Foreign correspondents 'blindly swallowing' anti-Japanese propaganda, writer alleges

Takao Harakawa accused foreign correspondents based in Tokyo of harboring “blind belief” in the anti-Japanese propaganda being generated by China and South Korea.

Or so says the rabidly right wing Sankei Shimbum.

I'm almost 100 per cent sure that this is what happens when countries that actually have a media whose job it is to be critical and ask tough questions runs up against a culture like Japan where real journalism is pretty much non-existent. When the guy from Arashi is one of the lead anchors on the 10 o'clock news, you know your country's media is just a huge joke.

Yes, and of course its not as if the Japanese media esp. of the Sankei Shimbun caliber is not " blindly swallowing" let alone creating its own right wing, pro Japanese propaganda at all.

"Today’s event was not to ask questions to you, but to cast blame on Japan."

If anything, their casting blame on the current level of revisionism seen among Abe, several others in government, and NHK, as opposed to "Japan," the entire country. Harakawa doesn't seem intellectually equipped to make that difference.

“During the war, Korean laborers worked in the coal mines in Oita prefecture. Do you think they were sent there forcibly or not?” was one question.

The questions basically sums up the quality of "foreign correspondents.". Lack of historical knowledge due to Japanese illiteracy and easily succumbed to propaganda.

in news it's called the door swinging both ways. if you bring up a topic then you bring up all issues not just the ones cheery picked for presentation. We can also look at Abe's WWII reference gaffs as examples.

This is what a free press does. Crying about it reinforces the notion that Japan is not free

nigelboy, I think you need to explain yourself a bit better if you are contending that there was no forced Korean or Chinese labor in Japan during the war. In fact, like a lot of today's Three K work, the Japan wouldn't have gotten on too well without forced foreign labor then as there were about five million Japanese men in the military spread over Asia and the Pacific.

Yet another barrage of right-wing propaganda. How long will the left in Japan put up with this? They must stand up against them, like, right now. Otherwise there is no hope for Japan.

nigelboy, I think you need to explain yourself a bit better if you are contending that there was no forced Korean or Chinese labor in Japan during the war. In fact, like a lot of today's Three K work, the Japan wouldn't have gotten on too well without forced foreign labor then as there were about five million Japanese men in the military spread over Asia and the Pacific.

Before I do, how do you think these Korean laborers were "forced"?

With the 3.11 fiasco AKA "Wall of Shame" by all the global media trying to fabricate a story not doing their homework on basic research and/or actural fact finding, I believe this is going to be repeated over and over again.

Basically the media took the bait, hook and sinker and now they are not willing to retract their opinion due to reputation, in otherwords it's the "face thing" and before any one tries to start an argument read the posting in the other article by Ossan about an investigation conducted in South Korea in 1992 by Prof. Ahn Bying Jick of Seoul University on 40 "survivors" resulted in all testimonies not being credible. Refute this fact before going further.

This just goes to show that anyone who criticizes Japan still gets labelled as "anti-Japanese". Gee...

That would be, go or die. Might want also to review all the slave labor that supported Nazi Germany as well. Rather similar.

http://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=aalj

http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Forced-labor-Men-who-worked-in-Japanese-mines-2618260.php

http://www.us-japandialogueonpows.org/POWForcedLabor.htm

http://www.nathaninc.com/sites/default/files/Pub%20PDFs/Forced%20Labor%20Under%20the%20Third%20Reich,%20Part%20One.pdf

http://japandailypress.com/documents-on-wwii-korean-forced-labor-found-in-south-korean-embassy-1839652/

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2008/10/28/issues/wwii-forced-labor-issue-dogs-aso-japanese-firms/#.U0XdraK_8-0

He bases this on his observations from a recent press conference that in his view descended into a “blame-Japan” fest.

China, he alleges, has ordered its embassies in various countries to engage in a worldwide campaign to criticize prime minister Abe for visiting Yasukuni Shrine last December. And South Korea recently went so far as to use the venue of an international comic exhibition to lambaste Japan over the sex-slave (“comfort women”) issue.

He's right, China has embarked upon a blame Japan campaign. But the point he is missing is that there is something to blame Japan about - if Japan would deal properly with the issue, it would go away. But the constant denials of things they have done wrong just gives further ammunition for China to attack them with.

No Jeff. I specifically asked you how these Korean laborers were "forced". In your own words, please.

Nigelboy. At gunpoint. What? Do you think they asked them nicely first?

. At gunpoint. What? Do you think they asked them nicely first?

? In Korea ? There were no military police (Kempeitai) and there were no draft orders until the late 1944.

Nigelboy@This is from page 158 of historian Saburo Ienaga's "The Pacific War": As manpower shortages developed in the late 1930s, plans were made to utilize Korean labor. A large-scale forced transfer of Korean laborers to Japan was carried out after 1941. Kim Dae-ski ... tried to evade the labor mobilzation but was caught in 1943 and taken off in handcuffs to work in a coal mine in Kyushu. A Japanese student called up for labor service to construct an airfield on Tanegashima later recalled that although "Koreans were the hardest workers... they were frequently beaten with wooden clubs."

Nigelboy. I guess when Japan annexed Korea in 1910 they didn't take any guns with them?

GalapagosnoGairaishuAPR. 10, 2014 - 09:16AM JST Nigelboy@This is from page 158 of historian Saburo Ienaga's "The Pacific War": As manpower shortages developed in the late 1930s, plans were made to utilize Korean labor. A large-scale forced transfer of Korean laborers to Japan was carried out after 1941. Kim Dae-ski ... tried to evade the labor mobilzation but was caught in 1943 and taken off in handcuffs to work in a coal mine in Kyushu. A Japanese student called up for labor service to construct an airfield on Tanegashima later recalled that although "Koreans were the hardest workers... they were frequently beaten with wooden clubs."

What is this "large scale forced of Korean laborers"? Is it an military order? If so, link it. You simply cannot mobilize thousand of people without some sort of directive from the government top.

You’re saying that the ‘sex slaves’ are a fabrication, but as opposed to merely making that statement, how many facts are there to support it?

Saying that this question is 'blindly swallowing' propaganda is very hypocritical. The person is saying that they would like to hear Japan's side of the story, aka. they are not willing to 'blindly accept' Japan's view but are open to hearing some information to support it.

Just because you question one side of the story, does not mean you have accepted the other side as fact. It means the person is still searching for more information.

