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慰安婦問題を巡る日韓間のやりとりの経緯 ~河野談話作成からアジア女性基金まで~ 平成26年6月20日 河野談話作成過程等に関する検討チーム 弁護士(元検事総長) 但木 敬一(座長) 亜細亜大学国際関係学部教授 秋月 弘子 元アジア女性基金理事,ジャーナリスト 有馬 真喜子 早稲田大学法学学術院教授 河野 真理子 現代史家 秦 郁彦 事務局(内閣官房、外務省) 河野談話作成過程等に関する検討チーム ~検討会における検討~ 1 検討の背景 (1)河野談話については,2014年2月20日の衆議院予算委員会において,石原元官房副長官より,①河野談話の根拠とされる元慰安婦の聞き取り調査結果について,裏付け調査は行っていない,②河野談話の作成過程で韓国側との意見のすり合わせがあった可能性がある,③河野談話の発表により,いったん決着した日韓間の過去の問題が最近になり再び韓国政府から提起される状況を見て,当時の日本政府の善意が活かされておらず非常に残念である旨の証言があった。 (2)同証言を受け,国会での質疑において,菅官房長官は,河野談話の作成過程について,実態を把握し,それを然るべき形で明らかにすべきと考えていると答弁したところである。 (3)以上を背景に,慰安婦問題に関して,河野談話作成過程における韓国とのやりとりを中心に,その後の後続措置であるアジア女性基金までの一連の過程について,実態の把握を行うこととした。したがって,検討チームにおいては,慰安婦問題の歴史的事実そのものを把握するための調査・検討は行っていない。 2 会合の開催状況 2014年 4月 25日(金) 準備会合 5月 14日(水) 第1回会合 5月 30日(金) 第2回会合 6月 6日 (金) 第3回会合 6月 10日(火) 第4回会合 3 検討チームのメンバー 秘密保全を確保する観点から,検討チームのメンバーは,非常勤の国家公務員に発令の上,関連の資料を閲覧した(五十音順)。 弁護士(元検事総長) 但木 敬一(座長) 亜細亜大学国際関係学部教授 秋月 弘子 元アジア女性基金理事,ジャーナリスト 有馬 真喜子 早稲田大学法学学術院教授 河野 真理子 現代史家 秦 郁彦 1 4 検討の対象期間 慰安婦問題が日韓間の懸案となった1990年代前半から,アジア女性基金の韓国での事業終了までを対象期間とした。 5 検討の手法 (1)河野談話にいたるまでの政府調査及び河野談話発表にいたる事務を当時の内閣官房内閣外政審議室(以下「内閣外政審議室」)で行っていたところ,これを継承する内閣官房副長官補室が保有する慰安婦問題に関連する一連の文書,並びに,外務省が保有する日韓間のやり取りを中心とした慰安婦問題に関する一連の文書及び後続措置であるアジア女性基金に関する一連の文書を対象として検討が行われた。 (2)秘密保全を確保するとの前提の下,当時の政府が行った元慰安婦や元軍人等関係者からの聞き取り調査も検討チームのメンバーの閲覧に供された。また,検討の過程において,文書に基づく検討を補充するために,元慰安婦からの聞き取り調査を担当した当時の政府職員からのヒアリングが内閣官房により実施された。 (3)検討にあたっては,内閣官房及び外務省から検討チームの閲覧に供された上記(1)の文書並びに(2)の聞き取り調査及びヒアリング結果に基づき,事実関係の把握,及び客観的な一連の過程の確認が行われた。 6 検討チームの検討結果 検討チームの指示の下で,検討対象となった文書等に基づき,政府の事務当局において事実関係を取りまとめた資料は別添のとおりである。検討チームとして,今回の検討作業を通じて閲覧した文書等に基づく限り,その内容が妥当なものであると判断した。 河野談話作成過程等に関する検討チーム 弁護士(元検事総長) 但木 敬一(座長) 亜細亜大学国際関係学部教授 秋月 弘子 元アジア女性基金理事,ジャーナリスト 有馬 真喜子 早稲田大学法学学術院教授 河野 真理子 現代史家 秦 郁彦 (五十音順) 2 (別添資料) 目次 Ⅰ.河野談話の作成の経緯 1 宮澤総理訪韓に至るまでの日韓間のやりとり(~1992年1月) 1 2 宮澤総理訪韓から加藤官房長官発表(調査結果の発表)までの間の期間の日韓間のやりとり(1992年1月~1992年7月) 2 3 加藤官房長官発表から河野官房長官談話前の間の期間の日韓間のやりとり(1992年7月~1993年8月) 3 4 元慰安婦からの聞き取り調査の経緯 7 5 河野談話の文言を巡るやりとり 9 Ⅱ.韓国における「女性のためのアジア平和国民基金」事業の経緯 1 「基金」設立まで(1993年~1994年) 14 2 「基金」設立初期(1995年~1996年) 16 3 元慰安婦7名に対する「基金」事業実施(1997年1月) 17 4 「基金」事業の一時中断(1997年2月~1998年1月) 18 5 「基金」による新聞広告掲載(1998年1月) 19 6 「基金」による償い金事業の一時停止(1998年2月~1999年2月) 19 7 韓赤による医療・福祉事業への転換(1999年3月~1999年7月) 20 8 事業転換困難のまま基金事業終了(1999年7月~2002年5月) 20 9 韓国における「基金」事業の終了と成果 20 慰安婦問題を巡る日韓間のやりとりの経緯 ~河野談話作成からアジア女性基金まで~ Ⅰ. 河野談話の作成の経緯 1 宮澤総理訪韓に至るまでの日韓間のやりとり(~1992年1月) (1)1991年8月14日に韓国で元慰安婦が最初に名乗り出た後,同年12月6日には韓国の元慰安婦3名が東京地裁に提訴した。1992年1月に宮澤総理の訪韓が予定される中,韓国における慰安婦問題への関心及び対日批判の高まりを受け,日韓外交当局は同問題が総理訪韓の際に懸案化することを懸念していた。1991年12月以降,韓国側より複数の機会に,慰安婦問題が宮澤総理訪韓時に懸案化しないよう,日本側において事前に何らかの措置を講じることが望ましいとの考えが伝達された。また,韓国側は総理訪韓前に日本側が例えば官房長官談話のような形で何らかの立場表明を行うことも一案であるとの認識を示し,日本政府が申し訳なかったという姿勢を示し,これが両国間の摩擦要因とならないように配慮してほしいとして,総理訪韓前の同問題への対応を求めた。既に同年12月の時点で,日本側における内々の検討においても,「できれば総理より,日本軍の関与を事実上是認し,反省と遺憾の意の表明を行って頂く方が適当」であり,また,「単に口頭の謝罪だけでは韓国世論が治まらない可能性」があるとして,慰安婦のための慰霊碑建立といった象徴的な措置をとることが選択肢に挙がっていた。 (2)日本側は,1991年12月に内閣外政審議室の調整の下,関係する可能性のある省庁において調査を開始した。1992年1月7日には防衛研究所で軍の関与を示す文書が発見されたことが報告されている。その後,1月11日にはこの文書について朝日新聞が報道したことを契機に,韓国国内における対日批判が過熱した。1月13日には,加藤官房長官は,「今の段階でどういう,どの程度の関与ということを申し上げる段階にはありませんが,軍の関与は否定できない」,「いわゆる従軍慰安婦として筆舌に尽くし難い辛苦をなめられた方々に対し,衷心よりお詫びと反省の気持ちを申し上げたい」との趣旨を定例記者会見で述べた。 (3)1992年1月16日~18日の宮澤総理訪韓時の首脳会談では,盧泰愚大統領から「加藤官房長官が旧日本軍の関与を認め,謝罪と反省の意を表明いただいたことを評価。今後,真相究明の努力と,日本のしかるべき措置を期待」するとの発言があり,宮澤総理から,「従軍慰安婦の募集や慰安所の経営等に旧日 1 本軍が関与していた動かしがたい事実を知るに至った。日本政府としては公に これを認め,心から謝罪する立場を決定」,「従軍慰安婦として筆舌に尽くし難 い辛苦をなめられた方々に対し,衷心よりお詫びと反省の気持ちを表明したい」, 「昨年末より政府関係省庁において調査してきたが,今後とも引き続き資料発 掘,事実究明を誠心誠意行っていきたい」との意向を述べた。 2 宮澤総理訪韓から加藤官房長官発表(調査結果の発表)までの間の期間の 日韓間のやりとり(1992 年1 月~1992 年7 月) (1)宮澤総理訪韓後,1992 年1 月,韓国政府は「挺身隊問題に関する政府方 針」を発表し,「日本政府に対して徹底的な真相究明とこれに伴う適切な補償等 の措置を求める」とした。日本側では,真相究明のための調査に加えて,「65 年 の法的解決の枠組みとは別途,いわゆる従軍慰安婦問題について人道的見地か ら我が国が自主的にとる措置について,韓国側とアイディアを交換するための 話し合いを持つ」ことが検討され,韓国側の考え方を内々に聴取した。 (2)日本側は,1991 年12 月に開始した各省庁における関連資料の調査を1992 年6 月まで実施した。韓国側からは,調査結果発表前に,当該調査を韓国の政 府及び国民が納得できる水準とすることや,調査結果発表について事務レベル で非公式の事前協議を行うことにつき申し入れがあった。また,発表直前には, 韓国側から,調査結果自体の発表の他,当該調査結果についての日本政府の見 解の表明,調査に続く措置の案の提示が含まれるべき旨意見が呈されるなど, 調査結果の発表ぶりについて韓国側と種々のやりとりが行われた。 調査結果の内容について,韓国側は,日本政府が誠意をもって調査した努力 を評価しつつ,全般的に韓国側の期待との間には大きな差があり,韓国の国民 感情及び世論を刺激する可能性があると指摘した。その上で,募集時の「強制 性」を含めて引き続きの真相究明を行うこと,また,「後続措置」(補償や教科 書への記述)をとることを求めるコメントや,「当時の関係者の証言等で明らか な強制連行,強制動員の核心となる事項が調査結果に含まれていない点に対す る韓国側世論の動向が憂慮される」とのコメントがなされた。なお,韓国政府 は,日本政府による調査結果の発表に先立ち,1992 年7 月,慰安婦問題等に関 する調査・検討状況を発表したが,その際にも日本側に対し事前にコメントす るよう要請し,結果として,両国で事前調整が行われた。 (3)1992 年7 月6 日,加藤官房長官は,記者会見においてそれまでの調査結 果を発表した。官房長官より,関係資料が保管されている可能性のある省庁に おいて資料の調査を行った結果として,「慰安所の設置,慰安婦の募集に当たる 者の取締り,慰安施設の築造・増強,慰安所の経営・監督,慰安所・慰安婦の 2 衛生管理,慰安所関係者への身分証明書等の発給等につき,政府の関与があっ たこと」を認め,「いわゆる従軍慰安婦として筆舌に尽くし難い辛苦をなめられ た全ての方々に対し,改めて衷心よりお詫びと反省の気持ちを申し上げたい」, 「このような辛酸をなめられた方々に対し,我々の気持ちをいかなる形で表す ことができるのか,各方面の意見を聞きながら,誠意をもって検討していきた いと考えております」と発言した。他方,徴用の仕方に関し,強制的に行われ たのか,あるいは騙して行われたのかを裏付ける資料は調査で出てこなかった のかと問われ,「今までのところ,発見されておりません」と応じた。 (4)なお,韓国側は,「補償」やその日韓請求権・経済協力協定との関係につ いては,法律論で請求権は処理済みか検討してみないとわからないとしたり, 現時点では日本側に新たに補償を申し入れることは考えていないと述べたりす るなど,韓国国内に種々議論があったことがうかがえる。 3 加藤官房長官発表から河野官房長官談話前の間の期間の日韓間のやりとり (1992 年7 月~1993 年8 月) (1)加藤官房長官発表の後も,韓国の世論においては慰安婦問題に対し厳し い見方が消えなかった。かかる状況を受け,内閣外政審議室と外務省の間で, 慰安婦問題に関する今後の措置につき引き続き検討が行われた。1992 年10 月上 旬に外務省内で行われた議論では,盧泰愚政権(注:韓国は1992 年12 月に大 統領選挙を実施)の任期中に本件を解決しておく必要があると認識されていた。 同じく10 月上旬には石原官房副長官の下で,内閣外政審議室と外務省の関係者 が,慰安婦問題に関する今後の方針につき協議した。同協議では,慰安婦問題 につき,今後検討する事項を,①真相究明に関する今後の取組,②韓国に対す る何らかの措置,③韓国以外の国・地域に対する措置,④日本赤十字社(以下 「日赤」)への打診(②を実施するための協力要請),⑤超党派の国会議員によ る懇談会の設置とする方針が確認された。このうち,真相究明については,資 料調査の範囲を拡大するが,元慰安婦からの聞き取りは困難であるとしている。 また,韓国への措置については,日赤内に基金を創設し,大韓赤十字社(以下 「韓赤」)と協力しつつ,元慰安婦を主たる対象とした福祉措置を講ずることと されている。 (2)上記方針を受け,10 月中旬に行われた日韓の事務レベルのやりとりでは, 日本側より,非公式見解としつつ,①日赤に基金を設置し,韓国等の国々に慰 安婦問題に対する日本の気持ちを表すための措置を講ずる,②真相究明につい ては,対象となる省庁の範囲を広げたり,中央・地方の図書館の資料を収集す る等の措置を講じ,これら2 点をパッケージとするアイディアがある旨を伝達 3 した。これに対し,韓国側からは,①重要なのは真相究明である,②強制の有 無は資料が見つかっていないからわからないとの説明は韓国国民からすれば形 式的であり,真の努力がなされていないものと映る,③被害者及び加害者から の事情聴取を行い,慰安婦が強制によるものであったことを日本政府が認める ことが重要である等の反応があった。 (3)こうした韓国側の反応を受け,日本側において改めて対応方針の検討が 行われた。10 月下旬,未来志向的日韓関係の構築のため,韓国の政権交代まで に本件決着を図るよう努力するという基本的立場の下,①真相究明(資料の調 査範囲の拡大,元従軍慰安婦代表者(数名)との面会の実施といった追加措置 をとり,結論を導く。「強制性」については明確な認定をすることは困難なるも, 「一部に強制性の要素もあったことは否定できないだろう」というような一定 の認識を示す。)と,②「我々の気持ちを表すための措置」(日赤内に基金を創 設し,韓赤と協力しつつ,主に福祉面での措置を想定)をパッケージとするこ とで本件解決を図ることを韓国側に提案する方針を決定し,韓国側に伝達した。 (4)しかし,1992 年12 月の大統領選挙との関係で,韓国側では検討はあまり 進んでおらず,本格的な議論は大統領選挙後に行いたいとの反応であったため, 日本側は,韓国新政権のスタッフと調整を行い,早期かつ完全な決着をめざす との方針を決定した。その際,今後の対応として,①真相究明のための措置を 実施する,②後続措置の内容について可能な限りさらに具体化する,③「後続 措置とセットの形で,真相究明の措置の結果として」,「一部に『強制性』の要 素もあったと思われる」など一定の認識を示すことを再度韓国側に打診するこ ととなった。その際,真相究明のための措置として,①調査範囲の拡大,②韓 国側調査結果の入手,③日本側関係者・有識者よりの意見聴取,④元従軍慰安 婦代表からの意見聴取が挙げられているが,元慰安婦代表からの意見聴取につ いては「真相究明の結論及び後続措置に関して韓国側の協力が得られる目処が 立った最終段階で」,「必要最小限の形で」実施するとしている。 (5)1992 年12 月,韓国大統領選挙と前後して,日本側は累次にわたり,韓国 側に対して基本的な考え方を説明した。 真相究明については,①日本政府はこれまで真相の究明に努力してきたが, 100%の解明はそもそも不可能である,②慰安婦の募集には,「強制性」があっ たケースもなかったケースもあろうが,その割合をあきらかにすることはでき ないであろう,③最後の段階で,日本政府関係者が慰安婦の代表と会って話を 聞き,また韓国政府の調査結果を参考にして,強制的な要素があったというこ とを何らかの表現にして政府の認識として述べてはどうかと考えている等の説 4 明を行った。これに対し,韓国側は,①理論的には自由意志で行っても,行っ てみたら話が違うということもある,②慰安婦になったのが自分の意志でない ことが認められることが重要である等述べた。 後続措置に関しては,日本側より,法律的には片付いているとしつつ,こと の本質から考えて単に違法行為があったということでなく,モラルの問題とし て誠意をどう示すかの問題として認識している,措置をとるにあたって,韓国 側の意見は参考としてよく聞くが,基本的には日本が自発的に行うものである 等の説明を行った。 (6)1993 年2 月には,金泳三大統領が就任した。1993 年2 月~3 月頃の日本 側の対処方針に係る検討においては,基本的考え方として,「真相究明について の日本政府の結論と引き換えに,韓国政府に何らかの措置の実施を受け入れさ せるというパッケージ・ディールで本件解決を図る」,「真相究明については, 半ば強制に近い形での募集もあったことについて,なんらかの表現により我々 の認識を示すことにつき検討中」,「措置については,基金を創設し,関係国(地 域)カウンターパートを通じた福祉措置の実施を検討」としていた。「強制性」 については,「例えば,一部には軍又は政府官憲の関与もあり,『自らの意思に 反した形』により従軍慰安婦とされた事例があることは否定できないとのライ ンにより,日本政府としての認識を示す用意があることを,韓国政府に打診す る」との方針が示されている。また,元慰安婦の代表者からの事情聴取に関し ては,「真相究明の結論及び後続措置に関し,韓国側の協力が得られる目途が立 った最終的段階で,他の国・地域との関係を考慮しつつ,必要最小限の形でい わば儀式として実施することを検討する」とされている(聞き取り調査につい ては後述)。 (7)1993 年3 月13 日,2 月に就任した金泳三韓国大統領は,慰安婦問題につ いて,「日本政府に物質的補償を要求しない方針であり,補償は来年から韓国政 府の予算で行う。そのようにすることで道徳的優位性をもって新しい日韓関係 にアプローチすることができるだろう」と述べた。 同年3 月中旬に行われた日韓の事務方の協議において,日本側は,①慰安婦 問題の早期解決,②韓国政府による世論対策の要請,③前出の大統領発言を受 けての韓国政府の方針と日本による措置に対する韓国側の考え方の確認等を軸 とする対処方針で協議に臨んだ。この対処方針の中で日本側は,「真相究明の落 とし所として,日本政府として『強制性』に関する一定の認識を示す用意があ ることを具体的に打診する。また,韓国政府の仲介が得られれば,本件措置の パッケージの一環として元慰安婦代表(複数可)との面会を実施する用意があ ることを打診する」としている。同協議の場において,韓国側は,日本側の認 5 識の示し方について,事実に反する発表はできないであろうが,(例えば,何ら かの強制性の認定の前に,「軍は募集に直接関与したことを示す資料は発見され なかったが」等の)複雑な「前置き」は避けるべきと考える旨述べた。 同年4 月1 日の日韓外相会談では,渡辺外務大臣より,「強制性」の問題につ いて「全てのケースについて強制的であったということは困難である」,「両国 民の心に大きなしこりが残らないような形で,日本政府としての認識をいかに 示すかぎりぎりの表現の検討を事務方に指示している」,「認識の示し方につい て,韓国側と相談したい」等と韓昇洲外務部長官に伝達した。 (8)一方,韓国側は,それまで真相究明のやり方については韓国側としてい ちいち注文を付けるべきことではなく,要は誠意をもって取り進めていただき たいとの姿勢であったのが,前述の93 年4 月1 日の日韓外相会談頃から,韓国 国内の慰安婦関係団体が納得するような形で日本側が真相究明を進めることを 期待する,また,韓国政府自体は事態収拾のために国内を押さえつけることは なし得ないとの姿勢を示し始めた。1993 年4 月上旬に行われた日韓の事務方の 意見交換の際にも,日本側の働きかけに対し,①日本側が真相究明のためにあ らゆる手をつくしたと目に見えることが必要,いたずらに早期解決を急ぐべき ではない,②慰安婦は一部のみに強制性があったということでは通らないので はないか,③韓国政府としては,日本側と決着を図り,韓国世論を指導すると か抑え込むということはなし得ない,要は日本政府の姿勢を韓国国民がどう受 け取るかにつきる,との見解を述べた。 更に,同年4 月下旬に行われた日韓の事務方のやりとりにおいて,韓国側は, 仮に日本側発表の中で「一部に強制性があった」というような限定的表現が使 われれば大騒ぎとなるであろうと述べた。これに対し,日本側は,「強制性」に 関し,これまでの国内における調査結果もあり,歴史的事実を曲げた結論を出 すことはできないと応答した。また,同協議の結果の報告を受けた石原官房副 長官より,慰安婦全体について「強制性」があったとは絶対に言えないとの発 言があった。 (9)1993 年6 月29 日~30 日の武藤外務大臣訪韓時には,武藤外務大臣より, 「客観的判断に基づいた結果を発表し,本問題についてのわれわれの認識」を 示すとした上で,「具体的にどういう表現にするかについては,日本側としても 韓国国民の理解が得られるようぎりぎりの努力を行う所存であるが,その際に は韓国政府の大局的見地からの理解と協力を得たい」旨述べた。韓昇洲外務部 長官からは,日本側の誠意あふれる発言に感謝するとしつつ,重要な点として, 「第一に強制性の認定,第二に全体像解明のための最大の努力,第三に今後と も調査を継続するとの姿勢の表明,第四に歴史の教訓にするとの意思表明であ 6 る。これらがあれば」,「韓国政府としても」,「本問題の円満解決のために努力 していきたい」との発言があった。また,韓国側からは,日本に対し金銭的な 補償は求めない方針であるとの説明があった。
4 元慰安婦からの聞き取り調査の経緯 (1)元慰安婦からの聞き取り調査に関しては,1992 年7 月~12 月にかけて累 次にわたり,韓国側からは,①被害者及び加害者からの事情聴取を行ってほし い,②日本側の誠意を示すためにも,全ての慰安婦とは言わないまでも,その 一部より話を聞くべき,③日本政府が最善を尽くしたことが韓国人に伝わるこ とが重要である,④日本政府だけでなく地方や外国でも調査を行ったり,関係 者の証言も聴取することが望ましい等の指摘があった。また,韓国側からは, 聞き取り調査によって関係者の感情を和らげることができ,また,自分の意思 でなかったことを主張している人に対し誠意を示すことになるとの見解が示さ れていた。 (2)日本側においては当初,元慰安婦からの聞き取り調査を始めると収拾が つかず,慎重であるべきとの意見もあったが,1992 年12 月までに,上記韓国側 見解を踏まえ,「真相究明の結論及び後続措置に関して韓国側の協力が得られる 目処が立った最終段階で」,元慰安婦からの意見聴取を「必要最小限の形で」実 施するとの対応方針が決定された。その後,1993 年3 月の日韓の事務方のやり とりでは,日本側より,前述(3(4)~(6))の対処方針に沿って,「韓国 政府の仲介が得られれば,本件措置のパッケージの一環として元慰安婦代表(複 数可)との面会を実施する用意がある」ことを打診した。これに対し,韓国側 は,評価すべきアイディアとコメントするとともに,全員から聴取する必要は ないであろうとし,「証人」の立ち会いを求めることはあり得るが,韓国政府は 立ち合いを希望しないであろう旨述べた。 (3)1993 年4 月頃より元慰安婦からの聞き取り調査に関するやりとりが本格 化した。その際に,韓国政府が慰安婦問題関係団体への打診を行ったが,韓国 政府からは,慰安婦問題関係団体の主張は厳しく,解決を急ぐあまり当事者か ら証言をとってお茶を濁そうとしているとの反発があるとの説明があった。ま た,韓国政府は,真相究明のあらゆる手段を尽くした上での最後の手段として 本人のインタビューが必要であるといった位置づけを説明する必要があり,い きなりインタビューを行うと一方的に決めるのではなく,時間の余裕をもって 対応する必要がある旨述べた。その上で,韓国政府から,太平洋戦争犠牲者遺 族会(以下「遺族会」。1973 年に結成。太平洋戦争の遺族を中心に結成された社 団法人で,活動目的は遺族実態の調査や相互交流等)及び挺身隊問題対策協議 7 会(以下「挺対協」。1990 年に結成。多数のキリスト教系女性団体で構成され, 特に慰安婦問題を扱い,日本軍の犯罪の認定,法的賠償等を日本側に要求する ことを運動方針としている)に打診を行った。韓国政府からは,このうち,遺 族会については,聞き取り調査に応じる用意があるのでこれを行い,挺対協に ついては,聞き取り調査には難色を示しているので,同協会が出している証言 集を参考とすることも一案である旨の見解が示されていた。なお,同年5 月中 旬には,韓国政府は,聞き取り調査によって新たな事実が出てくるとは思わな いが,この問題の解決の一つの手続きとして行うということであろうとの反応 を示した。また,7 月上旬に行われた日韓の事務方のやりとりでは,韓国側より, 聞き取り調査の実施は最終的に日本側の判断次第であり,不可欠と考えている わけではないとしつつも,聞き取り調査は日本側の誠意を強く示す手順の一つ であり,実現できれば調査結果の発表の際に韓国側の関係者から好意的反応を 得る上で効果的な過程の一つとなると考えるとの意向が示された。 (4)1993 年5 月末~7 月にかけて,日本側は,挺対協及び遺族会と相次いで, 元慰安婦からの聞き取り調査の実施のための接触・協議を行った。 挺対協については,(3)のとおり,韓国政府から,挺対協の厳しい立場の根 底には日本政府に関する不信感があり,それを和らげるためには現地調査の実 施やインタビューへの民間人の立会いが必要である旨示唆があった。韓国政府 の示唆を踏まえ,5 月下旬に在韓国日本大使館が挺対協との協議に着手したが, 挺対協側は聞き取りの実現に,当時日本政府が行っていた追加調査結果の事前 提示,「強制性」の認定等を条件として掲げ,日本側とのやりとりを経てもその 立場を翻意するには至らなかった。またその過程で挺対協側より,日本の役人, しかも男性がいきなり来ても誰も心を開いて話はしないとして,慰安婦らの証 言については挺対協がとりまとめていた証言集を参考にすることで十分である とのコメントもあり,最終的に挺対協からの聞き取り調査は断念し,代わりに 同証言集をもって参考とすることとなった。 (5)一方,在韓国日本大使館は遺族会とも協議を開始し,複数回に亘る交渉 を経て,聞き取り調査を実施することで合意した。この際,①聞き取りは静か な雰囲気で行うこととし,場所は遺族会の事務所とすること,②聞き取りに当 たっては,全国人権擁護委員連合会所属の弁護士1名及び訴訟に関与した弁護 士1名が日本側のオブザーバーとして,遺族会関係者1名が遺族会側のオブザ ーバーとして,それぞれ立ち会うこと,③遺族会の募集により希望する全ての 慰安婦から聞き取りを行うこと,④外部の記者は入れず,また,遺族会の内部 記録用としてビデオ撮影を行うが,本ビデオは公表したり法廷で使用したりし ないこと,⑤慰安婦関連の訴訟で原告側の訴状の中に出てくる元慰安婦9 名の 8 証言については,被告である日本政府が訴状をそのまま参考にはしないが,遺 族会側がそれら元慰安婦の証言を別の形でまとめたものを参考資料とすること 等について一致した。聞き取り調査は,事前の調整の時間が限られていたこと, また日本側としては元慰安婦の話を聞きにいくという姿勢であったこともあり, 前述のとおり遺族会側が手配した場所(遺族会事務所)で行われ,日本側は対 象者の人選を行わなかった。また,聞き取り調査の実施に向けた日本側と遺族 会の間の具体的な調整に際し,対象となる慰安婦の選定等については,韓国政 府側が何らかの関与・調整等を行った事実は確認されなかった。 (6)最終的に,遺族会事務所での聞き取り調査は1993 年7 月26 日に始まり, 当初は翌27 日までの2 日間の予定であったが,最終的には30 日まで実施され, 計16 名について聞き取りが行われた。日本側からは,内閣外政審議室と外務省 から計5 名が従事し,冒頭で聞き取りの内容は非公開である旨述べて聞き取り を行った。元慰安婦の中には淡々と話す人もいれば,記憶がかなり混乱してい る人もおり,様々なケースがあったが,日本側は元慰安婦が話すことを誠実に 聞くという姿勢に終始した。また,韓国政府側からは,聞き取り調査の各日の 冒頭部分のみ,韓国外務部の部員が状況視察に訪れた。 (7)聞き取り調査の位置づけについては,事実究明よりも,それまでの経緯 も踏まえた一過程として当事者から日本政府が聞き取りを行うことで,日本政 府の真相究明に関する真摯な姿勢を示すこと,元慰安婦に寄り添い,その気持 ちを深く理解することにその意図があったこともあり,同結果について,事後 の裏付け調査や他の証言との比較は行われなかった。聞き取り調査とその直後 に発出される河野談話との関係については,聞き取り調査が行われる前から追 加調査結果もほぼまとまっており,聞き取り調査終了前に既に談話の原案が作 成されていた(下記5参照)。 5 河野談話の文言を巡るやりとり (1)1992 年7 月の加藤官房長官発表以降,日本側は真相究明及び後続措置に ついて何らかの表明を行うことを企図し,韓国側との間で緊密に議論を行った。 1993 年3 月に行われた日韓の事務方のやりとりでは,韓国側から,日本側によ る発表は,韓国側との協議を経て行われるような趣旨のものではなく,あくま でも日本側が自主的に行ったものとして扱われるべきものとしつつ,発表内容 は韓国側をも納得させ得る内容に極力近いことが望ましいとの感想が述べられ た。同年5 月の日韓の事務方のやりとりでは,日本側から,発表に対して韓国 政府からネガティブな反応は避けたいとして,「強制性」等の認識については, 一言一句というわけにはいかないものの,韓国側とやりとりをしたい旨述べた 9 のに対し,韓国側は,種々協力したく,発表文については,その内容につき知 らせてほしいと述べる等,発表文を承知したい旨要望していた。 同年7 月28 日の日韓外相会談において,武藤外務大臣より,「発表の文言に ついては内々貴政府に事前にご相談したいと考えている」,「この問題について は右をもって外交的には一応区切りを付けたい。金泳三大統領は,日本側の発 表が誠心誠意のものであったならば,自分から国民に説明する考えであり,そ うすれば韓国国民にも理解してもらえると考えている旨述べていた。この点を 踏まえ,是非大統領に日本側の考えを伝えて欲しい」と述べた。これに対し, 韓昇洲韓国外務部長官からは,「本件に対する日本の努力と誠意を評価したい。 日本側の調査の結果が金泳三大統領より韓国国民の前で説明して納得できる形 で行われることを期待すると共に,これにより韓日関係が未来志向的にもって いけることを期待している。韓国もこのような結果を待ち望んでいる」と述べ た。 (2)また,日本側では,加藤官房長官発表以降も引き続き関係省庁において 関連文書の調査を行い,新たに米国国立公文書館等での文献調査を行い,これ らによって得られた文献資料を基本として,軍関係者や慰安所経営者等各方面 への聞き取り調査や挺対協の証言集の分析に着手しており,政府調査報告も, ほぼまとめてられていた。これら一連の調査を通じて得られた認識は,いわゆ る「強制連行」は確認できないというものであった。 (3)その後の談話の文言を巡る日韓間の具体的な調整は,上記外相会談を受 けて開始されたが,談話の原案は,聞き取り調査(1993 年7 月26 日~30 日) の終了前の遅くとも1993 年7 月29 日までに,それまでに日本政府が行った関 連文書の調査結果等を踏まえて既に起案されていた(上記4(7)参照)。 