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"Comfort women" during Japanese occupation of Hong Kong
3. MR JIMMY McGREGOR asked: Will the Government inform this Council whether it is aware that the Japanese Military forcibly recruited come Hong Kong women as prostitutes during its occupation of Hong Kong from 1941 to 1945; if so,
(a) whether any investigation was carried out, or any representations made to the Japanese Government. after World War II regarding this form of torture;
(b) how many Hong Kong women were so brutalized, what attempts were made to assist them in starting a new life, and how many are still alive; and
(c) whether it will consider opening a dialogue with the Japanese Government to seek some form of compensation for such brutalized women and their families?
SECRETARY FOR SECURITY: Mr President.
(a) It has not been possible, in the time available, to make a thorough search of the archives relating to this period. The records which we have examined both here and in London contain no reference to the forcible recruitment of "comfort women in Hong Kong. Nor do they mention any investigations into this subject immediately after World War II. nor representations to the Japanese Government at that time. The Japanese Government has advised that they have not received any approaches on this subject from Hong Kong residents or associations.
(b) We do not know how many women suffered in this way, nor how many, if any, are still alive. None has approached us for assistance, nor otherwise become known to us.
(c) If any such cases did become known to us. the Hong Kong Government would consider sympathetically how we could assist them. But the scope for legal redress is constrained by the San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1951.
MR JIMMY McGREGOR: Mr President, will the Hong Kong Government now seek to establish whether any such atrocities were carried out in Hong Kong at that time by asking any person or organization with knowledge of the crime of forcibly recruiting so-called "comfort women" to come forward and provide the information to an appropriate and sympathetic