If you do some basic research you'll find that up till around mid 40's the Koreans flocked to Japan in search of work and the Japanese immigration service had to deport them by the ship load. Many that remained in Japan are now what is known as Zainichi.

Japan was basically the ultimate destination for migrant workers in those days since the economic difference between the two regions were so great.

Doesn't matter how much evidence is out there. If your eyes and ears are closed you can always feign ignorance. The truth is that you are definitely ignorant.

Jeff HuffmanApr. 10, 2014 - 08:58AM JST

I recommend you read the article you linked. The cited sources all boils down to the footnote 7, which says as follows. http://scholarship.law.berkeley.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=aalj

See Donald Macintyre, WWII: Imperial Japan on Trial, AsIAWEEK, Nov. 15, 1996, at 36. These estimates will become more reliable as much-needed research on the scale of Japan's WWII slave labor is accomplished, and when and if Japanese government finally opens its files to inspection. Id.

I think the whole article is nothing but speculation.

At the last period of WW2, from 1944 to 1945, Japanese Government conscripted its citizens, including ethnic Koreans and ethnic Japanese for work in military facilities, including mines and factories. This is a form of "forced labor" but this kind of labor conscription for public work is allowed by the Slavery Convention of 1926, Article 5 (1). http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/SlaveryConvention.aspx

(1) Subject to the transitional provisions laid down in paragraph (2) below, compulsory or forced labor may only be exacted for public purposes.

As far as I know, all Korean former forced laborers who filed lawsuits against Japanese Government belong to this category.

If so, link it.

Please tell me how to "link it" to a Japanese history textbook published in 1968! Ienaga's annotation credits Pak Kyong-sik's book "Chosenjin kyosei renko no kiroku" (Korean Slave Laborers).

Please tell me how to "link it" to a Japanese history textbook published in 1968! Ienaga's annotation credits Pak Kyong-sik's book "Chosenjin kyosei renko no kiroku" (Korean Slave Laborers).

Well, it's simple. "A large-scale forced transfer of Korean laborers to Japan was carried out after 1941"

Carried out, hence a government order to do so which since the required coordination from many branches of the government. What I ask for you simply is the order itself.

SamuraiBlue

Japan was basically the ultimate destination for migrant workers in those days since the economic difference between the two regions were so great.

So Korea under Japanese rule wasn't so great after all, unlike what the rightists claim.

Try this: http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/朝鮮人強制連行 Unfortunately there's no English wiki on this topic. Depending on who's making the claim, the number of Koreans impressed into wartime service range from 600,000 on the low end to over 3 million on the high end.

Try this: http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/朝鮮人強制連行 Unfortunately there's no English wiki on this topic. Depending on who's making the claim, the number of Koreans impressed into wartime service range from 600,000 on the low end to over 3 million on the high end.

I did. It's not a "force", is it?

If the word 強制連行 (kyosei renkou) isn't "forced," then how would you translate it? There is a huge convergence of evidence that it occurred, and even the Japanese government doesn't deny it outright. Rather they have been saying that the issue of liability and settlement of claims were covered at the time diplomatic relations were established in 1965.

I'll say this upfront though I am sure what I will say next gets me thumbed down regardless - I have no love at all for Abe nor his brand of social conservatives and revisionists.

That being said, the foreign press IS swallowing anti-Japanese propaganda whole, and they have done so for ages. That's not to say the Abe revisionists are right - they're dead wrong - but every 'fact' and tidbit from the Chinese and Korean ultra-nationalists gets regurgitated as undisputed fact in the newspapers around the globe. Japan is "remilitarizing" these rightists say? OK, it must be true!

It would be nice if some of the skepticism that is directed towards Japan is directed towards some of the other players in the region as well, and as of yet I have seen little of it.

"With the 3.11 fiasco AKA "Wall of Shame" by all the global media trying to fabricate a story not doing their homework on basic research"

You mean reporting that the situation at the Fukushima reactors was worse than what Tepco said, while the Japanese media parroted Tepco's assertion that "everything is under control" and repeated all the other official lies?

I know which side deserved shame in that fiasco, and it isn't the foreign media.

Thomas

There is always a population of migrant workers moving from one region to another for economic gain. It is the same as if people moving from the rural area to the city in search for work. The hourly wage would probably had been better and more openings due to demand out weighing supply. The point is they did not need to force the Koreans to come since there was a readily supply.

But the point he is missing is that there is something to blame Japan about.

Agreed. Nearly a century ago. In the interim, Japanese conduct on the international stage has been among the most blameless in the world. The barrage of criticism and accusations leveled by the ROK and PRC is akin to your neighborhood persecuting the grandson of an executed murderer. Its indefensible behavior given the track record of Japan since WW2 - after all, don't actions speak louder than words?

if Japan would deal properly with the issue

There is no such thing as "properly". , it would go away. Stop pretending that there is a consensus on issues like this. Even you and I have much different definitions of what is "proper" when discussing current events. How can you expect various and diverse nations to come to a measured consensus on the events of generations gone by? This is why we had various trials in the aftermath of WW2. This is why documents were signed, monies were paid out, and apologies tendered. At that time. When it was relevant and fresh in the minds of everyone.

I suspect what you mean by "properly" is nothing short of abject capitulation to all/any charges or criticism the communists and their lap dogs can dream up. I further suspect you know and understand that day will never come.

But the constant denials of things they have done wrong

Exaggeration bordering on falsehood. There have been a few denials by goofs like Tamogami and Moomi. Not even close to "constant". Furthermore, what you like to call a "denial" is simply j-pols responding to the gross exaggerations and petty whining (on any given topic) that wafts this direction across the Sea of Japan.

just gives further ammunition for China to attack them with.

The communists require no ammunition, figurative or otherwise, from Japan. Their propaganda arm is actively churning out the former while their war machine readies the latter.

Takao Harakawa is spot on with his evaluation of the (mostly) lazy and left wing media. Its about time someone pointed out the facts. Well done sir.

Jeff

Especially loved how CNN reported that "Eggman" was a location for a Nuclear power plant.LoL

What I ask for you simply is the order itself.

Shall we build a time machine for you to go back in time and see it issued directly? For it seems that you won't be satisfied with anything less.

