[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 121 Engrossed in House (EH)]


                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                         July 30, 2007.
Whereas the Government of Japan, during its colonial and wartime occupation of 
        Asia and the Pacific Islands from the 1930s through the duration of 
        World War II, officially commissioned the acquisition of young women for 
        the sole purpose of sexual servitude to its Imperial Armed Forces, who 
        became known to the world as ianfu or ``comfort women'';
Whereas the ``comfort women'' system of forced military prostitution by the 
        Government of Japan, considered unprecedented in its cruelty and 
        magnitude, included gang rape, forced abortions, humiliation, and sexual 
        violence resulting in mutilation, death, or eventual suicide in one of 
        the largest cases of human trafficking in the 20th century;
Whereas some new textbooks used in Japanese schools seek to downplay the 
        ``comfort women'' tragedy and other Japanese war crimes during World War 
        II;
Whereas Japanese public and private officials have recently expressed a desire 
        to dilute or rescind the 1993 statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei 
        Kono on the ``comfort women'', which expressed the Government's sincere 
        apologies and remorse for their ordeal;
Whereas the Government of Japan did sign the 1921 International Convention for 
        the Suppression of the Traffic in Women and Children and supported the 
        2000 United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, 
        and Security which recognized the unique impact on women of armed 
        conflict;
Whereas the House of Representatives commends Japan's efforts to promote human 
        security, human rights, democratic values, and rule of law, as well as 
        for being a supporter of Security Council Resolution 1325;
Whereas the United States-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of United States 
        security interests in Asia and the Pacific and is fundamental to 
        regional stability and prosperity;
Whereas, despite the changes in the post-cold war strategic landscape, the 
        United States-Japan alliance continues to be based on shared vital 
        interests and values in the Asia-Pacific region, including the 
        preservation and promotion of political and economic freedoms, support 
        for human rights and democratic institutions, and the securing of 
        prosperity for the people of both countries and the international 
        community;
Whereas the House of Representatives commends those Japanese officials and 
        private citizens whose hard work and compassion resulted in the 
        establishment in 1995 of Japan's private Asian Women's Fund;
Whereas the Asian Women's Fund has raised $5,700,000 to extend ``atonement'' 
        from the Japanese people to the comfort women; and
Whereas the mandate of the Asian Women's Fund, a government-initiated and 
        largely government-funded private foundation whose purpose was the 
        carrying out of programs and projects with the aim of atonement for the 
        maltreatment and suffering of the ``comfort women'', came to an end on 
        March 31, 2007, and the Fund has been disbanded as of that date: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the 
Government of Japan--
            (1) should formally acknowledge, apologize, and accept historical 
        responsibility in a clear and unequivocal manner for its Imperial Armed 
        Forces' 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;
            (2) would help to resolve recurring questions about the sincerity 
        and status of prior statements if the Prime Minister of Japan were to 
        make such an apology as a public statement in his official capacity;
            (3) should clearly and publicly refute any claims that the sexual 
        enslavement and trafficking of the ``comfort women'' for the Japanese 
        Imperial Armed Forces never occurred; and
            (4) should educate current and future generations about this 
        horrible crime while following the recommendations of the international 
        community with respect to the ``comfort women''.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.