A nonpartisan group of Upper House members will introduce a bill aimed at unearthing tragedies caused by Japan before and during World War II and assessing the damage of such events, Diet sources said Apr. 4.

According to the draft of the bill, details of which were obtained by The Japan Times, the law would establish an "investigative committee for eternal peace" under the Prime Minister's Office. The committee would investigate various acts believed to have caused suffering to foreigners and people living in Japanese colonies, such as Korea and Taiwan, before and during World War II. The targets of the investigation would range from the practice of forcing women into sexual slavery to the production and deployment of biological and chemical weapons and conscription of people from Japanese colonies to work for Japan, the bill states.

The committee would be made up of a maximum 30 people, including scholars and experts from nongovernmental organizations. Considering the urgent need for the investigation, the committee would only exist for three years, sources said. The interim and final reports would be submitted to the prime minister, who would have to then report them to the Diet.