GalapagosnoGairaishu

I think "forced labor" and "slave labor" should be distinguished, for slave labor was prohibited by the Slavery Convention of 1926, whereas forced labor was allowed by article 5 (1) of the Convention. http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/SlaveryConvention.aspx

We can see the problem in reporting in an article like this. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/11/south-korea-court-japan

Japan is believed to have used about 780,000 Korean forced labourers during its 35-year colonial rule of the peninsula.

They are talking about that fact that Japanese Government conscripted workers both Japanese and Koreans for military facilities from 1944 to 1945. It is technically true that the period between 1944 and 1945 is during the 35 years of "colonial rule", but the line is absolutely misleading. If they had heard from Japanese side also, they could have avoided this misleading report.

If the word 強制連行 (kyosei renkou) isn't "forced," then how would you translate it? There is a huge convergence of evidence that it occurred, and even the Japanese government doesn't deny it outright. Rather they have been saying that the issue of liability and settlement of claims were covered at the time diplomatic relations were established in 1965.

No. I specifically meant what is discussed in the link you provided. As CH3CHO alluded to, Japanese were conscripted first since 1938 where men went off to the battlefields hence the shortage in labor where 国民徴用令 (national draft) was instituted in 1938. For Koreans up until late 1944, such order was not issued. Hence, prior to that, it was volunteer (募集) by companies then (斡旋) where local agency acted as intermediary. No military police (Kempeitai) in the Korean peninsula unlike the mainland where such draft dodging would result in punishment.

I know which side deserved shame in that fiasco, and it isn't the foreign media.

Oh no, it was definitely the foreign media. Their uninformed, hysterical bleating during the days after the crisis is one of the lowest points I've seen in journalism.

“The statue of the ‘comfort woman’ erected in Glendale will leave a huge bill to be paid in the future,” she warned.

What the hell did they expect? You basically threaten the city of Glendale, California, which everyone knows is one of the most politically-correct states/has a large Asian-American community, for simply erecting a statue to honor the victims and you're going to get push-back. Seems like the balme here is on the Japanese contingent for not doing their homework about California and not reading their audience very well. The Foreign Corrsepondents Club is not the usual bunch of lap-dog/toss up marshmallow guestions that these folks noramally get in the press clubs.

Shall we build a time machine for you to go back in time and see it issued directly? For it seems that you won't be satisfied with anything less.

No. I just like to see the "order" or ordinance in which "A large-scale forced transfer of Korean laborers to Japan" came about. Unless, of course you believe that majority of the government personnel of Japan communicated and gave instructions via telepathy, hence such written material was deemed unnecessary.

No, but I believe it's going to be a hard to find that order, between the number of documents that are not available to the public, the number of documents that have been destroyed, 70 years between since the order happened, and the fact that most of these documents are likely not available on the internet. However, references abound to the fact that the labor was forced. This isn't enough for those who don't want to believe though, nothing is. Hence the need for a time machine.

This is pretty much just a case of the Japanese media being a huge joke. I can't remember the last time I turned on the TV and heard anyone questioning the Japanese government, politicians or public policy.

Here's some more background: This link seems to have been written by the correspondent (British) who posed the question about forced labor to Ms. Matsuura. http://www.fccj.or.jp/number-1-shimbun/item/334-my-question-to-comfort-women-deniers.html

Seems like a common problem here. As "inward looking" as the Japanese claim to be, many really don't want to peer beyond what is happening on the surface. Very little investigative journalism. Citizenry completely uninterested...disinterested in anything political, except for a few demostrations here and there. When a political party has been in control for muliple decades, democracy is not really functioning and this is due to complacent citizens.

Mr Harakawa is a very clear example of one aspect of Japanese society many observers find troubling.

History points to one series of events in which Japan's conduct was reprehensible. Unless you vocally subscribe to institutionalised denials of this version of events, you are a Japan-basher.

It is difficult to understand how grown-up, educated adults can honestly believe default accusations of "Japan-bashing" are a mature response to any expression of reasoned criticism. Rational debate? No. Thoughtful counter-arguments? No. The reflex strategy is to put your fingers in your ears, close your eyes and say "lalalalala you are Japan-bashing, so I'm not listening, lalalala, unique, four seasons lalalalala"

Possible step two is to recommend the speaker leave Japan if he dares to suggest an aspect of life here could be improved.

It really is quite astounding. And the victim mentality is lamentably predictable.

Strangerland

You can find immigration reports of those days easily at the Japanese National Archive it's free to view by the general public although most of it is not made digital.

I am sorry but the Japanese people in this blurb DO NOT come across has having much knowledge or intelligence or common sense, no wonder Japan still to this day don't really have a clue or will admit what happened in the 1930-45 time period, just keep handing China that hammer on the platter & you will continue to be hammered!

Japan DEAL with your history honestly & then tell China & SKorea to go pi$$ off..........is that really too much to ask!!??!!

Apparently the answer continues to be yes, reap what you sow!

No, but I believe it's going to be a hard to find that order, between the number of documents that are not available to the public, the number of documents that have been destroyed, 70 years between since the order happened, and the fact that most of these documents are likely not available on the internet. However, references abound to the fact that the labor was forced. This isn't enough for those who don't want to believe though, nothing is. Hence the need for a time machine.

Using common sense and logic, to mobilize thousands of people forcibly or voluntarily across the seas requires ordinance to be issued by the top and dispersed throughout local agencies with their specific instructions and roles. No fear Sttangeland. There is in fact an ordinance in regards to Korean Laborers in 1942. No need for time machine. Just a common sense to read the ordinance itself and not "blindly swallowing" anti-Japanese propaganda.

The Japan hate will not go away, regardless of whether Japan makes attempts to "properly" deal with it. South Korea and China have more to gain right now (and in the near future) by keeping the hate alive. Japan has done some pretty horrible things in WWII, but part of forgiveness is acceptance; this is something South Korea and China does not want to do.

That said, it would be helpful if Japan released another statement, just to show the world (again) that is contrite. It wouldn't stop South Korea and China from getting annoyed at every little thing Japan does, but it will help Japan's international standing.

That being said, the foreign press IS swallowing anti-Japanese propaganda whole, and they have done so for ages. That's not to say the Abe revisionists are right - they're dead wrong - but every 'fact' and tidbit from the Chinese and Korean ultra-nationalists gets regurgitated as undisputed fact in the newspapers around the globe. Japan is "remilitarizing" these rightists say? OK, it must be true!