談話の文言の調整は,談話発表の前日となる8 月3 日までの間,外務省と在 日本韓国大使館,在韓国日本大使館と韓国外務部との間で集中的に実施され, 遅くとも7 月31 日には韓国側から最初のコメントがあったことが確認された。 その際,韓国側は,発表内容は日本政府が自主的に決めるものであり,交渉の 対象にする考えは全くないがとしつつ,本問題を解決させるためには,韓国国 民から評価を受け得るものでなければならず,かかる観点から,具体的発表文 を一部修正されることを希望する,そうした点が解決されることなく日本政府 が発表を行う場合は,韓国政府としてはポジティブに評価できない旨述べた。 その後,韓国側は,上記文言調整の期間中複数回に亘りコメントを行った。こ れに対し,日本側は,内閣外政審議室と外務省との間で綿密に情報共有・協議 しつつ,それまでに行った調査を踏まえた事実関係を歪めることのない範囲で, 韓国政府の意向・要望について受け入れられるものは受け入れ,受け入れられ 10 ないものは拒否する姿勢で,談話の文言について韓国政府側と調整した。 韓国側との調整の際に,主な論点となったのは,①慰安所の設置に関する軍 の関与,②慰安婦募集の際の軍の関与,③慰安婦募集に際しての「強制性」の3 点であった。 慰安所の設置に関する軍の関与について,日本側が提示した軍当局の「意向」 という表現に対して,韓国側は,「指示」との表現を求めてきたが,日本側は, 慰安所の設置について,軍の「指示」は確認できないとしてこれを受け入れず, 「要望」との表現を提案した。 また,慰安婦募集の際の軍の関与についても,韓国側は「軍又は軍の指示を 受けた業者」がこれに当たったとの文言を提案し,募集を「軍」が行ったこと, 及び業者に対しても軍の「指示」があったとの表現を求めてきたが,日本側は, 募集は,軍ではなく,軍の意向を受けた業者が主としてこれを行ったことであ るので,「軍」を募集の主体とすることは受け入れられない,また,業者に対す る軍の「指示」は確認できないとして,軍の「要望」を受けた業者との表現を 提案した。 これらに対し,韓国側は,慰安所の設置に関する軍の関与,及び,慰安婦の 募集の際の軍の関与の双方について,改めて軍の「指図(さしず)」という表現 を求めてきたが,日本側は受け入れず,最終的には,設置については,軍当局 の「要請」により設営された,募集については,軍の「要請」を受けた業者が これに当たった,との表現で決着をみた。 なお,「お詫びと反省」について,日本側は,「いわゆる従軍慰安婦として数 多の苦痛を経験され,心身にわたり癒しがたい傷を負われた方々ひとりひとり に対し,心からお詫び申し上げる」との原案を提示し,韓国側は,「お詫び」の 文言に「反省の気持ち」を追加することを要望し,日本側はこれを受け入れた。 この交渉過程で,日本側は宮澤総理,韓国側は金泳三大統領まで案文を上げ て最終了解を取った。 慰安婦募集に際しての「強制性」について,どのような表現・文言で織り込 むかが韓国側とのやりとりの核心であった。8 月2 日の段階でも,韓国側は,い くつかの主要なポイントを除き,日本側から韓国側の期待に応えるべく相当な 歩み寄りがあり,その主要な点についても双方の認識の違いは大きくないと述 べる一方,越えられない限界があり,韓国国民に対して一部の慰安婦は自発的 に慰安婦になったとの印象を与えることはできない旨発言していた。 具体的には,日本側原案の「(業者の)甘言,強圧による等本人の意思に反し て集められた事例が数多くあり」との表現について,韓国側は,「事例が数多く あり」の部分の削除を求めるも,日本側はすべてが意思に反していた事例であ ると認定することは困難であるとして拒否した。また,朝鮮半島における慰安 婦の募集に際しての「強制性」にかかる表現について,最後まで調整が実施さ 11 れた。8 月2 日夜までやりとりが続けられ,「当時の朝鮮半島は我が国の統治下」 にあったことを踏まえ,慰安婦の「募集」「移送,管理等」の段階を通じてみた 場合,いかなる経緯であったにせよ,全体として個人の意思に反して行われた ことが多かったとの趣旨で「甘言,強圧による等,総じて本人たちの意思に反 して」という文言で最終的に調整された。 最終的に8 月3 日夜,在日本韓国大使館から外務省に対し,本国の訓令に基 づくとし,金泳三大統領は日本側の現(最終)案を評価しており,韓国政府と しては同案文で結構である旨連絡があり,河野談話の文言について最終的に意 見の一致をみた。 (4)以上のとおり,日本側は,(2)にあるように,関係省庁における関連文 書の調査,米国国立公文書館等での文献調査,さらには軍関係者や慰安所経営 者等各方面への聞き取り調査や挺対協の証言集の分析等の一連の調査を通じて 得られた,いわゆる「強制連行」は確認できないという認識に立ち,それまで に行った調査を踏まえた事実関係を歪めることのない範囲で,韓国政府の意 向・要望について受け入れられるものは受け入れ,受け入れられないものは拒 否する姿勢で,河野談話の文言を巡る韓国側との調整に臨んだ。また,日韓間 でこのような事前のやりとりを行ったことについては,1993 年8 月2 日,日本 側から,マスコミに一切出さないようにすべきであろう旨述べたのに対し,韓 国側はこれに了解するとともに,発表の直前に日本側からFAX で発表文を受け 取ったと言うしかないであろう旨述べた。また,8 月4 日の談話発表に向けて日 本側事務方が用意した応答要領には,韓国側と「事前協議は行っておらず,今 回の調査結果はその直前に伝達した。」との応答ラインが記載された。 (5)上記次第を受け,1993 年8 月4 日,日本側では,河野官房長官より,こ れまで行われてきた調査をまとめた結果を発表するとともに,談話(河野談話) を発表した。 河野官房長官談話 (1993 年8 月4 日) いわゆる従軍慰安婦問題については,政府は,一昨年12 月より,調査を進めて来たが,今般 その結果がまとまったので発表することとした。 今次調査の結果,長期に,かつ広範な地域にわたって慰安所が設置され,数多くの慰安婦が存 在したことが認められた。慰安所は,当時の軍当局の要請により設営されたものであり,慰安所 の設置,管理及び慰安婦の移送については,旧日本軍が直接あるいは間接にこれに関与した。慰 安婦の募集については,軍の要請を受けた業者が主としてこれに当たったが,その場合も,甘言, 強圧による等,本人たちの意思に反して集められた事例が数多くあり,更に,官憲等が直接これ に加担したこともあったことが明らかになった。また,慰安所における生活は,強制的な状況の 12 下での痛ましいものであった。 なお,戦地に移送された慰安婦の出身地については,日本を別とすれば,朝鮮半島が大きな比 重を占めていたが,当時の朝鮮半島は我が国の統治下にあり,その募集,移送,管理等も,甘言, 強圧による等,総じて本人たちの意思に反して行われた。 いずれにしても,本件は,当時の軍の関与の下に,多数の女性の名誉と尊厳を深く傷つけた問 題である。政府は,この機会に,改めて,その出身地のいかんを問わず,いわゆる従軍慰安婦と して数多の苦痛を経験され,心身にわたり癒しがたい傷を負われたすべての方々に対し心からお 詫びと反省の気持ちを申し上げる。また,そのような気持ちを我が国としてどのように表すかと いうことについては,有識者のご意見なども徴しつつ,今後とも真剣に検討すべきものと考える。 われわれはこのような歴史の真実を回避することなく,むしろこれを歴史の教訓として直視し ていきたい。われわれは,歴史研究,歴史教育を通じて,このような問題を永く記憶にとどめ, 同じ過ちを決して繰り返さないという固い決意を改めて表明する。 なお,本問題については,本邦において訴訟が提起されており,また,国際的にも関心が寄せ られており,政府としても,今後とも,民間の研究を含め,十分に関心を払って参りたい。 (6)「強制性」の認識に関し,河野官房長官は同日行われた記者会見に際し, 今回の調査結果について,強制連行の事実があったという認識なのかと問われ, 「そういう事実があったと。結構です」と述べている。 また,「強制」という言葉が慰安婦の募集の文脈ではなく慰安所の生活の記述 で使われている点につき指摘されると,河野官房長官は「『甘言,強圧による等, 本人たちの意思に反して集められた』というふうに書いてあるんです。意思に 反して集められたというのはどういう意味か。お分かりだと思います」と述べ た。 さらに,公文書で強制連行を裏付ける記述は見つからなかったのかと問われ, 河野官房長官は,「強制ということの中には,物理的な強制もあるし,精神的な 強制というのもある」,精神的な強制という点では,「官憲側の記録に残るとい うものではない部分が多い」,「そういうものが有ったか無かったかということ も十分調査を」し,元従軍慰安婦から聞いた話や証言集にある証言,元慰安所 経営者等側の話も聞いたとした上で,「いずれにしても,ここに書きましたよう に,ご本人の意思に反して,連れられたという事例が数多くある」,「集められ た後の生活についても,本人の意思が認められない状況があったということも 調査の中ではっきりしております」と述べた。 (7)河野談話発表後,韓国外務部は,「日本政府が今次発表を通じ,軍隊慰安 婦の募集,移送,管理等において全体的な強制性を認定し,また軍隊慰安婦被 害者に対する謝罪と反省の意とともに,これを歴史の教訓として直視していく 等の決意を表明した点」を評価したい旨の論評を発表した。また,在韓国日本 13 大使館から外務省に対し,韓国側報道は事実を淡々と述べ比較的肯定的な評価 のものが多いこと,韓国外務部は積極的に協力していたことを指摘した上で, その背景として,調査結果と談話が全体として誠意に満ちたものであったこと に加え,同問題の扱いを巡っては頻繁に韓国政府と協議をしつつ,日本側の率 直な考えを伝え,かつ韓国側のコメントを可能な限り取り入れてきたことがあ ると考えられること等を報告した。 (8)日本側において検討され,韓国側とも種々やりとりが行われてきた日本 側による元慰安婦への「措置」のあり方については,河野談話の発表を受け, 両国間でより詳細な議論が行われることとなる。(次章参照) Ⅱ. 韓国における「女性のためのアジア平和国民基金」(以下「基金」)事業 の経緯 1 「基金」設立まで(1993 年~1994 年) (1)前述のとおり,慰安婦問題をめぐる日韓政府のやりとりでは,真相究明 と後続措置がパッケージと観念されてきた。1993 年8 月4 日の河野談話も「そ のような(お詫びと反省の)気持ちを我が国としてどのように表すかというこ とについては,有識者のご意見なども徴しつつ,今後とも真剣に検討すべきも のと考える」として言及している。元慰安婦への「措置」について日本側が, いかなる措置をとるべきか韓国政府の考え方を確認したところ,韓国側は,日 韓間では法的な補償の問題は決着済みであり,何らかの措置という場合は法的 補償のことではなく,そしてその措置は公式には日本側が一方的にやるべきも のであり,韓国側がとやかくいう性質のものではないと理解しているとの反応 であった。 (2)その後,元慰安婦に対する具体的な措置について韓国政府側とやりとり を重ねたが,日本政府が何らかの具体的な措置を講じるとしても,日韓両国間 では,慰安婦の問題を含め,両国及び両国民間の財産・請求権の問題は,法的 には完全且つ最終的に解決済みであり,韓国の元慰安婦に対しては,個人的な 賠償となる措置は実施しないことを想定している旨韓国側には確認していた。 韓国側は,日本側が戦後処理の清算の次元で自主的に処理すべきものであり, また韓国政府は日本政府に対し物質的な補償を求めず,かつ,日本側の措置に は関与しないとの反応であった。また,翌94 年の夏に入り,日韓の事務方のや りとりにおいて,韓国側からは,韓国の世論の一つには被害者とその関係団体 があり,彼らの要求は補償をしろというものである一方,慰安婦問題であれ, 14 何であれ,日本政府に何かを求めることはそろそろ止めにしようという世論も あり,数でいえばこちらの方が多いとの率直な意見が述べられた。 (3)1994 年12 月7 日,与党三党(社会・自民・さきがけ)による「戦後50 年問題プロジェクト・チーム」の下に設けられた慰安婦への対応を議論する小 委員会で「第一次報告」がまとめられ,国民参加の基金を設置し,元慰安婦を 対象とした措置を行うとともに,過去の過ちを繰り返さないために女性に対す る暴力など今日的な女性の名誉と尊厳にかかわる問題の啓発・予防・対応・解 決に向けた活動の支援を行うこと,政府がこの基金に対する資金拠出を含め可 能な限りの協力を行うことを表明した。 (4)1995 年6 月13 日,日本政府は,韓国,台湾,インドネシア,フィリピン, オランダを対象にした「基金」を翌日に公式発表することを決定し,その設立 目的や事業の基本的な性格等を記した「基金構想と事業に関する内閣官房長官 発表」の内容を韓国側に対し事前通報したところ,韓国政府からは,①全般的 な感想としては,当事者団体にとって満足いくものでないにしても,韓国政府 としては評価できる点もあるような感じがする,②従来より金泳三大統領は, 慰安婦に対する補償金は要らないが,徹底した真相究明が行われるべきである 旨明らかにしている,③韓国側が要請してきた点である,日本政府としての公 的性格を含める必要があること及び日本政府としてのお詫びの気持ちを表明す ることの2点が概ね含まれており,こうした点において評価したい旨述べた。 また,関係団体に対し日本側の措置を説明するにあたっては,韓国政府として もできるだけ協力したい旨の反応があった。翌14 日には,五十嵐官房長官が以 下を発表した。 五十嵐内閣官房長官発表(抜粋) (1995 年6 月14 日) 平成6 年8 月の村山総理の談話を受け,また与党戦後50 年問題プジェクトの協議に基づき, 政府において検討の結果,戦後50 年にあたり過去の反省に立って「女性のためのアジア平和 友好基金」による事業を次の通り行うものとする。 記 元従軍慰安婦の方々のため国民,政府協力のもとに次のことを行う。 (1) 元従軍慰安婦の方々への国民的な償いを行うための資金を民間から基金が募金する。 (2) 元従軍慰安婦の方々に対する医療,福祉などお役に立つような事業を行うものに対し,政 府の資金等により基金が支援する。 (3) この事業を実施する折,政府は元従軍慰安婦の方々に,国としての率直な反省とお詫びの 気持ちを表明する。 (4) また,政府は,過去の従軍慰安婦の歴史資料を整えて,歴史の教訓とする。 15 女性の名誉と尊厳に関わる事業として,前記1.(2)にあわせ,女性に対する暴力など今日的な問題に対応するための事業を行うものに対し,政府の資金等により基金が支援する。 「女性のためのアジア平和友好基金」事業に広く国民のご協力を願う「呼びかけ人」として,これまでご賛同を得た方々は次の通りである。(以下略) これを受け,韓国外務部は以下の外務部論評を発表した。 五十嵐官房長官発表に対する韓国外務部論評 (1995年6月) 1.韓国政府は従軍慰安婦問題についてのフォローアップは,基本的に日本政府が93年8月に発表した実態調査の結果により自主的に決定する事項であるが,従軍慰安婦問題の円満な解決のためには,当事者の要求している事項が最大限反映されることが必要であることを指摘してきた。 2.今次日本政府の基金設立は,一部事業に対する政府予算の支援という公的性格は加味されており,また,今後右事業が行われる際,当事者に対する国家としての率直な反省及び謝罪を表明し,過去に対する真相究明を行い,これを歴史の教訓にするという意志が明確に含まれているとの点で,これまでの当事者の要求がある程度反映された誠意ある措置であると評価している。 3.韓国政府は,今後日本が今次基金設立を契機に,様々な過去史問題に対する史実を明らかにし,右解決のための努力を積極的に傾けていくことによって,正しい歴史認識を土台にした近隣各国との未来志向的な善隣友好関係に発展させていくことを期待する。 2 「基金」設立初期(1995年~1996年) (1)一方,韓国国内の被害者支援団体は,「基金」を民間団体による慰労金と位置づけ,日本政府及び「基金」の取組を批判した。これを受け,翌7月には,韓国政府は,官房長官発表を韓国外務部としては評価する声明を出したが,その後被害者支援団体から韓国外務部に強い反発がきて困っている,このような事情からも表立って日本政府と協力することは難しいが,水面下では日本政府と協力していきたいとの立場が示された。 (2)1996年7月,「基金」は,「償い金」の支給,総理による「お詫びの手紙」,医療福祉事業を決定した。特に総理からの「お詫びの手紙」については,韓国政府から,日本政府は韓国政府に対してお詫びをしているが,被害者は個人的にはお詫びをしてもらってないと感じているという反応もあり,お詫びを表明するに当たっては総理による手紙という形をとることとなった。こうした決定を,日本政府から韓国側に説明するために,韓国政府を通じ遺族会及び挺対協に対して面談を申し入れたが,「民間基金」を受け入れることはできないとの見解が両団体から示された。 16 (3)韓国政府からは,①日本政府がどのような形式であれ,被害者達が納得できる措置をとってほしい,②日本が法的に国家補償を行うことは無理であると明言した上で,政府の謝罪の気持ちを表明し,何らかの形で,国家補償と同じように見えるものができないか,③「韓国との関係については今後誠意を持って話し合いたい」旨のメッセージを日本政府より発出して頂けないかとし,その後具体的にどう対応するかについて,時間をかけて日本側と静かに話し合っていきたいとの意向が示された。 (4)同年8月にフィリピンにおいて「基金」事業が開始されたこともあり,同月「基金」は韓国政府から認定を受けた被害者に対して事業を実施するとの方針の下,「基金」運営審議会委員からなる対話チームが韓国を訪問し,10数名の被害者に会い,事業の説明を行った。そして同年12月,元慰安婦7名が「基金」の努力を認め,事業の受け入れを表明した。 3 元慰安婦7名に対する「基金」事業実施(1997年1月) (1)日本政府は,上記7名に対する事業を実施するに当たり,1997年1月10日(事業実施の前日),在日本韓国大使館に,「基金」事業を受け取ってもいいとの意思を表明した韓国の元慰安婦に対し「基金」事業をお届けすると決めたようである旨事前通報した。韓国政府は,①関係団体と被害者の両方が満足する形で事業が実施されるのでなければ解決にはならない,②何人かの元慰安婦だけに実施されるのであれば,関係団体が厳しい反応を示すこととなろう,日韓外相会談,首脳会談の直前であり,タイミングが悪いと考える旨の反応があった。 (2)翌11日,「基金」代表団は,ソウルにおいて元慰安婦7名に対し,総理の「お詫びの手紙」をお渡しし,韓国のマスコミ各社に対し,事業実施の事実を明らかにするとともに,「基金」事業について説明した。 元慰安婦の方々に対する内閣総理大臣の手紙 拝啓 このたび,政府と国民が協力して進めている「女性のためのアジア平和国民基金」を通じ,元従軍慰安婦の方々へのわが国の国民的な償いが行われるに際し,私の気持ちを表明させていただきます。 いわゆる従軍慰安婦問題は,当時の軍の関与の下に,多数の女性の名誉と尊厳を深く傷つけた問題でございました。私は,日本国の内閣総理大臣として改めて,いわゆる従軍慰安婦として数多の苦痛を経験され,心身にわたり癒しがたい傷を負われたすべての方々に対し,心からおわびと反省の気持ちを申し上げます。 17 我々は,過去の重みからも未来への責任からも逃げるわけにはまいりません。わが国としては,道義的な責任を痛感しつつ,おわびと反省の気持ちを踏まえ,過去の歴史を直視し,正しくこれを後世に伝えるとともに,いわれなき暴力など女性の名誉と尊厳に関わる諸問題にも積極的に取り組んでいかなければならないと考えております。末筆ながら,皆様方のこれからの人生が安らかなものとなりますよう,心からお祈りしております。 敬具 日本国内閣総理大臣 (歴代内閣総理大臣署名:橋本龍太郎,小渕恵三,森喜朗,小泉純一郎) これに対し,韓国のメディアは「基金」事業を非難し,被害者団体等による元慰安婦7名や新たに「基金」事業に申請しようとする元慰安婦に対するハラスメントが始まった。被害者団体は,元慰安婦7名の実名を対外的に言及した他,本人に電話をかけ「民間基金」からのカネを受け取ることは,自ら「売春婦」であったことを認める行為であるとして非難した。また,その後に新たに「基金」事業の受け入れを表明した元慰安婦に対しては,関係者が家にまで来て「日本の汚いカネ」を受け取らないよう迫った。 (3)また,韓国政府からは直後に,韓国政府としては,当然「基金」から目録等を誰に伝達したのかにつき通報を受けて然るべきであったと考えるところ,日本側は少し性急すぎるのではないか,また,「基金」の韓国における事業実施につき本当に困惑しているなどと,遺憾の意が伝えられた。 (4)その翌週の日韓外相会談において,柳宗夏韓国外務部長官より,先週末に「基金」が事業を開始し,元慰安婦に支給を行ったことは極めて遺憾である,この撤回と今後の一時金支給の中断を求めるとの発言があった。また,池田外務大臣の金泳三大統領表敬訪問において,大統領より,この問題は国民感情の面からみると敏感な問題である,外相会談でこの話が取り上げられたと報告は受けているが,最近とられた「基金」の措置は国民感情にとって好ましくない影響を強く与えるものであり,遺憾である,このような措置が今後再びとられることのないようお願いしたいとの発言があった。 4 「基金」事業の一時中断(1997年2月~1998年1月) (1)「基金」事業を受け取った7名の元慰安婦が韓国内で継続的にハラスメントを受けることになったことを踏まえ,「基金」は,一時事業を見合わせることとして慎重な対応を取ることとなった。他方,一部被害者支援団体から,事業の受け取りを希望する元慰安婦との調整に前向きな反応もあり,そうした元慰安婦の数を増やすためにも引き続き事業に対する韓国での理解が得られるよう様々な方策を検討し,韓国国内で新聞広告を掲載することなどを模索すること 18 とした。 (2)その後,1997 年夏から秋にかけて,日本政府と「基金」関係者との間で, 韓国国内での広告掲載や事業再開について幾度も折衝が行われた。日本政府は, 韓国大統領選挙や日韓間の漁業交渉の状況もあり,延期するよう働きかけたと ころ,「基金」は,納得できないとの立場を堅持しつつも,日韓及び韓国国内の センシティブな状況に配慮し,新聞広告の掲載を数回にわたって見送った。 (3)しかし,少しでも多くの韓国人元慰安婦に「基金」事業の内容を知って もらい,理解を得たいと「基金」側が強く希望し,韓国の新聞社からも広告掲 載の了解があったため,日本政府としても,1998 年12 月18 日に終了する大統 領選挙後であれば,静かに目立たない形で事業を実施し,広告についても掲載 することはやむを得ないと判断し,小渕外務大臣までの了承を得た。 5 「基金」による新聞広告掲載(1998 年1 月) (1)1998 年1 月上旬に,日韓の事務方のやりとりにおいて,日本側から,「基 金」事業に係る韓国内での理解を普及する目的として新聞広告(4 紙)の掲載予 定について事前説明したのに対し,韓国政府側からは,「基金」事業の一方的な 実施は問題の解決にならないとして,挺対協と「基金」との対話を進めようと しているが,挺対協からは組織内の意見がまとまるまでもう少し時間が欲しい と言われている旨回答があった。 (2)1998 年1 月6 日,実際に広告が掲載されたことを受け,韓国政府側から, 日本側が柔軟性を発揮し,急ぐことなく,本問題が目立たずに徐々に消えてい くよう対応するのが好ましいと考えており,その意味で,先日の新聞広告は極 めて刺激的であった旨の反応が示された。 6 「基金」による償い金事業の一時停止(1998 年2 月~1999 年2 月) (1)1998 年3 月,金大中政権が発足し,韓国政府として日本政府に国家補償 は要求しない代わりに韓国政府が「生活支援金」を元慰安婦に支給することを 決定した。なお,韓国政府として,「基金」から受け取った元慰安婦は「生活支 援金」の対象外となったものの,「基金」自体に表だって反対し,非難する措置 ではないとの立場について説明があった。 (2)さらに,この時期,韓国政府は,金大統領自身本件について金銭の問題 をなくせ,政府間のイシューにするなという意見であり,両国の問題は存在し ないと思った方が良いとして,「基金」には申し訳ないが,政府間の問題になら 19 ないよう終止符を打つべき旨述べていた。 7 韓赤による医療・福祉事業への転換(1999 年3 月~1999 年7 月) (1)「基金」は,1998 年7 月にオランダでの医療福祉事業が順調に開始された こともあり,「償い金」に代わる医療福祉事業の転換を検討し,1999 年1 月末, 韓赤に協力を打診する方針を決定した。これに対して,日韓の事務方のやりと りにおいて,韓国側からは事業を抜本的に変更することは結構なこととして, 形としては,日本側と韓赤の間で話が進み,韓赤より相談を受けた段階で前向 きに対応することを慫慂するとの段取りが適当と考える旨の反応が示された。 (2)しかし,1999 年3 月下旬に行われた日韓の事務方のやりとりにおいて, 突如韓国政府が方針を変え,この問題では何かしてもしなくても批判されると いうことを冷静に踏まえておく必要がある旨述べつつ,韓赤は韓国政府の息の かかった組織であり,強い反対が予想されるので,今回の提案は勘弁してほし いとの反応が示された。これに対し,日本側は,事業転換は,金大中大統領訪 日により醸成された未来志向の日韓関係に悪影響を与えないようにとの観点か ら,総理の了承も得て事業終了に強い難色を示す「基金」を説得したものであ るとして,韓国側の申し入れは容易に納得し難い旨申し入れたものの,韓国側 の協力が得られずに最終的に事業転換が実現できない状況となった。 8 事業転換困難のまま基金事業終了(1999 年7 月~2002 年5 月) (1)事業転換が実現出来なかった「基金」は1999 年7 月に事業を停止するこ ととなり,停止状態が2002 年2 月まで続いたが,同月20 日,「基金」は事業の 停止状態をいったん解き,韓国内での事業申請受付期限を同年5 月1 日にする ことを決定した。 (2)2002 年4 月に行われた日韓の事務方のやりとりでは,改めて韓国政府と しては,「基金」の「償い金」支給,医療・福祉事業について反対の態度を示し た。そして,翌5 月1 日に韓国における全ての「基金」事業申請受付が終了し, 1997 年1 月から始まった韓国での事業が幕を閉じた。 9 韓国における「基金」事業の終了と成果 (1)1995 年に設立された「基金」には,基本財産への寄附を含め約6 億円の 募金が集まり,日本政府は,インドネシアでの事業をもって事業全体が終了す る2007 年3 月末までに拠出金・補助金あわせ約48 億円を支出した。韓国にお ける事業としては,事業終了までに,元慰安婦合計61 名に対し,民間による寄 付を原資とする「償い金」200 万円を支給し,政府拠出金を原資とする医療・福 20 祉支援事業300 万円を実施(一人当たり計500 万円)するとともに,これらを 受け取ったすべての元慰安婦に対し,当時の総理の署名入りの「お詫びの手紙」 をお渡しした。その数は,橋本政権下で27 件,小渕政権下で24 件,森政権下 で1 件,小泉政権下で9 件に及ぶ。 (2)フィリピン,インドネシアやオランダでの「基金」事業では,相手国政 府や関連団体等からの理解や肯定的な評価の下で実施できたところ,韓国では, 韓国国内における事情や日韓関係に大きく影響を受け,同政府や国民からの理 解は得られなかったものの,「基金」事業を受け取った元慰安婦からは,日本政 府から,私たちが生きているうちに,このような総理の謝罪やお金が出るとは 思いませんでした,日本のみなさんの気持ちであることもよく分かりました, 大変有り難うございます,とするお礼の言葉が寄せられた。 (3)また,一部の元慰安婦は,手術を受けるためにお金が必要だということ で,「基金」を受け入れることを決めたが,当初は「基金」の関係者に会うこと も嫌だという態度をとっていたものの,「基金」代表が総理の手紙,理事長の手 紙を朗読すると,声をあげて泣き出し,「基金」代表と抱き合って泣き続けた, 日本政府と国民のお詫びと償いの気持ちを受け止めていただいた,との報告も なされており,韓国国内状況とは裏腹に,元慰安婦からの評価を得た。 以 上 21
