Projects by country or region

Atonement Project of the Asian Women's Fund >Projects by country or region-Taiwan

Projects by country or region - Taiwan

Country or Region	Period for Applications & Project	Implementation Project Description
Taiwa	2 May 1997 - 1 May 2002	Payment of "atonement money" (2 million yen) Provision of medical and welfare support projects (valued at 3 million yen) Delivery of the Japanese Prime Minister's letter, etc.

Background

Taiwan was liberated from Japanese rule after World War II, and the Government of "the Republic of China", having lost the civil war between Nationalist and Communist forces, crossed over to Taiwan. Under the 1952 Treaty of Peace between Japan and "the Republic of China", the state of war between Japan and China terminated. The Republic of China waived all reparation claims, claims to material restitution and the right for claim both at national and individual levels. The Treaty stipulated that negotiations regarding the right of Taiwan, a former Japanese colony, to claim compensation were to take place between Taiwan and Japan. But negotiations were not held for a long time and, in 1972, when diplomatic relations between Japan and China were reestablished, diplomatic relations between Japan and Taiwan were severed.

In 1992, the Taiwanese Comfort Women Investigation Committee was established by Taiwan's Legislative Yuan (similar to a parliament), administrative departments in charge of foreign and interior, the Academia Sinica and the Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation. The Committee then began investigating the issue.
The Committee delegated the Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation to be the sole entity serving as a focal point for efforts to resolve the comfort women issue in Taiwan, and commissioned it to: (1) identify former comfort women; (2) handle information on individuals; and (3) act as an agent in transmitting to them government subsidies for their living expenses. This situation, in which these three tasks were concentrated in a single organization, was very different from arrangements established in other countries. The Foundation demanded that Japan pay state compensation and strongly opposed the Asian Women's Fund, and this stance had considerable impact on the victims.

According to local media reports in April 2002, 36 Taiwanese women identified as victims were still alive at that time. Taiwan authorities pay identified victims 15,000 Taiwanese dollars (about 60,000 Japanese yen) per month to subsidize their living expenses.

In July 1999, nine Taiwanese who were victimized as comfort women filed a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court against the Japanese Government, demanding 10 million yen per person. In October 2002, their demands were dismissed and the claimants appealed this decision. In February 2004, Tokyo High Court supported the decision of the first trial and dismissed their demands again. The claimants decided to appeal to a higher court.

On a few occasions since March 1996, at the Legislative Yuan members (similar to members of parliament) have signed documents calling on the Japanese Government to acknowledge legal responsibility, apologize, and pay compensation.