It would be nice if some of the skepticism that is directed towards Japan is directed towards some of the other players in the region as well, and as of yet I have seen little of it.>

Sums up the situation perfectly.

Japan pretty much is remilitarizing by trying to change Article 9, which most Japanese oppose, and by lifting the sanctions on exports of firearms. Are we all really so naive to think that more guns won't cause more crime in Japan?

Oh well, just blame it on the Koreans...

"The questions basically sums up the quality of "foreign correspondents.". Lack of historical knowledge due to Japanese illiteracy and easily succumbed to propaganda."

Yes, it is truly unfortunate that all of those foreign correspondents combined with the access to resources they have can not match the Japanese literacy level, resistance to propaganda and a balanced perspective that comes across regularly in nigelboy`s posts. Banzai.

I have to say that i have some sympathy for the Japanese side here.

“During the war, Korean laborers worked in the coal mines in Oita prefecture. Do you think they were sent there forcibly or not?” was one question.

Even if there was, so what? It is wartime. In a situation where Japanese youth are being sent by the million to the front, how can Koreans (who like it or not were part of Japan) being forced to work in the rear be considered particularly heinous?

The point the Koreans are making is that they were not compensated properly by their employers which is a complete misunderstanding since it was later covered by the 1965 treaty between Japan and Korea.

ROK really needs to come clean on this.

@ Harald - well said, plus 1.

@Papi2013

Does not the same thing happen with FOX, NBC, TeleSur, Univision, Aljazeera, BBC, DW... etc. etc.?

Papi2013

Towards the end of the war everyone in Japan were in some stage of malnutrition where you hear stories of eating any and all weeds and roots that was growing in along the road by the elders.

Pandabelle

That's not to say the Abe revisionists are right - they're dead wrong - but every 'fact' and tidbit from the Chinese and Korean ultra-nationalists gets regurgitated as undisputed fact in the newspapers around the globe. Japan is "remilitarizing" these rightists say? OK, it must be true!

They're not "swallowing" whatever the Korea and China are saying, they have their own views of the WW2 history. Guess what, the general international view of the WW2 and Japan's share of its atrocities are not far off from Korea and China's views. And they teach this stuff independently in their schools.

The ironic thing that even in Japan, they teach that Koreans were forced or there were Nanking massacre or whatever. And the rightists are denying it all.

Let me say... that nobody in the rest of the world are going to agree with the Japanese rights' view that Japan did nothing wrong during the war. Nobody. They're fighting a losing battle.

Matsuura pointed out that the 1993 “Kono Statement” apologizing to the sex slaves was based on “completely vague testimony, and also noted that as a result of the controversy there, Japanese children residing in Glendale had been subjected to “bullying and harassment” by Korean children.

According to this article,one main reason Japan or at least some Japanese have issues with apologizing is that Japan have ancestor worship mentality and some Japanese feel that it would be sinful to apologize for World War II, because they would be blaming their ancestors.

Japan also look down on China and Korea and see no reason to apologize to people of lower status.

"This relates to the mentality of ancestor worship," said Susumu Oda, a professor of psychiatry at Tsukuba University. "Some Japanese feel that it would be sinful to apologize for World War II, because they would be blaming their ancestors."

Likewise, the war was fought in the name of Emperor Hirohito, who was regarded as a divinity until the end of the war. Some elderly people regard an apology for the war as an act of lese-majeste.

"If they decide someone is higher, they are ready to apologize, to kneel down. But for Asian people they don't feel any need to apologize."

Tokyo Journal; Why a Nation of Apologizers Makes One Large Exception http://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/12/world/tokyo-journal-why-a-nation-of-apologizers-makes-one-large-exception.html

Kim Seong-hwan (2004). 일제의 침략 전쟁과 병참기지화. SaKyejul. p. 173. ISBN 89-5828-032-8. Of course I can't read the Korean but according to someone who can, over 450,000 Korean males were forced into the war. Kuniaki Koiso was the Japanese Governor General and it was his plan and idea to force them. That is pretty much written by many sources both Japanese, Korean and otherwise. I don't understand Nigelboy why you can't seem to get this.

Thomas Anderson

They're not "swallowing" whatever the Korea and China are saying, they have their own views of the WW2 history. Guess what, the general international view of the WW2 and Japan's share of its atrocities are not far off from Korea and China's views.

They most certainly ARE swallowing the views of history whole that are presented by the Chinese and Korean ultra-nationalists. I'm not talking about atrocities per se, I am talking about ALL the historical interactions between Japan and it's neighbors, before, during and after the war including the present. The Japanese viewpoints are constantly marginalized and the knee-jerk rights views from their neighbors are accepted as fact.

the Japanese rights' view that Japan did nothing wrong during the war.

What a strawman!! Who is saying that, an extreme minority? That is a decidedly monochromatic view about a very wide spectrum of opinion regarding the war. The most common revisionist view is not that "Japan did nothing wrong during the war", but that many of the wrongs are being vastly overstated by Korea and China.

Notice that other countries that suffered greatly under Japanese occupation such as the Philippines and Thailand do not engage in anti-Japanese screeds on a daily basis like the rightists in Korea and China do. Hmm, I wonder why that is?

Takao is absolutely right on the money.

There is an inherent anti Japanese bias in the foreign media, compared to other Asian nations, and this conference is proof enough.

Anytime an individual voices a legitimate concern that Japanese are being unfairly slandered and stereotyped, the anti Japan crowd tries to divert such issues by making inflammatory comments about past war atrocities. And such individuals are accused of trying to whitewash Japanese history, when it's nothing of the sort.

Take the comfort women memorial or Sea of Japan nonsense in America. These sort of issues are being deliberately used to stir up anti Japanese sentiments in other countries. Pure propaganda. I'm not saying these aren't legitimate issues or topics, but there's a right way to do things and a right time to do it.

HaraldBloodaxeApr. 10, 2014 - 11:10AM JST

Mr Harakawa is a very clear example of one aspect of Japanese society many observers find troubling.

History points to one series of events in which Japan's conduct was reprehensible. Unless you vocally subscribe to institutionalised denials of this version of events, you are a Japan-basher.

I do not think so. But I think following may be true.

In the West, unless you vocally subscribe to certain version of events, you are a revisionist.

In China, unless you vocally subscribe to certain version of events, you are an anti-Communism element.

In Korea, unless you vocally subscribe to certain version of events, you are an even-toed animal.