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(Provisional Translation) Details of Exchanges Between Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) Regarding the Comfort Women Issue ~ From the Drafting of the Kono Statement to the Asian Women’s Fund ~ June 20, 2014 Study Team on the Details Leading to the Drafting of the Kono Statement etc. Keiichi Tadaki, lawyer (former Prosecutor-General) (Chair) Hiroko Akizuki, Professor, Faculty of International Relations, Asia University Makiko Arima, journalist, former Director of the Asian Women’s Fund Mariko Kawano, Professor, Faculty of Law, Waseda University Ikuhiko Hata, modern historian Secretariat (Cabinet Secretariat, Ministry of Foreign Affairs) 1 The Study Team on the Drafting Process of the Kono Statement etc. -- Study Conducted at the Study Meetings -- 1. Background to the Study (1) At the House of Representatives Budget Committee hearing held on February 20, 2014, former Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobuo Ishihara testified with regards to the Kono Statement that (i) no post factum corroborating investigation was conducted on the result of the hearings of former comfort women that is said to have served as the basis of the Kono Statement; (ii) there is a possibility that in the drafting process of the Kono Statement, the language was compared and coordinated with the Republic of Korea (ROK) side; and (iii) as a result of announcing the Kono Statement, problems of the past between Japan and the ROK were once settled, but have recently been brought up again by the ROK government, and it is extremely regrettable that the good intentions of the Government of Japan at that time are not being recognized. (2) Following the testimony, in response to a question in the Diet, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga answered that the process leading to the drafting of the Kono Statement and understanding what actually occurred at that time should be clarified in an appropriate manner. (3) Based on this background, the team undertook a study regarding the sequence of processes, centering on the exchanges with the ROK during the process leading to the drafting of the Kono Statement and extending to the Asian Women’s Fund, which was a follow-up measure subsequent to the Statement. Accordingly, the Study Team did not undertake inquiries and studies aimed at grasping the historical facts of the comfort women issue itself. 2. Schedule of Meetings Held Friday, April 25, 2014 Preparatory meeting Wednesday, May 14 First meeting Friday, May 30 Second meeting Friday, June 6 Third meeting Tuesday, June 10 Fourth meeting 2 3. The Study Team’s Members In order to ensure complete confidentiality, the members of the Study Team perused relevant documents after they were sworn in as part-time government officials. Keiichi Tadaki, lawyer (former Prosecutor-General) (Chair) Hiroko Akizuki, Professor, Faculty of International Relations, Asia University Makiko Arima, journalist, former Director of the Asian Women’s Fund Mariko Kawano, Professor, Faculty of Law, Waseda University Ikuhiko Hata, modern historian 4. Period Covered by the Study The study covered the period from the early half of the 1990s, when the comfort women issue emerged as an outstanding issue between Japan and the ROK, up to the completion of the Asian Women’s Fund’s projects in the ROK. 5. Study Method (1) The study covered a series of documents concerning the comfort women issue held by the Office of the Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary, which took over the duties of the Cabinet Councilors’ Office on External Affairs. At that time, the Cabinet Councilors’ Office on External Affairs was carrying out the government inquiry that led up to the Kono Statement and the administrative duties leading to the announcement of the Kono Statement together with a series of documents on the comfort women issue that mainly includes exchanges between Japan and the ROK and a series of documents on the Asian Women’s Fund as a follow-up measure, which are held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (2) On the condition of complete confidentiality, testimonies from hearings of the former comfort women, former military personnel and other relevant parties were also made available to members of the Study Team for their perusal. Additionally, during the process of the study, in order to supplement the documents-based study, the Cabinet Secretariat carried out hearings of government personnel who were in charge of the hearings of the former comfort women at that time. (3) In undertaking the study, based on the abovementioned documents, testimonies and outcomes of hearings that the Cabinet Secretariat and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made available to the Study Team for studying, the Team grasped the facts and objectively confirmed the series of processes. 3 6. Study Results by the Study Team Under the instruction of the Study Team, based on relevant documents designated for their study, the administrative authorities of the government compiled a report of facts as attached. The Study Team concluded that the content of the report was valid, insofar as the documents that were made available during the study process. June 20, 2014 Study Team on the Details Leading to the Drafting of the Kono Statement etc. Keiichi Tadaki, lawyer (former Prosecutor-General) (Chair) Hiroko Akizuki, Professor, Faculty of International Relations, Asia University Makiko Arima, journalist, former Director of the Asian Women’s Fund Mariko Kawano, Professor, Faculty of Law, Waseda University Ikuhiko Hata, modern historian Table of Contents I.Details of the Drafting of the Kono Statement 1 Exchanges Between Japan and the ROK up to Prime Minister Miyazawa’s Visit to the ROK (up to January 1992)…………………………………………………………….1 2 Exchanges between Japan and the ROK during the Period between Prime Minister Miyazawa’s Visit to the ROK up to the Announcement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato (the Announcement of the Findings of the Inquiry) (From January 1992 to July 1992)………………………………………………………………………………..…2 3 Exchanges Between Japan and the ROK During the Period Between Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato’s Announcement and Prior to the Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Kono (July 1992 to August 1993)…………………………………………..4 4 Details of the Hearings of the Former Comfort Women……………………………....9 5 Communication on the Wording of the Kono Statement…………………………….13 II. Details of the activities of the “National Fund for Asian Peace and Women” in the ROK 1 Up to the Establishment of the Fund (1993 to 1994)………………………………...20 2 The Initial Period after the Establishment of the Fund (1995 to 1996)……………...23 3 Implementing Projects for Seven Former Comfort Women (January 1997)………...24 4 The Temporary Suspension of the Fund (February 1997 to January 1998)……...…..26 5 The Fund Places Advertisements in Newspapers (January 1998)…………..…..…...27 6 The Temporary Suspension of Payments of Atonement Money through the Fund (February 1998 to February 1999)………………………………………………..……...27 7 Conversion to Medical and Welfare Projects by the Korean Red Cross (March 1999-July 1999)…………………………….…………………………………….……...28 8 The Suspension of the Fund with Difficulties of Converting the Project (July 1999 to May 2002)……………………………………………………………………...………...28 9 The Results of the Fund’s Activities in the ROK……………………...……………..29 1 Details of Exchanges Between Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) Regarding the Comfort Women Issue -- From the Drafting of the Kono Statement to the Asian Women’s Fund -- June 20, 2014 I. Details of the Drafting of the Kono Statement 1. Exchanges Between Japan and the ROK up to Prime Minister Miyazawa’s Visit to the ROK (up to January 1992) (1) After the first former comfort woman came forward in the ROK on August 14, 1991, three former comfort women from the ROK filed a lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court on December 6 of the same year. Japanese Prime Minister Miyazawa was scheduled to visit the ROK in January 1992, but amid growing interest in the comfort women issue and mounting anti-Japanese criticism in the ROK, diplomatic authorities in Japan and the ROK became concerned that the issue would surface as an outstanding issue during the Prime Minister’s visit to the ROK. On a number of occasions from December 1991, the ROK side conveyed its view that it would be desirable for the Japanese side to take some kind of action in advance so that the comfort women issue would not surface as an outstanding issue when Prime Minister Miyazawa visits the ROK. At the same time, the ROK sought a response to the issue prior to the Prime Minister’s visit and requested that Japan take steps to ensure the issue did not create friction between the two countries, such as by having the Japanese side address the idea of expressing some kind of position perhaps in the form of a Cabinet Secretary statement, and demonstrating a stance of remorse, prior to the Prime Minister’s ROK visit. As of December 1991, the Japanese side was already confidentially considering within their government that, “It would be appropriate if the Prime Minister could effectively accept the involvement of the Japanese military, and make an expression of remorse and regret,” but also that, “There is a possibility that public opinion in the ROK will not be appeased simply with a verbal apology alone.” One option that was being cited was to make a symbolic gesture in the form of erecting a memorial for the comfort women. 2 (2) In December 1991, under the coordination of the Cabinet Councilors’ Office on External Affairs, the Japanese side launched a study involving all potentially relevant ministries and agencies. On January 7, 1992, it was reported that documents had been discovered at the National Institute for Defense Studies indicating the involvement of the military. Subsequently, as a result of a January 11, 1992 report on these documents by the Asahi Shimbun, anti-Japanese criticism inside the ROK heated up. At a regular press conference on January 13, 1992, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato stated that, “At the present point in time, we are not at the stage of stating what degree of involvement took place and what form it took, but involvement by the military cannot be denied,” and that “I would like to offer my heartfelt feelings of apology and remorse to those who underwent immeasurable and painful experiences as so-called wartime comfort women.” (3) At a Summit Meeting held during Prime Minister Miyazawa’s visit to the ROK from January 16 to 18 1992, President Roh Tae-woo stated that he “appreciates the acknowledgement of the former Japanese military’s involvement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato and his expression of apology and remorse. Going forward, I expect that Japan will take the necessary measures and strive to clarify the facts.” Prime Minister Miyazawa stated that, “It has reached the point where I know of the undeniable fact that the former Japanese military had been involved in recruiting wartime comfort women, managing comfort stations and so forth. The Government of Japan has decided to acknowledge this publicly and make a heartfelt apology.” Prime Minister Miyazawa added that he wanted to “express my heartfelt feelings of apology and remorse to those who underwent immeasurable and painful experiences as wartime comfort women,” and that “an inquiry has been taking place at the relevant government ministries and agencies from the end of last year, and from here forward we also intend to continue to search for documents and clarify the facts wholeheartedly.” 2. Exchanges between Japan and the ROK during the Period between Prime Minister Miyazawa’s Visit to the ROK up to the Announcement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato (the Announcement of the Findings of the Inquiry) (From January 1992 to July 1992) (1) Following Prime Minister Miyazawa’s visit to the ROK, in January 1992 the ROK government announced a “government policy concerning the volunteer corps issue,” in which it said it would “pursue thorough clarification of the facts and appropriate compensatory and other measures accompanying that, from the Government of Japan.” On the Japanese side, in addition to an inquiry aimed at clarifying the facts, it 3 considered “holding discussions in order to exchange ideas with the ROK side regarding measures that the Government of Japan can take independently, from a humanitarian perspective, in regards to the so-called wartime comfort women issue, separate to the framework of the legal resolution of 1965,” and ideas were sought confidentially from the ROK side. (2) The inquiry into relevant documents at various ministries and agencies that the Japanese side launched in December 1991 continued until June 1992. Prior to the announcement of the results of that inquiry, the ROK side asked that the inquiry be of a level that is convincing to the government and citizens of the ROK, and proposed holding unofficial, advance discussions at the working level regarding the announcement of the inquiry findings. Additionally, just prior to the announcement, various exchanges took place with the ROK side regarding the manner in which the inquiry results would be announced. This included a suggestion from the ROK side that in addition to the announcement of the inquiry results themselves, it should include an expression of the Government of Japan’s views on the inquiry results as well as proposed post-inquiry measures. Regarding the content of the inquiry results, the ROK side praised the Government of Japan’s efforts in carrying out the inquiry in good faith, while pointing out that overall there was a major gap between the results and the expectations of the ROK side and that there was a possibility that this would aggravate sentiment and public opinion among the citizens of the ROK. Furthermore, the ROK requested that the facts continue to be clarified, including the issue of whether or not there was “coerciveness” involved at the time of recruitment, and that, “follow-up measures” (compensation and inclusion in textbooks) be taken, and stated that, “the course of public opinion on the ROK side was of concern given that the inquiry findings did not include any indication of clear evidence of forced mobilization which had been found in the testimonies etc. of the relevant individuals at the time.” Incidentally, ahead of the announcement of the inquiry findings by the Government of Japan, in July 1992, the ROK government announced the progress of its own inquiry into and study about the comfort women issue among others, but also on that occasion, it sought comment from the Japanese side in advance. As a result, prior adjustments were made by the two countries. (3) On July 6, 1992, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato announced at a press conference the findings of the inquiry up to that point. The Chief Cabinet Secretary acknowledged that based on the inquiry that was carried out on documents at the ministries and agencies 4 that might hold such relevant materials, “the Government had been involved in the establishment of comfort stations, the control of those who recruited comfort women, the construction and reinforcement of comfort facilities, the management and surveillance of comfort stations, the hygiene maintenance in comfort stations and among comfort women, and the issuance of identification as well as other documents to those who were related to comfort stations.” He stated that “the Government again would like to express its sincere apology and remorse to all those who have suffered indescribable hardship as so-called ‘wartime comfort women,’ and that “by listening to the opinions of people from various directions, I would like to consider sincerely in what way we can express our feelings to those who suffered such hardship.” At the same time, in response to questions regarding the issue of whether any documents substantiating to forced or deceitful recruitment were discovered during the inquiry, he responded that such documents “have thus far not been discovered.” (4) Incidentally, it is evident that various deliberations took place within the ROK, on “compensation” and in connection with the Agreement on the Settlement of Problems Concerning Property and Claims and on Economic Cooperation Between Japan and the ROK. Issues pondered included whether a review would be needed to determine if the ROK’s claim had already been settled legally, or at that point in time, it should not make a new request to the Japanese side for compensation. 