Private compensation fund is unacceptable for sex slaves: MOFA

MOFA spokeswoman Eleanor Wang told The China Post that former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi did issue an apology in 2001 to former comfort women who were forced into sexual slavery during World War II.

However, the apology was issued in his personal capacity instead of on behalf of the Japanese government as a whole, she noted.

The Japanese government also founded the Asian Women's Fund in 1994 in an attempt to distribute compensation to comfort women in Asia via the private organization.

The attempt was not accepted by the R.O.C. government since the government will only accept compensation issued by the Japanese government instead of through private funds, she said.

These moves have yet to meet the Taiwanese government's demands for an official apology and government-funded compensation, Wang added.

Wang's comments came after a Japanese official insisted that Tokyo had already apologized to and compensated Taiwanese ex-comfort women.

Japan Already Apologized, Paid Compensation: Tokyo

During an interview with a group of Taiwanese reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday, the official responsible for Taiwan affairs, who prefers to stay anonymous, stressed that Koizumi's apology and the compensation issued through the fund show that the Japanese side is sincere in its attempts to resolve the issue.

The official also stressed that the 1-billion-yen fund to assist ex-Korean comfort women is not "nation-to-nation compensation."

Including Korea, the Japanese government will deal with each government individually on the comfort women issue, the official added.

Japan and Korea reached a deal last December in Seoul under which the Japanese government will give around 1 billion yen to a foundation set up by the Korean government for Korean comfort women.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also apologized to all comfort women in his capacity as prime minister the same day.

Following the historic deal, Taipei renewed its demands on Tokyo over the comfort women issue with Foreign Minister David Lin expressing hope that official bilateral dialogue over the issue would take place this January, but so far no major progress has been made.

Asked to comment, Wang stressed that the Japanese side "fully understands" Taiwan's stance on the matter and said that bilateral talks are ongoing.

"The ministry will continue to uphold its longstanding position to help ex-Taiwanese comfort women fight for their rights and will continue to monitor the latest discussions between Japan and South Korea on their comfort women deal," she added.

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