Japan's government reaffirmed its stance on the "comfort women" issue, stating it will continue to uphold the 1993 Kono Statement. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi confirmed the government's basic position is to inherit the statement, which acknowledged the military's involvement and coercion in the recruitment of wartime sex slaves.
South Korea enacted an amendment to the "Comfort Women" Victims Law on May 11, prohibiting the spread of false information related to former "comfort women." The law aims to prevent defamation and carries penalties of up to five years imprisonment or a fine of 50 million won.
Former Japanese Lower House Speaker Kono Yohei, who issued the 1993 'Kono Statement' officially acknowledging and apologizing for the Japanese military's involvement and coercion in the recruitment and transport of comfort women, has passed away. The statement was a significant turning point in the comfort women issue.
Statues commemorating WWII 'comfort women' force Japan to reassert its position amid global memorial removals and ongoing disputes with South Korea.
New Zealand's Devonport-Takapuna Local Board rejected an application to install a comfort women statue at Barry's Point Reserve in Auckland. The Korean Garden Trust proposed the memorial for WWII sexual slavery survivors from Korea, China, and Southeast Asia. Japan suggested the statue could harm diplomatic relations, leading to the board's decision after public consultation.