3. Exchanges Between Japan and the ROK During the Period Between Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato’s Announcement and Prior to the Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Kono (July 1992 to August 1993) (1) Even following Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato’s announcement, harsh views regarding the comfort women issue did not disappear from public opinion in the ROK. Under such circumstances, the Cabinet Councilors’ Office on External Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continued an examination of future measures regarding the comfort women issue. In a discussion that took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in early October 1992, the need to resolve the issue during the term of the Roh Tae-woo Administration (the ROK held a presidential election in December 1992) was acknowledged. Also in early October, under Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Ishihara, officials from the Cabinet Councilors’ Office on External Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs discussed future plans concerning the comfort women issue. In those discussions it was confirmed that the items to be considered in the future in relation to the comfort women issue were: (i) future initiatives concerning the clarification of facts; 5 (ii) measures of some sort towards the ROK; (iii) measures for countries and regions other than the ROK; (iv) an approach to the Japanese Red Cross Society (hereafter referred to as “the JRC”) (namely, a request for cooperation in order to implement (ii)); and (v) the establishment of a bipartisan council of Diet members. Of these items, on the clarification of the facts, it was decided that although the scope of the document-based inquiry would be expanded, conducting interviews with former comfort women would be difficult. Additionally, on measures towards the ROK, it was envisaged that a fund would be set up within the JRC, and with the cooperation of the Korean Red Cross (hereafter referred to as “the KRC”) it would implement welfare measures mainly covering former comfort women. (2) Based on the abovementioned plans, at a mid-October 1992 exchange between working-level officials from Japan and the ROK, the Japanese side communicated -- as an unofficial position -- the idea of a package of two items comprising (i) establishing a fund at the JRC that would implement measures expressing Japan’s feelings over the comfort women issue to the ROK and other countries; and (ii) implementing measures such as expanding the scope of the agencies and ministries covered in the clarification of the facts and gathering documents held by central and regional libraries. The ROK side’s response to this package was that (i) what is important is clarifying the facts; (ii) from the ROK citizens’ standpoint, an explanation that, it is not known whether or not force was involved because documents have not been found, makes it appear that the matter is being dismissed as a formality and that no genuine effort is being made; and (iii) it is important for victims and perpetrators to be interviewed and for the Government of Japan to admit that comfort women arose out of force. (3) As a result of these reactions from the ROK side, the Japanese side again explored its response plans. In late October, based on the basic standpoint that in order to build a future-oriented Japan-ROK relationship, efforts should be made to try to settle this issue before the change in the ROK’s administration, a plan was decided upon and was communicated to the ROK. This involved proposing to the ROK side that a resolution to the issue be pursued using a package comprising (i) clarification of the facts by adopting additional measures such as expanding the scope of the document-based inquiry, holding interviews with (several) representatives of former comfort women, and arriving at a conclusion. Although reaching a definite recognition would be difficult with regards to the issue of the involvement of “coerciveness,” demonstrating a degree of recognition by stating that “it cannot be denied that some elements of coerciveness 6 also existed”); and (ii) “measures to express our feelings” (envisaged as an establishment of a fund within the JRC that would implement mainly welfare measures while cooperating with the KRC). (4) However, because of the presidential election in December 1992, discussions with the ROK side were not progressing, and the ROK’s response was that it wanted to discuss the matter in earnest after the presidential election. As a result, the Japanese side decided on a plan to coordinate with staff in the new ROK administration and try to settle the issue fully and promptly. In doing so, it was decided that responses going forward would include: (i) implementing measures in order to clarify the facts; (ii) making details of the follow-up measures as concrete as possible; and (iii) sounding out to the ROK side once again about presenting a degree of recognition, “in combination with follow-up measures and as an outcome of measures to clarify the facts” that “conceivably there were also some elements of ‘coerciveness.’” In that regard, measures for clarifying the facts that were cited included: (i) expanding the scope of the inquiry; (ii) obtaining the findings of the ROK’s inquiry; (iii) seeking the opinions of people concerned and experts on the Japanese side; and (iv) seeking the opinions of representatives of former comfort women. However, it was decided that seeking the opinions of representatives of former comfort women would be carried out “at the final stages, once there is a prospect of obtaining the ROK side’s cooperation on the conclusion of the clarification of facts and the follow-up measures” and that this effort “be kept to a minimum.” (5) In December 1992, before and after the ROK presidential election, the Japanese side successively explained its basic standpoint to the ROK side. On the clarification of facts, the Japanese side explained that (i) the Government of Japan had thus far been striving to clarify the facts, but reaching a 100% level of clarification is always impossible in the first place; (ii) the recruitment of comfort women probably involved “coerciveness” in some cases and not in others, but it would probably not be possible to determine that ratio; and (iii) at the final stages, Japanese government officials are thinking of possibly expressing in some manner that there were elements of “coerciveness” as an acknowledgement by the Government of Japan after meeting with and listening to representatives of comfort women, and also referring to the findings of the ROK government’s inquiry. In response, the ROK side stated that (i) even if (the comfort women) theoretically went of their own free will, it is conceivable that the circumstances once they arrived were different to what they had been told; and 7 (ii) it is important to recognize that these women did not become comfort women voluntarily. With regard to follow-up measures, the Japanese side explained that while legally such matters were settled, it did recognize that given the nature of the issue it was not simply a case of illegal activities and that it was a moral issue of how to display good faith. Japan explained that in implementing follow-up measures, it would listen carefully to the ROK side’s opinions as a reference, but that basically the measures would be implemented by Japan voluntarily. (6) In February 1993, President Kim Young-sam was appointed. Around February and March 1993, in considerations relating to the Japanese side’s policies, the basic perspective adopted by Japan was that “the issue could be resolved in a package deal in which the ROK government will accept the implementation of measures of some sort in return for the Government of Japan’s conclusions regarding the clarification of the facts,” and “where the clarification of facts is concerned, the possibility of demonstrating our recognition through an expression of some sort that recruiting also took place in a way that partially involved the elements of “coerciveness” is being considered,” and that “with regard to measures that can be taken, consideration has been given to setting up a fund and implementing welfare measures via a counterpart of a relevant country (or region).” Regarding the issue of “coerciveness,” the plan that was presented called for “an approach to be made to the ROK government, that the Government of Japan is prepared to acknowledge, for example, that it is not possible to deny some involvement by the military and government authorities and that there were cases in which women became wartime comfort women ‘in a manner that was against their own will’.” Additionally, with regard to interviewing representatives of former comfort women, the plan mentioned that “Consideration will be given to implementing this as a ceremony, so to speak, and in the minimum necessary format at the final stages when there is a prospect of obtaining the ROK side’s cooperation on the conclusion of the clarification of facts and the follow-up measures, while taking into account relations with other countries and regions” (details of the hearings are discussed below). (7) Commenting on the comfort women issue on March 13, 1993, ROK President Kim Young-sam, who had been appointed in February, stated that “We do not plan to demand material compensation from the Government of Japan. Compensation will be undertaken using the budget of the ROK government from next year. Doing so will undoubtedly make it possible to pursue a new Japan-ROK relationship by claiming the 8 moral high-ground.” During working-level discussions between Japan and the ROK that took place in mid-March 1993, the Japanese side entered discussions with a working plan that centered on (i) resolving the comfort women issue promptly; (ii) requesting the ROK government to implement measures towards public opinion; and (iii) in light of the aforementioned statement by President Kim Young-sam, confirming the ROK government’s plans and the ROK’s position regarding measures to be undertaken by Japan. Within this working plan, the Japanese side decided to “concretely sound out the fact that the Government of Japan is prepared to demonstrate a degree of recognition with regard to the involvement of “coerciveness” issue, as an area of common ground in clarifying the facts. Additionally, (the Japanese government) will sound out the fact that it is prepared to hold an interview with a representative (or representatives) of former comfort women if it is able to obtain the intermediation of the ROK government, as one part of the package of measures relating to this issue.” In the course of the working-level discussions, the ROK side stated that on the question of how the Japanese side makes its recognition, it believed that while it would not be possible to make an announcement that contradicted the facts for Japan, it should avoid employing a complicated “preface” (such as stating, for example, that “it was not possible to find documents showing the direct involvement of the military in the recruitment” before recognizing the involvement of “coerciveness” in some form). At the Japan-ROK Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on April 1, 1993, Foreign Minister Watanabe conveyed to Foreign Minister Han Sung-joo that on the issue of “coerciveness,” “stating that there was involvement of force in all cases would be difficult,” that “working-level staff are being instructed to explore expressions that demonstrate the Government of Japan’s recognition to the greatest extent possible but in a way that does not bring lingering uneasiness to the hearts of citizens of either country” and that “we hope to consult the ROK side regarding how to present our recognition.” (8) At the same time, up to then the ROK side had adopted the position that it should not raise point-by-point questions about how to clarify the facts, and that the bottom line was that it wanted Japan to move the process ahead in good faith. However, from around the time of the Foreign Minsters’ Meeting held on April 1, 1993, the ROK side began adopting a stance that it expected the Japanese side to move ahead with clarifying the facts in a way