshiko OKITA
Yoshiko OTAKA
Yasuaki ONUMA
Yukio OKAMOTO
Taki KATO
Mitsuko SHIMOMURA
Kenji SUZUKI
Ryozo SUNOBE
Yoshikatsu TAKAHASHI
Shunsuke TSURUMI
Aiko NODA
Kuniko NONAKA
Nobutoshi HAGIWARA
Mutsuko MIKI
Isamu MIYAZAKI
Tadashi YAMAMOTO
Haruki WADA

The following day, 19 July 1995, the first Directors' meeting was held, and the Josei no Tameno Ajia Heiwa Kokumin Kikin (in English, National Fund for Asian Peace and Women), or in short, the Ajia Josei Kikin (in English, the Asian Women's Fund), was officially established. At the end of that month, Bunbei Hara, the previous President of the House of Councilors, was chosen as the Fund's President.

The year 1995 was the 50th anniversary of the end of the war, and on 15 August full-page advertisements in the morning editions of six national newspapers covered Prime Minister Murayama's Statement regarding the Fund and the Fund proponents' appeal.

Also, before noon on this day, a statement by Prime Minister Murayama on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the end of the war (Full Text) was released. The new statement reflected decisions taken by the Cabinet, and included these words:

"During a certain period in the not too distant past, Japan followed mistaken national policies and took the road to war, ensnaring the Japanese people in a fateful crisis and inflicting, through colonial rule and aggression, great damage and pains on people in many countries, especially in Asia. Regarding in all humility these irrefutable facts of history, and in the hope that no such mistake will be made in the future, I express once more my feeling of deep remorse and state my heartfelt apology."

On that day, the Fund received 14.55 million yen in donations. By the end of the month, 37.78 million yen had been donated. Donations reached 133.75 million yen by the end of 1995, more than 200 million by March 1996, more than 300 million by April, and more than 400 million by June of that year.

The Government of the Republic of Korea welcomed the Fund's establishment with such comments as "there is an element of public support for some projects, involving financial resources from the government budget"; "there was a straightforward expression‎ of remorse and apology, given by the state to those concerned"; and "statements included a clearly expressed desire to discover what happened and to use that information as a lesson of history." These were welcomed as "sincere measures."

However, many activist groups in the Republic of Korea demanded that the Japanese Government apologize and provide compensation, and stated that victims should not receive "remuneration" from "a private organization." This led to the Government of the Republic of Korea changing its stance. After that, the activist groups insisted that war crimes were at the heart of the issue, and called on the Japanese Government to recognize its legal responsibility and punish those responsible. The groups brought these demands to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and other organizations.

On 4 January 1996, Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special Rapporteur of the UN Commission on Human Rights on Violence against Women, presented a report on investigations of the comfort women issue conducted in North Korea, the Republic of Korea and Japan. Her report, annexed to a report to the High Commissioner for Human Rights, regards the comfort women issue as "military sexual slavery," and asserts that the Japanese Government should accept legal responsibility for the violation of international law. The Special Rapporteur wrote that the Japanese Government had accepted moral responsibility for the existence of the comfort women, and that she "considers this a welcome beginning." She also wrote that she saw the Asian Women's Fund "as an expression‎ of the Japanese Government's moral concern for the fate of the comfort women." However, she stated that this did not exempt the Government from "the legal claims of the comfort women under public international law." In addition, she called on the Japanese Government to accept legal responsibility, pay compensation, make a full disclosure of documents and materials in its possession, issue a public apology, raise awareness by amending educational curricula to reflect historic realities, and punish perpetrators as far as possible.(Full Text)

Against this background, members of the newly established Asian Women's Fund - the proponents, Directors and Advisory Committee members - collaborated in discussions aimed at developing a framework for Fund projects. Then, after discussions with relevant government officials, decisions were taken regarding the fundamentals for Fund projects. These fundamentals were detailed in the second pamphlet entitled "Jyugun Ianfu" ni Sareta Katagata eno Tsugunai no Tameni (For the Atonement to Those Women were made to become the Comfort Women), which was published in September 1996.

Based on the recognition by the Japanese government of its moral responsibility and its clear expression‎ of remorse and apology, it was decided that the Asian Women's Fund together with the government would implements the national atonement projects participated in by both the government and the people of Japan. The projects were to be implemented for former comfort women who had been recognized as such by the authorities of the relevant country or region, or by private organizations commissioned by the authorities.

The projects expressing the atonement of the Japanese Government and people have three major elements. The first element is the provision of "atonement money" from the Japanese people to former comfort women. The money, 2 million yen per person, comes from Japanese people's donations.

