中国慰安妇诉诸外交保护要求日本道歉赔偿

Chen Liancun, 91, a Chinese "comfort woman," weeps as she tells her story of being forced into sex slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II on Thursday in Beijing.

91岁的中国“慰安妇”陈莲村（音译），周四在北京讲述了日本帝国军在二次大战期间强迫其当慰安妇的故事。

Chinese "comfort women" and their relatives are asking the Chinese government to exercise its right of diplomatic protection to help victims seek an official apology from Japan. Five surviving Chinese "comfort women" and 12 relatives of the deceased female victims of Japan’s wartime military brothels submitted a petition to the Foreign Ministry, said their attorney Kang Jian on Thursday.

中国“慰安妇”及其亲属要求中国政府行使外交保护权，帮助受害者获得日本官方道歉。 康健（音译）律师周四表示，五名幸存的中国“慰安妇”和十二名日本战时妓院遇难者的亲属向外交部递交了请愿书。

This is the first time that Chinese World War II victims have resorted to diplomatic protection rights to demand an apology and compensation from Japan.

这是二战后中国受害者首次诉诸外交保护权，要求日本道歉并赔偿。

Guan Jianqiang, a law professor at the East China University of Political Science and Law, said invoking diplomatic protection means would allow China to directly engage in negotiation with Japan on behalf of its citizens and also to file a lawsuit in the international court.

华东政法大学法学教授关建强说，援引外交保护手段，将允许中国代表公民直接与日本进行谈判，并向国际法庭提起诉讼。

Guan told the Global Times that Chinese "comfort women" had exhausted all possible legal avenues in Japan and could not yet find a resolution, which is what pushed them to petition for diplomatic protection.

关告诉《环球时报》，中国“慰安妇”在日本已经用尽了所有可能的法律途径，但仍未找到解决办法，这是促使他们请求外交保护的原因。

In 2007, Japan’s Supreme Court rejected appeals from Chinese "comfort women" groups, ruling that the 1972 Japan-China Joint Communique bars Chinese individuals from seeking war compensation through the court.

2007年，日本最高法院驳回了中国“慰安妇”群体的上诉，裁定1972年的《中日联合公报》禁止中国人通过法院寻求战争赔偿。

Chen Liancun, 91, a "comfort woman" from South China’s Hainan Province, told the Global Times on Thursday at a press conference in Beijing that she would fight till her last breath for an apology from the Japanese government.

来自中国南部海南省的91岁中国“慰安妇”陈莲村（音译），周四在北京的记者招待会上告诉《环球时报》，她将战斗到生命的最后一刻，直到日本政府道歉。

Chen, was raped by three Japanese soldiers when she was only 13 while forced to serve as a "comfort woman" for the Japanese imperial army at their stronghold in South China’s Hainan Province.

在13岁的时候，陈被三名日本军人强奸，被迫在海南的日本皇家海军据点当“慰安妇”。

The other surviving "comfort women" who filed the petition are Wei Shaolan, 93, Tang Genzhen, 97, Liu Cizhen, 89, and Zhuo Tianmei, 92.

其他提出请愿的幸存“慰安妇”还有93岁的魏少兰，97岁的唐根珍，89岁的刘慈贞，92岁的卓天美（均为音译）。

Su Zhiliang, a professor at Shanghai Normal University who studies "comfort women," said that the sex slavery was a crime committed not only by Japanese individuals but by the Japanese government and its military.

研究“慰安妇”问题的上海师范大学教授苏志良说，性奴隶不仅是日本人的罪，也是日本政府和军方的罪行。