Foundation of Japanese Honorary Debts, NGO Status Roster
Human Rights Council
33rd session, September 2016
Oral Statement
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development
Mr President,
The Foundation of Japanese Honorary Debts acts on behalf of former Dutch Prisoners of War and civilian internees who suffered during the Japanese occupation of South East Asia during WW ll.
Families were split up; they were treated harshly in separate camps for men and for women and children. Boys over 10 years of age were separated from their mothers. Those who, on racial grounds, were left outside of the camps were discriminated. All were submitted to forced labour, sexual slavery and other atrocities by the Japanese military.
Japan has a moral obligation to acknowledge the plight of war victims they caused during the Pacific War.
Nations who wage war cannot be exempted from impunity if their military commits war crimes. During wartime the UN conventions, and earlier the League of Nations conventions, protect civilians and POW’s in occupied territories.
Japan as a member of the UN ignores its responsibilities by denying the consequences of martial law. Victims suffered from systematic military terror. Many died of deliberately enforced starvation, lack of medicines and even of executions, ignoring the laws of war.
The Japanese military disregarded Human Rights at a large scale.
In accordance with UN conventions the crimes of the Japanese military qualify as war crimes, therefore are not limited by the 1951 San Francisco Peace treaty. The government of Japan continues to express the view that the war crimes issue has been resolved by the Peace Treaty.
Japan must acknowledge its responsibility for the war crimes of its military during the Pacific war. The Human Rights Council cannot ignore Japan’s past and present conduct ignoring UN conventions.
On behalf of all victims of Japanese military terror in South East Asia during the Pacific war we request the Human Rights Council to insist that the Japanese government acknowledges the past behaviour of the Japanese military without any reservations, and that Japan comes to lasting terms with UN approved NGO’s representing the victims.
Thank you for your attention and we look forward to your actions.
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