that would be convincing to comfort women-related groups within the ROK, and that the ROK government itself would not be able to exert pressure domestically in order to try to control the situation. Similarly, at a working-level 9 exchange of views between Japan and the ROK that took place in early April 1993, the ROK stated that, in response to the approach by the Japanese side, (i) the Japanese side needs to be visibly seen to have exhausted every effort to clarify the facts and there should be no unnecessary rush to resolve the issue hurriedly; (ii) it is unlikely to be acceptable to state that only some comfort women were forced; and (iii) it will not be possible for the ROK government to direct or otherwise shut out public opinion in the ROK to try to settle the issue with the Japanese side, and everything will come down to how the Government of Japan’s stance is received by the citizens of the ROK. Additionally, in exchanges between working-level staff in Japan and the ROK that took place in late April 1993, the ROK side stated that if the announcement by the Japanese side relied on measured expressions such as “there was involvement of coerciveness in some cases” it would likely trigger a furor. In response, the Japanese side replied that on the issue of “coerciveness”, based also on the findings of the inquiry conducted domestically up to then, it would not be possible to arrive at a conclusion that would distort historical facts. Additionally, following the report on the outcome of this discussion, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Ishihara stated that it would not be possible to say unconditionally that all comfort women were recruited with “coerciveness.” (9) When Foreign Minister Muto visited the ROK on June 29 and 30, 1993, the Foreign Minister said it would “announce our findings based on an objective judgment and demonstrate our recognition of this issue” and that “with regard to what sort of expressions will be used specifically, the Japanese side also intends to make the utmost effort to obtain the understanding of the citizens of the ROK, but in doing so, hopes to secure the understanding and cooperation of the ROK government from a broader perspective.” Foreign Minister Han Sung-joo expressed gratitude for the abundantly sincere statement from the Japanese side, while stating that “the number one priority is to recognize force, number two is an utmost effort to clarify the overall picture, number three is an expression of commitment to continuing with the inquiry from here on as well, and number four is an expression of intention to learn the lessons of history. If these points are met then”…“the ROK government also”…“intends to strive to amicably resolve this issue.” The ROK side also explained that it did not intend to seek monetary compensation from Japan. 4. Details of the Hearings of the Former Comfort Women (1) Concerning the hearings of the former comfort women, the ROK side indicated continuously over the period from July to December 1992 the following (i) that there 10 should be hearings of the victims and the perpetrators; (ii) that the Japanese side, while it might not be able to listen to all of the comfort women, ought to listen to some of them to demonstrate its sincerity; (iii) the importance that the Government of Japan to communicate to the ROK people that it was doing its absolute best to address this issue; (iv) that not only the Government of Japan, but also local governments and foreign countries should conduct investigations and listen to the testimonies of relevant parties. Moreover, the ROK side indicated its view that hearings would be able to soften the feelings of the related parties and would also show Japan’s sincerity to those who were insisting that it was not of their own will. (2) Initially the view within the Japanese side was that once the hearing with the former comfort women began that it would not have control and that it needed to be cautiously considered. But by December 1992, based on the above-stated views of the ROK and that, “in the final stage, in which there is the prospect of receiving cooperation from the ROK on concluding the clarification of facts and follow-up measures,” it decided on a policy of carrying out a hearing of the former comfort women “in the minimum necessary format.” Subsequently, in communication between Japan and ROK officials in March 1993, the Japanese side sounded out the ROK side that, in accordance with its measures to respond to three of the aforementioned policies (see 3 (4) to (6)), if the Government of the ROK will be able to mediate, then as part of a package of measures for this issue, it was ready to hold interviews with a representative (or representatives) of the former comfort women. In response to this, the ROK side commented that it was a noteworthy idea and also stated that it might not be necessary to hear from all of the relevant parties, that it would be possible to request the attendance of “witnesses,” and that the Government of the ROK would probably prefer not to witness it. (3) From around April 1993, communications on the hearings with the former comfort women took place in earnest. At this time, the Government of the ROK began sounding out groups related to the comfort women issue, but it explained that the claims of the groups related to the comfort women issue were harsh against Japan, and that there were negative reactions that speeding up for a solution were perceived as taking the testimony of the comfort women but with the intention of avoiding the main issue. Also, the Government of the ROK stated that it was necessary to explain the status of the hearings, that the interviews with the persons in question were a method of last resort after every other method of clarifying the facts had been tried, and rather than taking a 11 sudden, unilateral decision to hold interviews, that it was necessary to take enough time in dealing with this. On top of this, the Government of the ROK discussed the issue with the Association of Pacific War Victims and Bereaved Families (hereinafter referred to as “the Association of the Bereaved.” Formed in 1973, the objective of the activities of this incorporated body, which was mainly formed by members of the bereaved families of the Pacific War, is to investigate the actual conditions of the bereaved families, to hold mutual exchanges among others) and also the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan (hereinafter referred to as “the Korean Council.”. Formed in 1990, it is comprised of several Christian women’s groups, and its policies as a movement are particularly to deal with the comfort women issue, to certify the crimes of the Japanese army, and to demand legal compensation among others from the Japanese side). The Government of the ROK indicated that its view was that the Association of the Bereaved would agree to holding the hearings, but that the Korean Council had expressed its disapproval for any hearings, hence one proposal was to refer to the testimonies collected by the Korean Council. In the middle of May 1993, the Government of the ROK indicated that it did not think any new facts would emerge from the hearings, but it would respond to it if it were to be held as part of a process to resolve this issue. Also, in the communication between Japan and ROK officials that took place at the beginning of July, the ROK side indicated its views that conducting the hearings ultimately was up to the Japanese side and while it did not consider it to be indispensable, hearings would be one process that would strongly demonstrate the sincerity of the Japanese side, and that if it could be realized, it considered that it could be one effective process in order to receive a positive reaction from the relevant parties in the ROK when the results of the inquiries were announced. (4) From the end of May to June 1993, the Japanese side successively made contact and held discussions with the Korean Council and the Association of the Bereaved toward holding hearings with the former comfort women. As was previously stated in (3), the Korean Council had a harsh stance due to the distrust of the Government of Japan and the Government of the ROK suggested that in order to mitigate this, carrying out local investigation or having the attendance of civilians at the interviews were required. Based on the Government of the ROK’s suggestions, in late May, the Japanese Embassy in the ROK began discussions with the Korean Council, but for it to agree to the hearings, it attached conditions that the findings of the additional inquiry conducted by the Government of Japan at that time should be presented in advance and that the “force” be recognized, and despite 12 communications with the Japanese side, it did not alter this stance. The Korean Council commented that if Japanese officials, and moreover male officials, suddenly arrived in the ROK, no one would open their hearts and talk, and it should be sufficient to refer to the collection of testimonies collected by the Korean Council for the testimony of the comfort women. Ultimately, hearings with the Korean Council were abandoned and instead, its collection of testimonies was referred to. (5) On the other hand, the Japanese Embassy in the ROK began discussions with the Association of the Bereaved and over the course of negotiations with it that took place on several occasions, the Association agreed to the holding of hearings. For this, both agreed (i) that the hearings be held in a quiet environment and that the location be the office of the Association of the Bereaved; (ii) that when the hearings are held, one lawyer from the National Federation of Consultative Assemblies of Civil Liberties and one lawyer involved in the lawsuit would attend as observers from the Japanese side, while one relevant party from the Association of the Bereaved would attend as an observer from its side; (iii) that the hearings would take place with all the comfort women who wished to attend, recruited by the Association of the Bereaved; (iv) that no outside journalists enter the hearings and in addition, while video would be taken for use as internal record for the Association of the Bereaved, this video would not be released nor used in court of law; (v) that the Government of Japan as a defendant in the lawsuit regarding the comfort women, would not use the testimonies of the nine former comfort women who are appearing on the plaintiff side as reference in itself,, but agreed that these testimonies collected in a different format by the Association of the Bereaved could be used as reference materials. The time for prior coordination for the hearings was limited and also there was an attitude that for the Japanese side, the stories of the former comfort women would be difficult to listen to. Hence, as was previously stated, the hearings were held at a venue arranged by the Association of the Bereaved (the office of the Association), and the Japanese side would not be involved in the selection of the former comfort women who would attend the hearing. Furthermore, during the coordination of specific details between the Japanese side and the Association of the Bereaved for the holding of the hearings, facts that showed that the Government of the ROK participated or coordinated in some way in the selection of the former comfort women who would attend the hearing could not be confirmed. (6) Finally, the hearings at the office of the Association of the Bereaved began on July 26, 1993. It was initially scheduled for two days until the following day on July 27, but 13 ultimately it was held until July 30 and hearings of a total of 16 people were held. On the Japanese side, five people attended the hearings from the Cabinet Councilors’ Office on External Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stating at the beginning that the contents of the hearing were not to be publicized. Among the former comfort women, there were various cases; there were some who spoke indifferently and others whose memories had become confused. However, the Japanese side maintained from start to finish an attitude of listening sincerely to what the former comfort women had to say. From the Government of the ROK, only a member of the ROK’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs attended as an observer at the start of the hearings on each day. (7) Regarding the status of the hearings, rather than a clarification of the facts, the intention was to show the sincere attitude of the Government of Japan in clarifying the facts as a process based on the details of the events up to that point by holding the hearings of the comfort women, and stand by with the former comfort women to deeply understand their feelings, and hence the results of it were not compared to post-facto corroborating investigations or other testimonies. The relationship between the hearings and the Kono Statement that was released immediately after it was that, prior to the holding of the hearings, the relevant ministries had practically finished compiling the findings of the additional inquires and they had already prepared the original draft of the Kono Statement prior to the completion of the hearings (refer to 5 below). 