I think history should be discussed in a scientific manner.

Pandabelle

They most certainly ARE swallowing the views of history whole that are presented by the Chinese and Korean ultra-nationalists.

No, Japanese atrocities are nothing new, it's not like they just heard it from the Chinese and Koreans.

The Japanese viewpoints are constantly marginalized and the knee-jerk rights views from their neighbors are accepted as fact.

It's because the Japanese were aggressors. Call it a bias, but just accept it. Germany is the same. You can't punch somebody in the face, and make excuses and expect to gain some sympathy.

Either way, nobody is going to agree or sympathize with Japan if they act as if they were constantly the victim. Nobody. The most you can do is to just shut up and put up.

Notice that other countries that suffered greatly under Japanese occupation such as the Philippines and Thailand do not engage in anti-Japanese screeds on a daily basis like the rightists in Korea and China do. Hmm, I wonder why that is?

Maybe because those countries are not as (economically) strong as Korea and China? Notice how China and Korea also kept it relatively silent until recently? Maybe you should actually read Philippine, Thailand and other nations that suffered Japanese atrocities' history textbooks? What, do they think that they're just incredibly pro-Japan and have nothing to say and have no resentments toward Japan? There are some anti-Japan sentiments in those countries as well.

Thomas AndersonApr. 10, 2014 - 01:52PM JST

It's because the Japanese were aggressors. Call it a bias, but just accept it. Germany is the same. You can't punch somebody in the face, and make excuses and expect to gain some sympathy.

I see. So you admit your argument is biased and not fair. We are not talking about "sympathy" but we are talking about history, which should be based on facts.

I see. So you admit your argument is biased and not fair. We are not talking about "sympathy" but we are talking about history, which should be based on facts.

It's the Japanese rightists that are denying history like comfort women and Nanking massacre, not anybody else.

Thomas Anderson

Either way, nobody is going to agree or sympathize with Japan if they act as if they were constantly the victim.

This is a strawman argument. People who are saying that Japan "acts as if they were the victim" are the same that accuse Japan of being a dangerous, militant, unrepentant society. Which you can very easily disprove by actually talking to Japanese people. Have you done this, or are you listening to what the NYT and Xinhua are saying?

Notice how China and Korea also kept it relatively silent until recently?

Notice how especially Korea has fallen under control of ultra-nationalists lately? There's your answer.

What, do they think that they're just incredibly pro-Japan and have nothing to say and have no resentments toward Japan?

What are these strawman arguments you keep making? Who said that? You said that. I never said that. I said that countries such as the Philippines and Thailand are capable of having normal, adult relations with Japan whereas apparently S Korea and China are not. And I think it's very reasonable to assume that this is because those two are not controlled by ultra-nationalists trying to make political hay like the Koreans and Chinese are.

Heck, even Taiwan - who was occupied by Japan longer than anyone - has cordial if not friendly relations with Japan. Perhaps its because their country isn't run by petulant children?

Whaling, wartime atrocities and no foreigners banners: Japan makes it easy to 'swallow anti-Japanese propaganda'.

People who are saying that Japan "acts as if they were the victim" are the same that accuse Japan of being a dangerous, militant, unrepentant society.

Sorry, but if Japanese people say that "Japan is a victim of anti-Japan propaganda", then those people are playing the victim.

The Japanese flag will always remain a symbol of Japanese aggression. After the war, militarists were able to regain positions of power, and as a result, the postwar government was not eager to have people believe the war was wrong.

Sorry, but if Japanese people say that "Japan is a victim of anti-Japan propaganda"

That's not how the phrase "playing the victim" works - Japan IS the victim of anti-Japanese propaganda (I don't see how this is even disputable), but you are equating that with "playing the victim" in regards to WWII, which is plainly not the case.

So yes on the former, no on the latter.

Be clear.

Japan IS the victim of anti-Japanese propaganda (I don't see how this is even disputable)

Well, that just says it all. You're playing the victim.

And who is saying that Japan is a victim of anti-Japan propaganda? The Japanese rightists? Anyone else? IS ANYBODY on Japan's side with this? No.

And who is saying that Japan is a victim of anti-Japan propaganda? The Japanese rightists? Anyone else? IS ANYBODY on Japan's side with this? No.

If you legitimately cant see that the governments of Korea and China are only raising these issues to distract from their own governments misdoings, corruption, and failures, you`re blind.

China`s president recently said that they "still feel the stings" of Japanese imperialism, blah blah blah. How are the stings from the Tienenmen square massacre doing? Korea demands compensation and apologies, how about the fact that Japan basically industrialized their country for them? AND compensated them,　with money which the Korean government　then proceeded to waste on NOT compensating the victims?

And who is saying that Japan is a victim of anti-Japan propaganda?

Japan IS a victim of anti-Japanese propaganda. It just also happens that the propaganda is true this time.

Again... nobody really cares. What people want, is for the Japanese rightists to stop denying history by blaming others and calling it "anti-Japan propaganda".

Korea demands compensation and apologies, how about the fact that Japan basically industrialized their country for them?

Are you kidding me? It's exactly these kinds of outrageous attitudes that enrage the rest of the world. You just don't get it, do you. You keep continuing to make excuses after excuses to wriggle out of taking any responsibilities. And rest of the world will continue to collectively roll their eyes. It may work in Japan, but it does NOT work in the rest of the world.

I am actually fed up with the anti Japan propaganda by Korean government and Korean people.

"Use of the Korean language was prohibited during Japan Korea unification period."

"40% of arable land in Korea was stolen by Japanese."

"More than 200,000 Korean women were drafted or abducted as comfort women."

"Koreans were forced to change their names into Japanese style names during Japan Korea unification period."

These are all unsubstantiated propaganda.

Strangerland

Japan IS a victim of anti-Japanese propaganda. It just also happens that the propaganda is true this time.

Then that is 1. not anti-Japan and 2. not propaganda.

"There is an inherent anti Japanese bias in the foreign media, compared to other Asian nations, and this conference is proof enough."

Yeah right, western media never criticizes countries like say -China, its always just the poor, misunderstood, victimized Japan, gosh...

Well, as with most things, this issue gets complicated;

• First, Sankei is an entertainment channel for the far right wing nuts in Japan, must like Fox News is the entertainment channel for the far right wing nuts in the US – neither should be considered a legitimate news organization that follows recognized journalism standards.

