A bill to establish a committee within the Prime Minister's Office to look into the tragedies inflicted by Japan before and during World War II will probably not be submitted to the Diet during the current session, legislative sources said June 4.
The bill is designed to establish a so-called investigative committee for eternal peace to unearth facts concerning the various war tragedies believed caused by Japan, ranging from use of "comfort women," who were forced to have sex with Japanese troops, to the forced laborers rounded up from areas colonized by Japan. The bill had been planned by members of the Democratic Party of Japan and Shinryokufukai, a minor parliamentary group. The DPJ, whose members hold various views on war compensation issues, has not reached a consensus to support the bill, sources said.