Tell Your Representative to Support HRes 121! Rep. Michael Honda (D-CA) has reintroduced his resolution on "Protecting the Human Rights of Comfort Women" House Resolution 121 denounces Japan's sexual enslavement of Asian and Pacific Island women during World War II and demands that the Japanese government apologize and accept historical responsibility. Urge your representative to co-sponsor this resolution, and to support it should it come to a vote. The sexual slavery system was widely practiced by the Japanese military in countries it occupied during World War II.

February 20 marked the 65th anniversary of Japan's invasion of then Portuguese Timor in 1942. Approximately 40,000 East Timorese were killed during the three-year Japanese occupation, and about one thousand Timorese women were enslaved by the Japanese military, of whom at least thirteen are still alive.

In a recent statement, the Japan Coalition for East Timor called on their government to extend an "official apology to the victims as soon as possible" and should consult with the victims on compensation.

The text of the resolution, current list of co-sponsors and additional background can be found at Resolution

Call the congressional switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Contact information for members of the House of Representatives can be found at http://www.house.gov/writerep/ or http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt

Please let us know the results of your contacts. Thank you.