• Are China and South Korea engaging in a world-wide strategic information campaign against Japan? Most definitely. Are the Japanese waging a similar campaign against the China and Korea, yes, but not very effectively. Does the US and Europe pay any attention to any of this – no, not really. Perhaps in Glendale CA, but that’s about it…….

• Historically, Japan was very bad in the early 20th Century, but has been a model international citizen since 1945. Since 1945, China has lurched into a communist form of government, engaged in mass extinction of its citizens (Cultural Revolution) and today continues to deny freedom and basic human rights to the Chinese (and Tibet) people. Korea remained a dictatorship and denied its citizens basic human rights from 1945 until 1988. My opinion only but it might be better for China and Korea to focus on more recent events, rather than dwelling on those farther in the past – of course, doing that doesn’t garner votes (Korea) or deflect criticism of rampant corruption (China).

• Over the past several years, perhaps starting after the Mar 11 earthquake and tsunami, that has been a shift in the general attitude and outlook of the Japanese – it has shifted to the right. And as we can see, within the far right, there is a general “we hate everyone” point of view – even the US, which is really the only country Japan has a strong, stable relationship with, is criticized by the far right.

• This general shift should be a real concern, because if the views of the far right are given more credence, and general middle of the road Japanese start to share these beliefs, then we could easily see a resurgent Japan that will lash out at everyone – and as history has shown, Japan can be very bad when it wants to…….

• What is somewhat ironic, is that these Chinese/Korean information campaigns merely help foster the “we are victims” mentality of the Japanese, and may be contributing towards the one thing these countries want least, and could be potentially the most harmful to them – a resurgence in Japan of the far right wing “we want war” nuts.

Oh, I forgot to mention this silliest propaganda.

"The sea of Japan was called the East Sea for more than 2000 years."

CH3CHO

I am actually fed up with the anti Japan propaganda by Korean government and Korean people.

"Use of the Korean language was prohibited during Japan Korea unification period."

True.

"40% of arable land in Korea was stolen by Japanese."

True.

"More than 200,000 Korean women were drafted or abducted as comfort women."

We may not know the exact numbers, but could be true.

"Koreans were forced to change their names into Japanese style names during Japan Korea unification period."

True.

Where did you learn your history from? Japanese rightists' school of right-wing propaganda? They even teach this stuff in Japanese schools...

And who is saying that Japan is a victim of anti-Japan propaganda?

A whole heck of a lot of people. And a whole heck of a lot of people outside Japan. This is why you hear so many people internationally saying "It was 70 years ago, give it a rest!"

IS ANYBODY on Japan's side with this? No.

YES they are. Don't think others all think your way, open your eyes. Look at the anti-Japan propaganda being put out there by the Korean ultra-nationalists. Political statements at football games, Dokdo wine, East Sea, violent anti-Japan protests in China - all this nonsense. You don't see this as anti-Japan propaganda? Really????

What in the heck do you think it is, then, if not the vile rumblings of the ultra-nationalists?

A whole heck of a lot of people. And a whole heck of a lot of people outside Japan.

Who?

This is why you hear so many people internationally saying "It was 70 years ago, give it a rest!"

Who?

They teach this stuff in Japanese schools. Is that anti-Japan propaganda?

CH3CHOAPR. 10, 2014 - 03:27PM JSTOh, I forgot to mention this silliest propaganda."The sea of Japan was called the East Sea for more than 2000 years."

If anyone is "anti-Japan", then it's those that go against the official stance of the JAPANESE GOVERNMENT.

1) In the past, Japan, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations. Japan squarely faces these facts of history in a spirit of humility, and with feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology always engraved in mind, has resolutely maintained, consistently since the end of World War II, never turning into a military power but an economic power, its principle of resolving all matters by peaceful means.

2) In this way, Japan has directly faced the past with regard to the war and, with feelings of deep remorse, has made maxi efforts to build a future-oriented and co-operative relationship with Asian nations, especially China and the Republic of Korea. We will work to achieve the peace and prosperity of the world in the future as well.

http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/q_a/faq16.html

Well, the Japanese rightists have pretty much blown over that "cover"... How are the rightists "building a future-oriented and co-operative relationship with Asian nations, especially China and the Republic of Korea", when they're blaming them and outright ignoring their claims?

Thomas Anderson

Any reason you are avoiding my question?

What in the heck do you think it is, then, if not the vile rumblings of the ultra-nationalists?

What are these things if not anti-Japan propaganda?

Oops, hit 'submit' instead of preview

CH3CHOAPR. 10, 2014 - 03:27PM JSTOh, I forgot to mention this silliest propaganda."The sea of Japan was called the East Sea for more than 2000 years."

I have never seen any where that said it was called 'east sea' outside of Korea. I suppose you are the one always saying that because it is translated into English it 'doesn't count' as the name KOREANS use.

Thomas AndersonApr. 10, 2014 - 03:29PM JST I think you should wake up from blindly believing in the Korean propaganda. It will always benefit you to verify what Koreans tell to you before believing.

Use of the Korean language was not prohibited during the Japan Korean unification period. The Resident General of Empire of Japan issued Korean language gazette, Meailsinbo, everyday during the length of the unification period. http://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EB%A7%A4%EC%9D%BC%EC%8B%A0%EB%B3%B4

University of Seoul professor Yi Yeonghun studied all the land register in Korea one by one and found more than 97% of the arable land in Korea actually belonged to Koreans after the alleged land steal by Japan.

We still do not see anything that supports that the girls were drafted or abducted in Korea for comfort women.

The name change was not forced. There were quite a lot of Koreans who kept Korean style name during the unification period.

The real problem is that Korean government keeps telling wrong history to its children. Korea should face the true history and educate its children what really happened.

"..it would be helpful if Japan released another statement, just to show the world (again) that is contrite. It wouldn't stop South Korea and China from getting annoyed at every little thing Japan does, but it will help Japan's international standing."

If that "statement" is in the same vein as the past statements (and it most definitely will be, assuming there is one) that denied, glossed over and whitewashed history and let the government of Japan weasel out of definitive admissions of guilt and shame, NO, it would not only be not helpful, I'll wager it will only worsen Japan's international standing even more, sorry.

justbcuzisayApr. 10, 2014 - 04:02PM JST

I have never seen any where that said it was called 'east sea' outside of Korea.

That is my point. "The sea of Japan was called the East Sea for more than 2000 years." is nothing but propaganda.