5. Communication on the Wording of the Kono Statement (1) After the announcement in July 1992 by Chief Secretary Kato, the Japanese side aimed to release some sort of announcements on its clarification of facts and follow-up measures, and held detailed discussions with the ROK side. In communication between Japan and ROK officials in March 1993, the ROK side stated that the Japanese announcement should not be treated as an outcome of discussions with the ROK, but ultimately treated as something independently released by the Japanese side, and that its impression was that it would prefer the content of the announcement to be as close as possible to the content that would satisfy the ROK. In communication between Japan and ROK officials in May 1993, the Japanese side stated it wanted to avoid a negative response by the Government of the ROK to its announcement. Hence, with regards to the recognition on the involvement of “coerciveness,” the Japanese side stated that, while not word-for-word, it wanted to communicate with the ROK on this issue. In response to this, the ROK side stated it would cooperate in various ways and that it wanted to know the content of the announcement and be notified of the wording of it. 14 In the Japan-ROK Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on July 28, 1993, Foreign Minister Muto stated, “we want to consult in advance with members of your Government on the wording of the announcement,” and that “regarding this (comfort women) issue we want to basically put a full stop to it diplomatically. President Kim Yong-sam stated that if the Japanese side was completely sincere in its announcement, he considered that he would explain the announcement to the people of his country, and in this case, it was possible to obtain the understanding of the people of the ROK could be obtained. Based on this point, we would definitely want the President to explain the views of Japan.” In response to this, Foreign Minister Han Sung-joo stated that, “we wish to appreciate the efforts and the sincerity of Japan regarding this issue. We hope that President Kim Yong-sam will be able to explain the findings of the inquiry by Japan to the people of the ROK in a form that will be able to satisfy them. In addition, we expect that through this, ROK-Japan relations will come to be future-oriented, which is an outcome that the ROK is also hoping for.” (2) Meanwhile on the Japanese side, even after the announcement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato, the relevant ministries and agencies continuously investigated related documents and additionally conducted search and investigation of documents in the United States National Archives and Records Administration and in other locations. With these documents that were obtained in this way as a basis, it also began to analyze hearings of military-related parties and those responsible for managing the comfort stations, as well as testimonies collected by the Korean Council, and was able to practically finish compiling the report on the study results. The recognition obtained through these series of studies was that it was not possible to confirm that women were “forcefully recruited.” (3) Subsequently, actual coordination on the wording of the statement began between Japan and the ROK in response to the above-mentioned Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. By July 29, 1993, at the latest, which was before the end of the hearings of the comfort women (held July 26 to 30, 1993), the Government of Japan had already prepared the draft of the statement based on the results of the study of the relevant documents (refer to 4 (7) above). The coordination on the wording of the statement took place up until August 3, the day before the statement was to be announced, between the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ROK Embassy in Japan, and the Japanese Embassy in the ROK and the ROK’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They were conducted intensively and it was 15 confirmed that the initial comments from the ROK were received at the latest by July 31. In these comments, the ROK stated that while it considered that the content of the announcement should be independently decided on by the Government of Japan and that it did not in any way consider it to be an outcome of a negotiation, but in order to solve this issue, it must be appreciated by the people of the ROK and from this perspective, it hoped that a part of the statement be amended, and that if the Government of Japan released the statement without responding to this point, then the Government of the ROK would not be able to positively respond to it. Subsequently, on several occasions during the above-described period of coordination on the wording of the statement, the ROK side provided various comments, including on the issue of “coerciveness,” on the establishment of the comfort stations, and on the recruitment of the comfort women. In response, on the Japanese side, the Cabinet Councilors’ Office on External Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continued to closely cooperate and share information, and within the limit of not distorting the relevant facts based on the study that had taken place up until that time, it coordinated with the Government of the ROK on the wording of the statement with a stance of accepting those intentions and requests of the Government of the ROK that it could accept, and rejecting those that it could not accept. In the coordination with the ROK, the three main points of contention were as follows: (i) the involvement of the military in the establishment of the comfort stations; (ii) the involvement of the military in the recruitment of the comfort women; (iii) the “coerciveness” of the recruitment of the comfort women. Regarding the involvement of the military in the establishment of the comfort stations, the expression that the Japanese side offered was that they were the “intention” of the military authorities, but the ROK requested this expression be changed to “instruction.” However, the Japanese side could not accept this as it could not confirm that the military “instructed” the establishment of the comfort stations and proposed instead the expression of “requested.” Also, regarding the involvement of the military in the recruitment of the comfort women, the ROK requested wording that was equivalent to “the military or recruiters who were instructed by the military,” or in other words, that the recruitment was carried out by the military or that the military instructed other recruiters to do so. But the Japanese side considered that the recruitment was not carried out by the military, but mainly by recruiters who had done so based on the “intentions” of the military, and hence could not accept that the military were the main party that carried out the recruitment. Also, as the Japan side could not confirm that the military “instructed” the 16 recruiters to carry out the recruitment, it proposed that the expression be changed to that the military “requested” the recruiters carry out the recruitment. In response to this, the ROK wanted the expression “ordered” used for the involvement of the military in both the establishment of the comfort stations and the recruitment of the comfort women, but the Japanese side did not accept it. Ultimately, it was decided on the wording that the comfort stations were established and managed according to the military authorities’ “request,” and also the recruiters were “requested” to carry out the recruitment by the military. Regarding an apology and feelings of remorse, the Japanese side presented a draft that included “(it) severely injured the honor and dignity of many women. The Government of Japan would like to take this opportunity once again to extend its sincere apologies.” The ROK side requested the addition of “remorse” to the wording of this expression of “apology” to which the Japanese side agreed. In this coordination process, the draft was consulted to as high as Prime Minister Miyazawa on the Japanese side and President Kim Yong-sam on the ROK side and acquired their final consent. But the question of how “coerciveness” of the recruitment of the comfort women would be expressed and worded in the statement constituted the main issue of contention in the communication with the ROK side. Even at the stage of August 2, the ROK side stated that, with exceptions on some main points, the Japanese side made some proposals that could be acceptable for both sides in view of meeting the expectations of the ROK side, and the differences in the two sides’ perceptions about the main points were not that large. However, it also added that there were limits that it could not go beyond, and that the people of the ROK would not accept any suggestion that some of women became comfort women voluntarily. Specifically, regarding the phrase in the Japanese side’s draft of “in many cases they were recruited against their own will (by the recruiters), through coaxing, coercion, etc.” the ROK side requested the removal of the phrase “in many cases,” but the Japanese side refused as it was difficult for it to accept that the women were recruited against their will in every case. Also, coordination took place until the last moment on “coerciveness” to describe the recruitment of the comfort women on the Korean Peninsula. Communication continued until the evening of August 2, based on the point that “The Korean Peninsula was under Japanese rule in those days,” if seen across the stages of their “recruitment, transfer, control, etc.,” regardless of how they were recruited, the sense that this was conducted as a whole against the will of the individuals was finally coordinated as being expressed as “generally against their will, through coaxing, coercion, etc.” 17 Finally, on the evening of August 3, the ROK Embassy in Japan notified the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs that based on instructions by the home country, President Kim Yong-sam had appreciated the current (final) draft presented by the Japanese side and communicated to it that the Government of the ROK accepted the wording of the draft. At this point, a final agreement was reached on the wording of the Kono Statement. (4) As can be referred above in (2), the Japanese side, under the recognition that the so called “forcefully taking away” of women could not be confirmed based on the studies including inquiry on relevant documents by relevant ministries and agencies, document searches at the US National Archives and Records Administration, as well as hearings of military parties and managers of comfort stations and analysis of testimonies collected by the Korean Council, dealt with the coordination on the wording of the Kono Statement with the Korean side with a stance that, within the limits of not distorting the facts based on the studies, it would accept those intentions and requests of the Government of the ROK that it could accept, and reject those that it could not accept. Regarding such prior communication that was conducted between Japan and the ROK, on August 2, 1993, the Japanese side stated that it should not be disclosed to the media, and the ROK side agreed to this. In addition, the ROK side was to say that it had received the content of the statement by fax from the Japanese side only just before the announcement. Also, on the release of the statement on August 4, the response guidelines prepared by Japanese officials included the response line which read that there had been “no prior consultation” with the ROK side and that the result of the study was communicated immediately before.” (5) With such background, on August 4, 1993, the Japanese side announced the summary of the findings of the study that had taken place up to that time through Chief Cabinet Secretary Kono, and also released a statement (the Kono Statement). Statement by the Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono (4 August 1993) The Government of Japan has been conducting a study on the issue of "wartime comfort women" since December 1991. I wish to announce the findings as a result of that study. As a result of the study, which indicates that comfort stations were operated in extensive areas for long periods, it is apparent that there existed a great number of comfort women. Comfort stations were operated in response to the request of the military authorities of the day. The then 18 Japanese military was, directly or indirectly, involved in the establishment and management of the comfort stations and the transfer of comfort women. The recruitment of the comfort women was conducted mainly by private recruiters who acted in response to the request of the military. The Government study has revealed that in many cases they were recruited against their own will, through coaxing, coercion, etc., and that, at times, administrative/military personnel directly took part in the recruitment. They lived in misery at comfort stations under a coercive atmosphere. As to the origin of those comfort women who were transferred to the war areas, excluding those from Japan, those from the Korean Peninsula accounted for a large part. The Korean Peninsula was under Japanese rule in those days, and their recruitment, transfer, control, etc., were conducted generally against their will, through coaxing, coercion, etc. Undeniably, this was an act, with the involvement of the military authorities of the day, that severely injured the honor and dignity of many women. The Government of Japan would like to take this opportunity once again to extend its sincere apologies and remorse to all those, irrespective of place of origin, who suffered immeasurable pain and incurable physical and psychological wounds as comfort women. It is incumbent upon us, the Government of Japan, to continue to consider seriously, while listening to the views of learned circles, how best we can express this sentiment. We shall face squarely the historical facts as described above instead of evading them, and take them to heart as lessons of history. We hereby reiterate our firm determination never to repeat the same mistake by forever engraving such issues in our memories through the study and teaching of history. As actions have