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2026 March 25 - 31 TOP3 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Japan abstains on UN resolution calling for slavery reparations

The UN General Assembly on March 25 adopted a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade to be “the gravest crime against humanity” and called for reparations to remedy these historical wrongs, by a majority vote of 123 countries. The United States, Israel, and Argentina voted against the resolution. Fifty-two countries, including the U.K., France, and Japan, abstained.

Japan’s decision to go against the global opinion denouncing slavery is likely due to its failure to sincerely address the issue of the Japanese military “comfort women” system during its past colonial rule.

Japan’s past war of aggression and colonial rule stripped the peoples of the Korean Peninsula, China, and the Pacific Islands of their nations, their human dignity, and even their languages and names. For example, in Taiwan and Korea, the imperial government seized land from local farmers and indigenous peoples and forced them to pledge loyalty to the Emperor and assimilate into Japanese society as part of the “imperialization” process.

Furthermore, the Japanese military established “comfort stations” on battlefields across various regions, forcing women from Korea, Taiwan, occupied territories in Asia, and even from Japan to serve as “comfort women”. The UN Human Rights Committee and other UN human rights bodies have consistently stated that these women were in effect “sex slaves”, and that the Japanese government bears “direct legal responsibility” for this human rights violation. However, the Japanese government still refuses to acknowledge the illegality of the wartime sexual slavery system under its colonial rule, and continues to reject demands from the victims for sincere apologies and reparations. Even worse, some politicians repeatedly make remarks that insult the victims.

The colonial rule and slavery systems perpetrated by Japan and Western nations have left scars on the whole world to this day in the form of racial discrimination, unjust oppression and exploitation, and economic inequality. The Japanese government must confront historical facts, reflect sincerely, and provide the compensation demanded by the victims.