Yet, you can see this kind of worrysome move in the US. http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S6599-2013

While the name "Sea of Japan" was introduced sometime during the late 1920's during a time when Japan occupied Korea, both Korea and China have referred to this same body of water as the "East Sea" for well over 2000 years.

Local government of the US seems to be so prone to propaganda.

I can't remember the last time I turned on the TV and heard anyone questioning the Japanese government, politicians or public policy.

Houdou Station, for instance. That's hardly neutral. What they do is criticize J government.

Internet people are angry... and angry people always tend to say bad things and negative things without consideration of any kind. Hence this anti-japan voices get stronger.

I thought that it was a Japanese thing mostly to follow the opinion of the strongest one (as happens right now with this Dr. Obokata thing). But it seems that everybody else suffers the same too, being the strong one China, Korea since is more easy to line up with their stance.

I think what the foreign journalists, and probably the rest of the world for that matter, are really trying to ascertain, is - just how deeply embedded is this all too common denial of past misdeeds? How deeply does it permeate the skin of Japanese life?

The world is well aware of the sex slave issue, it's an entirely accepted and well recorded chapter of Japanese history that has been verified by numerous and varied sources and was an important part of the post WW2 trials of Japanese soldiers.

The world has, for the most part, forgiven Japan for this. But it most certainly won't just passively stand by if Japan tries to re-write the book on it.

Confusing that for lapping up Chinese and South Korean propaganda is imbecilic.

TamaramaApr. 10, 2014 - 06:11PM JST

The world is well aware of the sex slave issue, it's an entirely accepted and well recorded chapter of Japanese history that has been verified by numerous and varied sources and was an important part of the post WW2 trials of Japanese soldiers.

And which version of the testimonies of Korean former comfort women should the world believe?

http://archives.republicans.foreignaffairs.house.gov/110/33317.pdf

Written testimony of Ms Lee Yong Soo.

In the autumn of 1944, when I was 16 years old, my friend, Kim Punsun, and I were collecting shellfish at the riverside when we noticed an elderly man and a Japanese man looking down at us form the hillside. A few days later, Punsun knocked on my window early in the morning, and whispered to me to follow her quietly. I tip-toed out of the house after her. I lift without telling my mother. I followed my friend until we met the same man who had tried to approach us on the riverbank. He looked as if he was in his late thirties and he wore a sort of People's Army uniform with a combat cap.(page 20)

The oral version

I live in Taegu, South Korea. My name is Lee Yong Soo, and sometimes I am a 14-year-old girl, and I look outside my window, and there is a girl, and there is a Japanese man, and they are saying something to each other, and they are gesturing me to come out. I did not know anything. I did not know what was going on but they gestured me to come out so I came out, and as you seen her dress, the girl and the Japanese soldier put their hand on my shoulder, and covered my mouth, and the soldier put something against my back, and like that in the middle of the night I was taken away. (page17)

Thomas Anderson

Any reason you are avoiding my question?

What in the heck do you think it is, then, if not the vile rumblings of the ultra-nationalists?

What are these things if not anti-Japan propaganda?

@pandabelle Reading your exchange with Thomas I noticed a lot of strawman arguments from him. I don't know if he realizes he's not convincing anyone.

You are right in saying most of these are just anti-Japan propaganda. There's a consistent pattern of Korean nationalists making stuff up like the "East Sea" being in use for 2,000 years. As CH3CHO states above there's so many inconsistencies in their stories of those comfort women one wonders if they're being used by their own government for propaganda. The same Korean government, incidentally, which had a hand in the sex trade of Korean women during the war and even as recent as the 80's. Of course, you won't hear about this from the Koreans.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/world/asia/08iht-08korea.19174342.html

@CH3CHO First, I believe there is plenty of maps showing, for a long time internationally people referred to the 'Sea of Japan' and I myself will always refer to it as so.

But, when I read what you quoted, I think you misunderstood the strange wording.

While the name "Sea of Japan" was introduced sometime during the late 1920's during a time when Japan occupied Korea, both Korea and China have referred to this same body of water as the "East Sea" for well over 2000 years.

This is just saying that Korea and China called it the East Sea (not other countries) but when Japan occupied Korea, the Koreans and Chinese also started using the name 'Sea of Japan'

And another interesting point from your article

Moreover, two separate international resolutions have established the standards of naming a sea area that is shared by multiple countries. The International Hydrographic Organization Technical Resolution A.4.2.6 (adopted on March 13, 1974) provided that when countries sharing a given geographical feature do not agree on a common name, the names used by each of the countries should be used concurrently. This standard is confirmed by the United Nations Resolution on Geographical Names 111/20

This is the important point. No one is trying to rename the Sea, but the Korean American's have every right according to the UN to be allowed to see a reference to the name their ancestors used.

The sure fact is that China is using money on anti-Japan propaganda outside of China. The sums goes in billions of dollars. And it's really easy to 'buy' a journalist to write in that style, let's be honest. So yes, that article from Sankei has a point - it's true trend and started few years ago outside of the Japan, South Korea and China like you can observe now in US or Western medias.

CH3CHO

And which version of the testimonies of Korean former comfort women should the world believe?

Perhaps you should read this FAQ:

2-10 Are the Testimonies Full of Contradictions?

2-10　証言は矛盾だらけ？

http://fightforjustice.info/?page_id=3142&lang=en (English)

http://fightforjustice.info/?page_id=2387 (Japanese)

Since the time Prime Minister Hashimoto Ryutaro took office, successive Prime Ministers including Abe’s first Cabinet have all adhered to the Kono Statement. The reason the government has given for acknowledging the use of coercion is that “There was no mention in the documents investigated by the government that directly pointed to so-called forcible recruitment (of comfort women) by the military or government authorities. We acknowledged the use of a certain level of coercion from an overall examination of the issue.” In other words, the government has historically recognized the truth of the women’s testimony.

To point to the women’s testimony and say that we can’t see the people responsible doesn’t mean they don’t exist. It is not the victims, but the Japanese Government that is responsible for finding out the truth of what actually happened, by means of the victims’ testimony.

Towards the end of the war everyone in Japan were in some stage of malnutrition where you hear stories of eating any and all weeds and roots that was growing in along the road by the elders.

And whose fault was that???

