A campaign has been launched to help Japanese congresswoman Okajaki, who is facing suspension from her party for participating in a protest organized by the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan during her visit to Korea.
Cho Bae-sook of the New Millennium Democratic Party (proportional representative) and 30 other legislators from both ruling and opposition parties recently sent a letter to the Democratic Party that suspended Okajaki, through which they claimed, "The protest that Okajaki joined in February has been held every Wednesday since 1992 in an effort to solve the issue of comfort women mobilized by the Japanese military. It was the first time in 11 years that a Japanese politician participated in the protest, and her action was welcomed as a good way to rectify the wrongs in the historical relationship between Korean and Japan."
The Korean legislators also pointed out, "We are alarmed at the Japanese media's distortion of facts to make it seem as if Okajaki had taken part in an anti-Japanese demonstration, and shocked that the Democratic Party suspended her as a result. The protest is aimed at urging authorities to solve the comfort women issue, and is not an anti-Japanese protest."
During her visit to Korea last month to publicize the 'Bill to promote the resolution of the issue of sexual victims of war' proposed by Japan's opposition party members, Okajaki participated in the 545th protest held in front of the Japanese Embassy on February 12 and offered her consolation to the victims. The Korean legislators trying to help Okajaki will follow up on the protest letter with measures to deal with the Japanese media's distorted reports of the comfort women's protest.
For questions, call National Assembly member Cho Bae-sook's office at 82-2-788-2601.
