Japan government says no evidence of forced sexual slavery during WWII News
Japan government says no evidence of forced sexual slavery during WWII

[JURIST] The Japanese government has found no evidence that so-called Korean and Chinese "comfort women" [Amnesty backgrounder] were forced into sexual slavery during World War II, according to a cabinet statement [text, in Japanese] provided to a Japanese lawmaker Friday. According to the statement, the government has not come across evidence that "directly shows so-called 'coercion' on the part of the military or constituted authorities." Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe [official website, in Japanese; BBC profile] earlier this month denied that "comfort women" were coerced into prostitution [JURIST report], echoing sentiments by Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso [official website] last month that a proposed US resolution urging Japan to apologize for the alleged practice was based on bad information [JURIST report]. Other Japanese politicians have said they will ignore the US resolution [JURIST report].

The proposed US House of Representatives resolution [text; H Res 121 summary] urges Japan to apologize to almost 200,000 Chinese, Korean, Indonesian, Taiwanese and Filipino women who say there were forced into sexual slavery in army brothels during World War II. Japanese leaders issued an apology [text] in 1993 for government involvement in the scandal but that apology was never ratified by the Japanese parliament. Ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers are currently conducting an investigation into allegation of forced sexual slavery, saying instead that the women were professional prostitutes paid for their services. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Pope Urban II sparks First Crusade

Pope Urban II threw his support behind what would become the First Crusade on November 27, 1095 during the Council of Clairmont. The Pope urged the council's participants to render aid to the Byzantine Empire, which was being attacked by the Seljuks. Pope Urban called for a wide coalition of rich and poor to combat the threat, which eventually resulted in the conquest of much of the Muslim-controlled Levant by the Crusaders and the establishment of the Crusader States. Read Pope Urban's address.  

Catholic Code of Canon Law revised

On November 27, 1983, the revised Code of Canon Law of the Roman Catholic Church went into effect. Learn more about the history of Canon Law from Professor Kenneth Pennington of the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law.

Alfred Nobel creates Nobel Prize in his will

On November 27, 1895, Alfred Nobel signed his will, creating the Nobel Prize. Learn more about the history of the Nobel Prize and the Nobel Commission.