been brought to court in Japan and interests have been shown in this issue outside Japan, the Government of Japan shall continue to pay full attention to this matter, including private researched related thereto. (6) Regarding the recognition of the issue of “coerciveness,” at a press conference held by Chief Cabinet Secretary Kono on the same day, when questioned about whether Japan had recognized the fact that the women had been forcefully taken away, he stated that “we accept that to be the case.” Also, when it was pointed out that the word “coercion” was not used in the context of the recruitment of the comfort women but in the description of their lives at the comfort stations, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kono stated, “the Statement states that “(they) were recruited by coaxing and coercion against their will.” One can understand the meaning of being recruited against their will.” Further, when asked was there not any descriptions found in official documents that supported the notion that they were transported coercively, Chief Cabinet Secretary 19 Kono stated, “within the term “coercion,” there are physical coercion and psychological coercion”, and “many instances (of psychological coercion) would not have been recorded in administrative/military records,” but “there had been sufficient investigations on whether or not there were such cases or not,” including hearings or collection of testimonies of former wartime comfort women and hearing from former managers of comfort stations, and from these sources “it is clear after the studies that in many cases the women were transported against their will as stated here (in the Statement)” “and that they lived after being recruited in a condition where their wills were deprived. (7) After the release of the Kono Statement, the ROK’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released its assessment of the statement, stating that it appreciated that “the Government of Japan, through this announcement, recognizes the overall involvement of force in the recruitment, transportation, and administration of the comfort women for Japanese troops, and in addition to apologizing to the victims, and expressing its remorse for its actions, it expresses its resolve to view this squarely as a lesson of history.” At the same time the Japanese Embassy in the ROK pointed out to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the ROK press was reporting the facts without attachment, and there were a lot of rather positive responses of it, and that the ROK’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been actively cooperating. It also reported that the background to this was that, in addition to the sincerity of the Japanese side in terms of the result of its study and the statement, consultations had been frequently held with the Government of the ROK regarding the handling of this issue, and the Japanese side had frankly communicated its thoughts and also, to the greatest possible extent, had incorporated the comments of the ROK side. (8) With the release of the Kono Statement, more detailed discussions were held between the two countries regarding the best way to implement “measures” for the former comfort women by the Japanese side, which was communicated in various ways with the ROK side (refer to the next section). 20 Ⅱ.Details of the activities of the “National Fund for Asian Peace and Women” (subsequently, “the Fund”) in the ROK 1. Up to the Establishment of the Fund (1993 to 1994) (1) As is described in the previous section, in the communication between the Governments of Japan and ROK on the comfort women issue, the clarifying of facts and follow-up measures were perceived to be a package. In the Kono Statement of August 4, 1993, Japan stated that “…while listening to the views of learned circles, how best we can express this sentiment (of apology and remorse). We shall face squarely the historical facts as described above instead of evading them, and take them to heart as lessons of history. We hereby reiterate our firm determination never to repeat the same mistake by forever engraving such issues in our memories through the study and teaching of history.” Japan confirmed the views of the Government of the ROK on what sorts of “measures” it ought to take for the former comfort women, and the ROK side responded that its understanding was that as settlement had already been reached for the issue of the legal compensation from Japan to the ROK, therefore if some other measures were to be taken, rather than being legal compensation, they should officially be unilateral measures taken by the Japanese side, and that they should not be of a nature that the Korean side would meddle. (2) Subsequently, the Governments of Japan and the ROK repeatedly communicated on the specific measures to be taken for the former comfort women, but whatever specific measures the Government of Japan implemented, the problems concerning properties and claims between the two countries and their nationals, which includes the comfort women issue, had in legal terms already been settled completely and finally. Therefore, it was confirmed to the ROK side that Japan expected that no measures would be carried out to compensate individuals among the former comfort women in the ROK. The ROK side considered this issue to be dealt by the Japanese side on its own as part of its coming into terms with its post-war issues, and also responded that it would not request any material compensation from the Government of Japan and that it would not be involved in measures taken by the Japanese side. Furthermore, during the summer of the following year of 1994, in the communication between officials of Japan and the ROK, the ROK side frankly explained that if felt that that within the ROK, there are views expressed by the victims and the related groups, and that while on the one hand is a popular opinion that demands compensation, while the other popular opinion is that whether it be comfort women issue are not, demands against the Government of Japan 21 should end sooner or later, and in terms of numbers, the latter opinion were probably in the majority. (3) On December 7, 1994, the “First Report” was issued by the Subcommittee to Address the Wartime Comfort Women Issue, which was established under the “Ruling Parties’ Project to Deal with Issues Fifty Years After the War set up by the three ruling parties (the Social Democratic Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, and New Party Sakigake). The report stated that, along with the establishment of a citizen-participation type fund and measures to be implemented for the former comfort women, in order that the mistakes of the past not be repeated, it would assist in activities that educate, prevent, and resolve current issues relating to the honor and dignity of women, such as violence against women and that the Government would cooperate to its full extent with the Fund, including through financial contribution. (4) On June 13, 1995, the Government of Japan reported in advance to the ROK side on its decision to officially announce the Fund the following day, intended for those former comfort women in the ROK, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Netherlands. The objective in establishing it and the basic characteristics of its operations were described in the “Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Kozo Igarashi on the Establishment of the Asian Fund for Women.” The Government of the ROK stated that (i) as a general impression, even if it would not satisfy the relevant parties, the Government of the ROK felt that it could be positively appreciated on several points; (ii) President Kim Yong-sam has continued to address that compensation for the comfort women is not necessary, but also clearly indicated that there should be a far reaching fact-finding on this issue; (iii) the points that the ROK side had requested, that it include an official attribute of being implemented by the Government of Japan and that it express feelings of apology from the Government of Japan, where generally included in it, and hence the ROK could respond positively on these points. At the same time, it responded that the Government of the ROK wanted to cooperate as much as possible to explain Japan’s efforts to the relevant groups. On the following day, June 14, Chief Cabinet Secretary Igarashi released the following statement. Statement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Kozo Igarashi on the Establishment of the Asian Fund for Women (14 June 1995) To follow up the statement made in August, 1994, by Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, and in accordance with discussions of the Ruling Parties' Project Team for 50th Anniversary Issues, 22 and after consideration within the Government, based on our remorse for the past on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the end of the War, the projects of the "Asian Peace and Friendship Fund for Women" will be undertaken as follows. 1. The following activities will be conducted for the former wartime comfort women, through the cooperation of the Japanese People and the Government: (a) The Fund will raise funds in the private sector as a means to enact the Japanese people's atonement for former wartime comfort women. (b) The Fund will support those conducting medical and welfare projects and other similar projects which are of service to former wartime comfort women, through the use of government funding and other funds. (c) When these projects are implemented, the Government will express the nation's feelings of sincere remorse and apology to the former wartime comfort women. (d) In addition, the Government will collate historical documents on past wartime comfort women, to serve as a lesson of history. 2. As its project addressing issues related to the honor and dignity of women, including the projects mentioned in 1 (b) above, the Fund will, through the use of government funding and other funds, support those who undertake projects that address contemporary problems, such as violence against women. 3. The names of those who have given their support to date, acting as "proponents" calling on a broad range of Japanese people to cooperate with the projects of the "Asian Peace and Friendship Fund for Women," are listed separately. Responding to the above, the ROK’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released the following Ministry of Foreign Affairs comment. ROK Ministry of Foreign Affairs comment regarding the announcement by Chief Cabinet Secretary Kozo Igarashi (June, 1995) 1.The Government of the ROK considers that, regarding the follow-up to the wartime comfort women issue, fundamentally the outcome of the fact-finding investigation was a matter independently decide upon by the Government of Japan, but that in order to facilitate a resolution to the wartime comfort women issue, we have been pointing to the need to reflect the items required by the relevant parties to the greatest possible extent. 2.The current establishment of the Fund by the Government of Japan is tempered with an official 23 attribute of being partially funded from the Government’s budget, and also when the Fund’s operations are carried out in the future, on the points that it clearly includes an expression of sincere remorse and apology as a nation to the relevant parties, a fact-finding of the past, and that this problem be considered as a lesson to be learned from history, we appreciate it to be a sincere measure that to a certain extent reflects the requirements of the relevant parties up to this time. 3.The Government of the ROK hopes that going forward, with the opportunity provided by this establishment of the Fund by Japan, the historical facts within the various problems in our countries’ pasts will be clarified and by striving positively in order to resolve them, the relations between our two neighboring countries will develop to be future-oriented, friendly relations based on the correct recognition of history. 2. The Initial Period after the Establishment of the Fund (1995 to 1996) (1) Conversely, the victim support groups in the ROK labeled the Fund as “payment for services” from private-sector organizations, and criticized the approach of the Government of Japan and the Fund. Based on this response, although the Government of the ROK released a statement in July 1995 which the ROK’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its appreciation on the announcement by the Chief Cabinet Secretary, it addressed its position that the victim support groups strongly opposed the ROK’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which put the ROK side in a difficult position, making it hard to openly cooperate with the Japanese Government under the current circumstances but wanting to cooperate with the Japanese Government behind-the-scenes. (2) In July 1996, the Fund decided to provide the former comfort women with “atonement money” and “a letter of apology” from the Prime Minister, and also to carry out medical and welfare projects. With regards to the “letter of apology” from the Prime Minister, the Government of the ROK pointed out while there was an apology from the Government of Japan to the Government of the ROK, but the reaction of the victims was that they felt it was not an apology to them individually. Therefore Japan decided it to be the form of a letter by the Prime Minister as expressing an apology. In order for the Government of Japan to explain this decision to the ROK side, it asked for talks with the Association of the Bereaved and the Korean Council via the Government of the ROK, but both organizations indicated their view that they were not able to accept the provision of the “private-sector funds.” 