On March 6, sixteen United Nations human rights experts from the Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council expressed grave concern at the continued lack of justice for survivors of Japanese military sexual slavery. In July 2025, these experts contacted six victim states, including the Republic of Korea, as well as the perpetrator state, Japan, to ensure redress and the protection of survivors' rights. After reviewing the responses submitted by each country, the experts have now issued the statement again.
The experts pointed out that “Nearly 80 years on, victims and their families continue to face the denial of their right to truth, justice, reparation and memorialisation.” Right-wing and history denialists in both Korea and Japan have continued organized attempts to deny Japanese military sexual slavery and defame victims, including by submitting documents to the United Nations until recently. However, the experts’ statement clearly affirms that the Japanese military sexual slavery issue is a grave human rights violation against women and girls across the Asia-Pacific region, who were reportedly subjected to trafficking, rape and sexual slavery, as well as to arbitrary deprivation of liberty and, in certain cases, to enforced disappearance, in the “comfort women” system.
The Japanese government previously submitted a response insisting that all issues have been resolved through the “2015 Korea-Japan Agreement.” Yet the experts clearly stated that “previous efforts to address this issue, such as the 2015 bilateral agreement between Japan and the Republic of Korea, have failed to deliver survivor-centered justice.” They further emphasized that diplomatic agreements should not substitute for or preclude individual pursuits of accountability. They noted that such efforts should include “providing legal aid and other forms of practical assistance, preserving and, where appropriate, declassifying relevant records, and engaging in diplomatic efforts aimed at advancing accountability.”
The experts also referred to lawsuits filed by survivors and their families in their national courts and Japan, stating that “Such efforts should be encouraged and supported as legitimate means to secure recognition and reparation for grave human rights violations.” In addition, they added that “sovereign immunity should not serve as grounds to waive accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity.” This calls upon both the Korean and Japanese governments not to simply repeat their positions asserting compliance with the “2015 Korea–Japan Agreement” or violations of international law in response to the historic ruling of November 23, 2023, damages claims lawsuit against the State of Japan. Instead, it urges recognition that the Japanese military sexual slavery issue constitutes war crimes and crimes against humanity, calls for legal reparations by the Japanese government, and demands that the Korean government actively fulfill its diplomatic responsibilities.
The Japanese government has continued state-level, organized history denialism, including attempts to obstruct and remove the Statue of Peace worldwide, interference with registration on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, and deleting historical references and terms related to Japanese military “comfort women” from textbooks. The experts emphasized that the Japanese government must include official apologies, adequate reparations, and guarantees of non-recurrence to provide full and effective remedies. They stressed the importance of preserving historical memory through educational materials, memorials, and commemoration. The experts further noted that “the denial of atrocities by high-level officials and the harassment of victims, survivor-led organisations, academics and journalists seriously undermine efforts towards accountability and redress.”
The Korean government has also failed to implement sufficient measures consistent with international human rights standards. As the country where the largest number of victims of Japanese military sexual slavery resided, it is responsible for the protection of the rights of the victims. Therefore, rather than insisting on compliance with the already failed “2015 Korea–Japan Agreement,” the Korean government must actively pursue the necessary diplomatic and policy measures to ensure the effective implementation of legal reparations to restore victims’ human rights and dignity. It must also strengthen concrete efforts to preserve historical truth, including registration on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.
As little time remains for the victim-survivors, realizing justice and remembrance is a historical responsibility that governments and the international community must fulfill. The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan sincerely welcomes this statement by UN human rights experts and strongly urges the governments of Korea and Japan to recognize the gravity of this responsibility and to make active efforts to realize the victims’ rights to truth and remembrance, legal reparations, and comprehensive remedies.
• The Japanese government must acknowledge the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery as war crimes and crimes against humanity in accordance with international human rights norms, and promptly implement comprehensive remedies, including an official apology, legal reparations, and truth finding for the surviving victims.
• The Japanese government must immediately cease state-level and organized history denialism of the Japanese military sexual slavery issue, including by high-ranking officials, as well as defamation against victims.
• The Korean government must acknowledge the failure of the “2015 Korea–Japan Agreement” and make full diplomatic and policy efforts to restore the dignity and human rights of the victims.