The first element is a letter from the Prime Minister of Japan to the former comfort women. The letter indicates that at the heart of the comfort women issue is the fact that the honor and dignity of women were gravely affronted with the involvement of the former Japanese military, acknowledges moral responsibility for these facts, and expresses heartfelt feelings of apology and remorse to all those who underwent many painful experiences and suffered incurable trauma. The letter also states a resolve to face up squarely to history and accurately convey that history to future generations. The letter is presented to each former comfort woman by the Asian Women's Fund, together with a letter from the President of the Fund (see Appendix 12), to indicate even more clearly to the victims the position of the Japanese Government and people.

Letter from Prime Minister to the former comfort women

The Year of 1996

Dear Madam,

On the occasion that the Asian Women's Fund, in cooperation with the Government and the people of Japan, offers atonement from the Japanese people to the former wartime comfort women, I wish to express my feelings as well.

The issue of comfort women, with an involvement of the Japanese military authorities at that time, was a grave affront to the honor and dignity of large numbers of women.

As Prime Minister of Japan, I thus extend anew my most sincere apologies and remorse to all the women who underwent immeasurable and painful experiences and suffered incurable physical and psychological wounds as comfort women.

We must not evade the weight of the past, nor should we evade our responsibilities for the future.

I believe that our country, painfully aware of its moral responsibilities, with feelings of apology and remorse, should face up squarely to its past history and accurately convey it to future generations.

Furthermore, Japan also should take an active part in dealing with violence and other forms of injustice to the honor and dignity of women.

Finally, I pray from the bottom of my heart that each of you will find peace for the rest of your lives.

Respectfully yours,

Ryutaro Hashimoto
Prime Minister of Japan

(Subsequent Prime Ministers who signed the letter are: Keizo Obuchi, Yoshiro Mori and Junichiro Koizumi)

Letter from AWF President to the former comfort woman

Dear Madam,

The Asian Women's Fund, established in cooperation with the Government and people of Japan, herein conveys to you the sense of atonement held by the Japanese people for the unbearable suffering you were forced to endure as a wartime "comfort woman."

At a certain time of war in the past, many comfort stations were established with an involvement of the former Japanese armed forces, and many women were recruited and forced to become "comfort women" for officers and soldiers. There were cases where young women, including 16-17 year-olds, were recruited without an indication of the fate before them, and, in occupied areas, there were cases where direct coercive means were also used. I understand that you were one of such victims.

This cruelty truly denigrated the fundamental dignity of women. As clearly acknowledged in the Prime Minister's letter, the Government and people of Japan today bear moral responsibility for the acts inflicted upon you. We also extend our heartfelt apologies to you.

I know that you not only experienced intolerable suffering during the war, but through more than 50 years since, have lived with physical damage and cruel memories.

In such recognition, the Asian Women's Fund, in cooperation with the Government of Japan, appealed to the Japanese people in a year-long campaign for contributions. Many thoughtful people responded with contributions to the AWF. Many letters accompanying contributions expressed sincere apologies and sense of atonement shared in the hearts of the Japanese people.

We know that the pain you have endured could never be atoned for with words of apology or with a monetary payment. However, we sincerely hope that you will accept our atonement as a token of our people's resolve to never repeat what happened in the past.

In cooperation with the Government of Japan, the Asian Women's Fund will launch medical and welfare assistance programs as one of the AWF's activities for atonement, the intention of which is to fulfill our moral responsibilities. The AWF will furthermore strive to make known the true facts relating to the "comfort women" issue, and proceed with study and research programs which examine relevant documents and materials to serve as lessons of history.

Since you stepped forward to pronounce your case, our eyes have been opened anew to the events of the past. The Japanese people will never forget your suffering and your courage. With all our hearts, we sincerely hope that you are able to find somewhat more peace in your life.

Sincerely,

Bunbei Hara
President

The Asian Women’s Fund
(Subsequent President who signed the letter is Tomiichi Murayama)

The second element is the provision of "atonement money" from the Japanese people to former comfort women. The money, 2 million yen per person, comes from Japanese people's donations.

The third element is medical and welfare support projects. These projects are implemented to fulfill the moral responsibility that the Japanese Government has acknowledged, and involve the disbursement of a total of about 830 million yen from government funds over a 5-year period, for victims' medical care and welfare. The amount provided in each country or region was adjusted to take into account the cost of living there - the equivalent of 3 million yen per recipient was decided upon for the Republic of Korea and Taiwan, and 1.2 million yen per recipient for the Philippines. Although the program is applied differently in the Netherlands, the amount provided was equivalent to 3 million yen per recipient.