24 (3) From the Government of the ROK side, it addressed its wishes that (i) whatever form the Japanese Government would take needs to satisfy the victims (ii) after Japan declares that it would be impossible to provide state compensation to the victims in legal terms, whether it could address its feelings of apology from the government, and in any way make it seem like as if it is a state compensation, and (iii) whether the Government of Japan could issue a message on the lines of, “We want to hold sincere discussions in the future with regards to our relationship with the ROK,” and it expressed its intentions of hoping to take some time and discuss quietly with the Japanese side on what the subsequent, specific measures Japan will take. (4) The Fund’s projects began in the Philippines in August of the same year, and in the same month, the Fund, under a policy of implementing projects to the victims that had received the recognition from the Government of the ROK, sent a Team for Dialogue comprised of members of the Fund Advisory Committee to the ROK to meet with and explain the project to ten of the victims. Then in December of the same year, seven of the former comfort women announced that they would accept the efforts of the Fund and would be recipients of its project. 3. Implementing Projects for Seven Former Comfort Women (January 1997) (1) On the implementation of projects for the seven women described above, on January 10, 1997 (the day prior to the launch of the project), the Government of Japan reported in advance to the ROK Embassy in Japan that the Fund seemed to have decided to implement the projects to the former comfort women who had expressed their willingness to receive it. The Government of the ROK responded that (i) there will be no solution unless the project was provided in a form that would satisfy both the related groups and the victims, and (ii) if the project was only implemented to some of the former comfort women, it is likely that the related groups will react harshly to it, and as it was immediately prior to the Japan-ROK Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Summit, it considered the timing to be bad. (2) On the following day, January 11, a group representing the Fund visited the seven former comfort women in Seoul and delivered “a letter of apology” from the Prime Minister, clarifying to the ROK media the facts of the project, and also explaining the Fund itself. 25 Letter from the Prime Minister to the Former Comfort Women 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, Prime Minister of Japan (Prime Ministers who signed the letter are: Ryutaro Hashimoto, Keizo Obuchi, Yoshiro Mori and Junichiro Koizumi) In response to this, the ROK media criticized the Fund’s activities and the victim support groups began harassing the seven former comfort women, and also other comfort women seeking to newly apply for the Fund. The victim support group publically mentioned the real names of the seven former comfort women and in addition, telephoned them and criticized them for receiving money from a “private-sector fund,” saying that by doing so, they voluntarily recognized themselves to be “prostitutes.” Subsequently, parties related to the groups even visited the homes of the former comfort women who had newly declared that they would accept projects from the Fund in order to press them not to accept any “dirty money from Japan.” (3) Also, immediately afterwards, the Government of the ROK stated its regrets and added that it considered it natural that they should receive records from the Fund on to whom it was handing out the projects, and that the Japanese side perhaps were a little impatient in doing so, and that the ROK was really perplexed about the Fund’s activities 26 in the ROK. (4) The following week during the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of Japan and the ROK, ROK’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoo Chong-ha commented that it was extremely regrettable that the Fund had started projects the previous weekend and that money was being given to the former comfort women, and demanded the withdrawal of the project and the temporary suspension of payments in the future. Also, during the courtesy call of Japan’s Foreign Minister Ikeda to President Kim Yong-san, the President said that this was a sensitive issue when viewed from the perspective of the feelings of the ROK people, and that while it had been reported to him that this issue had been discussed at the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, he felt that the recent measures taken by the Fund has a strongly detrimental impact on public sentiment in the ROK which was regrettable, and that he hoped that the measures would not be taken again in the future. 4. The Temporary Suspension of the Fund (February 1997 to January 1998) (1) Based on the fact that in the ROK, the seven former comfort women who had received the project from the Fund were being subject to continual harassment, the Fund decided to temporarily postpone the project and adopt a more cautious approach. On the other hand, some of the victim support groups reacted positively to coordinating with the former comfort women who wanted to receive the project from the Fund, and as the number of former comfort women who wanted to receive the project increased, the Fund investigated various ways in order to gain the understanding of the ROK in order to continue the projects; for example, it explored the possibility of placing newspaper advertisements in the ROK. (2) Subsequently, between the summer and fall of 1997, discussions were held on several occasions between the Government of Japan and parties related to the Fund about placing advertisements in the ROK and on restarting the projects. The Government of Japan lobbied the Fund to postpone the restarting of the project because of the upcoming presidential election in the ROK, and also because of the fisheries negotiations taking place between Japan and the ROK, while the Fund itself, while not changing its standpoint that it was unconvinced by the Government’s stance, did take into account the sensitive situation that existed between Japan and the ROK and within ROK, and agreed to postpone placing newspaper advertisements on several occasions. 27 (3) However, based on the extremely strong desire of the Fund to let as many Korean former comfort women be informed about the Fund’s activities and its desire to gain their understanding, and as newspaper companies in the ROK had agreed to publish the advertisement, the Government of Japan judged that if it were done after the presidential election on December 18, 1998, and also if it were done in a quiet and discreet manner, then it had no choice but to agree that advertisements be placed; this decision was approved by Foreign Minister Obuchi. 5. The Fund Places Advertisements in Newspapers (January 1998) (1) At the beginning of January 1998, in the communication between the officials of Japan and the ROK, the Japanese side explained in advance that the Fund intended to place newspaper advertisements (in four newspapers) with the objective of fostering understanding of the Fund’s activities within the ROK. The Government of the ROK responded that unilateral measures taken by the Fund will not resolve the issue and suggested that a dialogue take place between the Korean Council and the Fund, and that it would need a little more time in order to bring together the various opinions within the Korean Council. (2) On January 6, 1998, following the actual publication of the advertisements, the Government of the ROK responded that it would prefer that the Japanese side demonstrated flexibility, that it did not hurry, and deal with this issue in such a way that it would disappear gradually without being too conspicuous, and that it felt the recent newspaper advertisements were extremely provocative. 6. The Temporary Suspension of Payments of Atonement Money through the Fund (February 1998 to February 1999) (1) In March 1998, the Kim Dae-jung administration was inaugurated and the Government of the ROK decided to provide “life-support fund” to the former comfort women instead of demanding state compensation from the Government of Japan. The Government of the ROK decided that the former comfort women who had already received money from the Fund would not be eligible for the life-support fund, but explained that such policy is not intended to openly object the Fund nor a measure to criticize its activities. (2) Furthermore, during this period, the Government of the ROK stated that President Kim Dae-jung himself wanted any financial issues to be sorted out and was of the 28 opinion that it should not become an issue between the two governments. Furthermore, the ROK stated with feelings of sympathy towards the Fund, that it would be better for this issue of the Fund be put to an end so that it would not become an issue between the two governments. 7. Conversion to Medical and Welfare Projects by the Korean Red Cross (March 1999-July 1999) (1) With the Fund’s medical and welfare projects in the Netherlands commencing smoothly in July 1998, the Fund began to consider converting its provision of “atonement money” to medical and treatment projects instead. At the end of January 1999, the Fund decided to inquire to the KRC for its cooperation. In the communication between officials from Japan and the ROK, the ROK side shared the view to the fundamental changes to the Fund’s activities, and indicated that it would be appropriate for the ROK government to positively encourage the KRC once the discussions between the Japanese side and the KRC makes progress. (2) However, during the communication between officials of Japan and the ROK at the end of March 1999, the Government of the ROK suddenly changed its policy. It indicated that whatever effort was done or not done on this issue, there was going to be criticism and that a calmer approach was necessary, and because the KRC was considered to be affiliated with the Government of the ROK, strong opposition could be expected and hence it wanted to scrap this proposal. In response to this, the Japanese side protested that this proposal was made from the perspective that it would not have an adverse effect on the future-oriented Japan-ROK relationship that were cultivated by the visit of President Kim Dae-jung to Japan, and it obtained the Prime Minister’s approval upon convincing the Fund that showed strong disapproval to end its original project, and therefore, it was difficult to understand the suggestions by the ROK. At the end, because it could not gain the understanding of the ROK side, the conversion of the project could not be realized. 8. The Suspension of the Fund with Difficulties of Converting the Project (July 1999 to May 2002) (1) The Fund was unable to convert its project to medical and welfare projects and in July 1999, its activities were suspended. This state of suspension continued until February 2002, but on February 20, the Fund lifted suspension and decided to set a deadline for project applications within the ROK of May 1 of the same year. 29 (2) In communication between officials of Japan and the ROK in April 2002, the Government of the ROK once again expressed its opposition to the Fund’s provision of “atonement money” and to its medical and welfare projects. On May 1, acceptance of project applications in the ROK ended and the Fund’s activities in ROK that had started in January 1997 drew to a close. 9. The Results of the Fund’s Activities in the ROK (1) The Fund, which was established in 1995, raised funds of approximately 600 million yen, and by the end of March 2007 when the whole project ended with the completion of the projects in Indonesia, the Government of Japan provided approximately 4.8 billion yen either in the form of contributions or subsidies. In terms of the Fund’s activities in the ROK, “atonement money” of 2 million yen, the source of which was donations from the private sector, and 3 million yen for medical and welfare projects, the source of which was government contributions (for a total of 5 million yen per person), were provided to a total of 61 former comfort women in the ROK up to the end of the Fund’s activities, and in addition, all the comfort women that received “atonement money” also received a letter of apology signed by the Prime Minister at that time. The breakdown of those who received the Prime Minister’s letter was 27 during the Hashimoto administration, 24 during the Obuchi administration, one during the Mori administration and nine during the Koizumi administration. (2) The Fund projects in the Philippines, Indonesia, and the Netherlands were implemented with the understanding and positive reception by the government and related groups of the respective country. But in the ROK, it was greatly affected by the domestic situation within the ROK as well as the bilateral relationship between Japan and the ROK, and the Fund was not able to gain the understanding of the Government of the ROK or its people on its activities. However, from the former comfort women in ROK there were words of gratitude; one former comfort women said that she never thought that during her lifetime she would receive apologies from the Prime Minister and money, and that she came to fully understand the feelings of good will of the Japanese people and wanted to thank them very much. (3) Furthermore, another person needed money in order to have medical operations and decided to accept the “atonement money” by the Fund. At first, she did not want to meet a Fund representative, but when the representative read the Prime Minister’s letter 30
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