March 10, 2026
The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan
On March 6, sixteen United Nations human rights experts from the Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Council expressed grave concern at the continued lack of justice for survivors of Japanese military sexual slavery. In July 2025, these experts contacted six victim states, including the Republic of Korea, as well as the perpetrator state, Japan, to ensure redress and the protection of survivors' rights. After reviewing the responses submitted by each country, the experts have now issued the statement again.
The experts pointed out that “Nearly 80 years on, victims and their families continue to face the denial of their right to truth, justice, reparation and memorialisation.” Right-wing and history denialists in both Korea and Japan have continued organized attempts to deny Japanese military sexual slavery and defame victims, including by submitting documents to the United Nations until recently. However, the experts’ statement clearly affirms that the Japanese military sexual slavery issue is a grave human rights violation against women and girls across the Asia-Pacific region, who were reportedly subjected to trafficking, rape and sexual slavery, as well as to arbitrary deprivation of liberty and, in certain cases, to enforced disappearance, in the “comfort women” system.
The Japanese government previously submitted a response insisting that all issues have been resolved through the “2015 Korea-Japan Agreement.” Yet the experts clearly stated that “previous efforts to address this issue, such as the 2015 bilateral agreement between Japan and the Republic of Korea, have failed to deliver survivor-centered justice.” They further emphasized that diplomatic agreements should not substitute for or preclude individual pursuits of accountability. They noted that such efforts should include “providing legal aid and other forms of practical assistance, preserving and, where appropriate, declassifying relevant records, and engaging in diplomatic efforts aimed at advancing accountability.”
The experts also referred to lawsuits filed by survivors and their families in their national courts and Japan, stating that “Such efforts should be encouraged and supported as legitimate means to secure recognition and reparation for grave human rights violations.” In addition, they added that “sovereign immunity should not serve as grounds to waive accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity.” This calls upon both the Korean and Japanese governments not to simply repeat their positions asserting compliance with the “2015 Korea–Japan Agreement” or violations of international law in response to the historic ruling of November 23, 2023, damages claims lawsuit against the State of Japan. Instead, it urges recognition that the Japanese military sexual slavery issue constitutes war crimes and crimes against humanity, calls for legal reparations by the Japanese government, and demands that the Korean government actively fulfill its diplomatic responsibilities.
The Japanese government has continued state-level, organized history denialism, including attempts to obstruct and remove the Statue of Peace worldwide, interference with registration on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, and deleting historical references and terms related to Japanese military “comfort women” from textbooks. The experts emphasized that the Japanese government must include official apologies, adequate reparations, and guarantees of non-recurrence to provide full and effective remedies. They stressed the importance of preserving historical memory through educational materials, memorials, and commemoration. The experts further noted that “the denial of atrocities by high-level officials and the harassment of victims, survivor-led organisations, academics and journalists seriously undermine efforts towards accountability and redress.”
The Korean government has also failed to implement sufficient measures consistent with international human rights standards. As the country where the largest number of victims of Japanese military sexual slavery resided, it is responsible for the protection of the rights of the victims. Therefore, rather than insisting on compliance with the already failed “2015 Korea–Japan Agreement,” the Korean government must actively pursue the necessary diplomatic and policy measures to ensure the effective implementation of legal reparations to restore victims’ human rights and dignity. It must also strengthen concrete efforts to preserve historical truth, including registration on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.
As little time remains for the victim-survivors, realizing justice and remembrance is a historical responsibility that governments and the international community must fulfill. The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan sincerely welcomes this statement by UN human rights experts and strongly urges the governments of Korea and Japan to recognize the gravity of this responsibility and to make active efforts to realize the victims’ rights to truth and remembrance, legal reparations, and comprehensive remedies.
• The Japanese government must acknowledge the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery as war crimes and crimes against humanity in accordance with international human rights norms, and promptly implement comprehensive remedies, including an official apology, legal reparations, and truth finding for the surviving victims.
• The Japanese government must immediately cease state-level and organized history denialism of the Japanese military sexual slavery issue, including by high-ranking officials, as well as defamation against victims.
• The Korean government must acknowledge the failure of the “2015 Korea–Japan Agreement” and make full diplomatic and policy efforts to restore the dignity and human rights of the victims.
March 10, 2026
The Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan