Women's International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan's Military Sexual Slavery
2000 mock trial in Japan
The Women's International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan's Military Sexual Slavery was a private People's Tribunal organised by Violence Against Women in War-Network Japan (VAWW-NET Japan). As with the Russell Tribunal in 1967, which was not organized by any government or international institution, the verdict of this trial was not legally binding. Its purpose was to gather testimony from victims, and then to try groups and individuals for rape or sexual slavery, i.e., forcing women to sexually service Japanese soldiers. Yayori Matsui, the representative of VAWW-NET Japan, explained that the reason for holding this trial was to respond to the feelings of victims who continue to lose their cases in civil lawsuits.
The group met on December 8, 2000, and was adjourned on December 12, 2000.
Charter
The Tribunal’s charter states that it is a civil society “people’s tribunal” with jurisdiction over crimes against women committed before and during the Second World War in territories colonized or occupied by Japan. It identifies offences including sexual slavery, rape, enslavement, torture, deportation, persecution, murder, and extermination, and provides for both individual and state responsibility.
The charter sets out a simple procedure: judges and prosecutors appointed by the organizers; public hearings; admissible evidence including documents, survivor and expert testimony, and material evidence; protections for victims and witnesses. It rejects defences of official capacity and superior orders, notes the crimes are not subject to limitation periods, and allows judgments to recommend remedies such as acknowledgment, apology, compensation, disclosure, and education measures.
Judgement
On December 4, 2001, the group's final statement was issued in The Hague.
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