WOMEN-JAPAN: NGOs Urge Diplomatic Approach in Dealing with China

By Suvendrini Kakuchi Reprint | | Print |

Suvendrini Kakuchi

TOKYO, Jun 2 1995 (IPS) - Japanese women’s groups are upset about China’s decision to move the NGO Forum on Women away from the site of the official U.N. meeting, but they prefer diplomatic pressure over a confrontational approach in negotiating with Beijing.

While they realise the final decision rests with the NGO Forum organisers in New York, which has threatened to boycott the international meeting in September, many women’s NGOs here fear such a move would cause a serious rift with China.

“Boycotting the conference is easy so that should stand as the very last resort in our minds. Now we must try hard to force China to recognise the importance of the participation of NGOs in the conference,” says Mitsuko Yamaguchi, executive director of the Liaison Group for the Implementation of Resolutions for International Women’s Year.

In private some women activists in Tokyo have expressed concern over the way negotiations with the Chinese are being conducted.

“Japan’s relations with China are based on a long history and tradition. Soft reasoning is a more palatable approach to the stormy sessions we see between Beijing and the United States,” commented one prominent activist who asked not to be identified.

Officially, however, Japanese women’s groups support continuing a dialogue with Beijing to persuade it to reconsider its decision to more the NGO Forum on Women to Huairou, more than 50 km away from the U.N. meeting venue, despite the lack of facilities there.

“We are wholly opposed to the message that Beijing does not want serious discussions on controversial issues. But it’s very difficult to not go (to the conference) now,” explained Yoyori Matsui, a well-known writer on women’s issues.

Matsui has been lobbying hard to force Tokyo to use diplomatic pressure on China to reverse its controversial decision. Despite her efforts, however, the government has not made a formal pledge to work toward that goal.

But women’s groups say Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama has promised to do his best. An official at the premier’s office said the government “understands fully the feeling of women’s non- governmental organisations”.

Despite the official goodwill, activists point out that the government has reservations about some issues that Japanese NGOs want to raise at the Beijing conference.

Topping Tokyo’s concerns is a campaign by Matsui and other women’s groups to bring up the controversial comfort women issue which they consider an important subject for the nation.

Hundreds of thousands of young women, mainly from South Korea and China, were forced to work as sex slaves for Japanese Imperial Army troops during Japan’s colonisation of Asia.

The Japanese government has been forced to admit the practise after years of secrecy but has so far rejected calls for compensation to the ageing victims.

The case is being taken up by the United Nations human rights commission which treats it as a violation against women.

Japanese activists say the Tokyo government wants to avoid a discussion of the issue in Beijing because it would wipe out a lot of the international prestige Japan is seeking at the United Nations conference.

The domestic dilemma reflects, ironically, China’s nervousness over allowing NGOs too much access into the main conference, which is the reason why civic groups here remain sceptical on how much they can rely on their government to help them out.

Organisers in New York point out that the underlying reason why activists are being moved away from Beijing is China’s attempt to avoid discussions on its controversial policies on abortion and other human rights issues.

Japanese women’s organisations have been particularly looking forward to the conference because it is the first time a U.N. women’s meeting is being held in Asia.

They say meeting in Beijing would offer them an opportunity to link up with other Asian women’s groups with which they hope to work closely in the future.

Japan’s economic influence and its increasing official development assistance to Asia influences the lives of women in those countries and Japanese women’s groups feel a greater responsibility to work closely in the region, explained Yamaguchi.

Japan’s war responsibilities in Asia, which women’s groups here believe the government has shirked up to now, is also another area which needs better cooperation, they say.

Another important reason is the growing influence Japanese women’s groups have achieved in their country.

Compared to the first Nairobi United Nations women’s conference in 1985, Japanese women groups have become a powerful force with an important message to present to the world in Beijing, say observers here. More than 3,000 Japanese delegates are expected to attend the NGO meeting.