No one is blindly swallowing anything. Japanese leaders keep opening their trap and say things that anyone with common sense, a bit of history and a bit of understanding knows is crap. Be it Hashimoto, Ishihara, Morii, Abe, Aso... These guys bring it on themselves. And then cry that things were either mistranslated or it was "regretable" that things were taken out of context. As far as I am concerned, Japan has been treated far too kindly over WWII matters and being allowed to play the victim. If there was such thing as a free press in this country, this moron might be used to being asked difficult questions.

justbcuzisayApr. 10, 2014 - 07:20PM JST

This is just saying that Korea and China called it the East Sea (not other countries) but when Japan occupied Korea, the Koreans and Chinese also started using the name 'Sea of Japan'

That is the wrong impression that Korean government is trying to induce to people new to this naming issue. Koreans called it "Dong Hae", not "East Sea". In Chinese, "Dong Hai" meaning "East Sea" referes to the East China Sea and not the Sea of Japan. The famous world map made and published by Matteo Ricci in 1602 in China shows the sea as Ribenhai in Chinese characters meaning "Japan Sea", but not "East Sea".

In 1929, International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) issued a map called "Limits of Oceans and Seas" for the first time in which Sea of Japan was recorded. IHO recorded Sea of Japan because the name was already established by 1860s or by 1900, well before Japan merged with Korea in 1910. http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/study-4.html

The publication of the map by IHO in 1929 is what Korean Government means by saying "While the name 'Sea of Japan' was introduced sometime during the late 1920's during a time when Japan occupied Korea". It is absolutely misleading. http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/maritime/japan/iho.html

They say they are the victims of anti Japan propaganda... I'd say the victims of the Japanese atrocities are the victims of the Japanese revisionists and deniers.

Of course, the rightists can only think of themselves...

Thomas AndersonApr. 10, 2014 - 08:16PM JST

Perhaps you should read this FAQ:

So what? That is a web site of some unknow guy. I read the quote but I do not think it has any meaning.

If a witness testifies two totally different accounts of her history before US Congress, what is the conclusion? Actually, two out of two Korean witnesses each testified two different and contradicting accounts of their histories before US Congress. At least, people should not believe their testimonies.

Comfort women issue was made problematic because of those "testimonies", even before Kono Statement was issued.

The reason the Japanese right wing is actually worried. Foreign correspondents are not swallowing the lies of Abe and NHKKK.

Thousands died from starvation, beatings and very poor working conditions that Japanese workers didn't have to go through. Are you now trying to claim they were treated fairly and equally with the Japanese? Come on. It seems to me Japanese just deny just about everything about WWII. How is it making your history totally sanitized going to help Japan's future? This is very disturbing.

In case it was lost to you, thousands of Japanese were undergoing the events you mention, but at the front, and even those in the rear are going hungry, while Koreans were allowed to only volunteer almost to the very end. If anything, we can argue at least in some respects, Koreans are being de facto favored.

Absolutely no one is on Japan's side with this, so they might just as well give up.

You can't just self-righteously claim that Japan is always right, and that the others are wrong, and that it all must be some sort of brainwashing propaganda campaign to "make Japan look bad". Saying things like that will only make you look like a paranoid loon.

If you want to claim something, then it must be convincing to others. So far, the Japanese rightists have not convinced anyone, and have not gained any friends or allies. They are doing the Japanese a disfavor by isolating Japan from the international community even further. It's not anti-Japan. It's anti-Japanese revisionists and rightists. It's the rightists that are "anti-Japan".

Fred Varcoe "Japan-based freelance journalist. Interests: sports, cars, music, Korea" writes, "My Korean father-in-law ...". Where he seems to fail is the same place as so many in that camp ... of taking one or two cases they are overly personally involved with, and extrapolating and exaggerating ad nauseam.

Funnily enough, the association of Zainichi Koreans seeking compensation for the force laborers has been openly critical of those groups seeking compensation for the comfort women because they know exactly what they were and consider the prostitutes damage the chances of the claims being made by the forced laborers.

The Japanese journalist is absolutely correct here. The Chinese and Korean troll armies and prepared scripts have gone beyond tiresomeness into malevolence.

Life is not as simple a picture as the propagandists seek to paint ... no one in Asia enjoyed the rights and liberties Westerners do today. Few do even to this day. You cannot judge yesterday by today's standards and you cannot accuse and blame today's Japanese of actions they did not commit as the Chinese and Koreans want to do for purely political and economic reasons ...

Part of which is to weaken support in the West for Japan for when military and territorial conflicts start between China, Japan and the USA.

Mister Ed

You cannot judge yesterday by today's standards and you cannot accuse and blame today's Japanese of actions they did not commit as the Chinese and Koreans want to do for purely political and economic reasons ...

Typical Japan excuse. Even over 70 years ago, there were laws, and Japan broke most of them. Do they really think that they could get away by saying that "you can't judge the past's actions with today's standards"? What nonsense. Why don't we all just forget about slavery and other atrocities... Jesus H Christ, and you wonder why the rest of the world think that the Japanese revisionists are loons...

If any more proof were needed that this right-wing lunatic author was looking in a mirror when he wrote this, look at the staccato posts of the apologists like CH3CHO and nigelboy on this. They can't answer a single question you ask them, and only deflect when you answer theirs. And yet this man, who speaks directly to the aformentioned fans and their ilk, purport to be objective while ALL international media is buying into things 'made up' by Korean and Chinese media?

Classic!

CH3CHO: "well before Japan merged with Korea in 1910."

Gotta love it! So they 'merged' with Korea, did they, like two lines in a highway -- not like one country raping and killing thousands in the other. I doubt you'd use the word 'merge' to describe the way the fires of the atomic bombings melted the skin off people in Hiroshima, or how Japanese 'merged' with death in the gulags in Russia after the war. But hey, look on who's behalf you are arguing here, given the article.

Interesting article:

Fourth, most Japanese officials view outsiders who criticize the LDP as hostile to Japan as a nation, which is generally not true. During a recent session with a Japanese diplomat, I mentioned a Western journalist in Tokyo. This reporter, whom I would describe as an open-minded left-winger, is neither a supporter of historical revisionism nor of Koizumi-Takenaka economics. Anyone who cares to read his prose will also notice a deep empathy for the Japanese people, an outstanding knowledge of the country, and a passion for Japanese culture. My Japanese interlocutor, however, saw him as a foe.

http://thediplomat.com/2014/04/japan-a-sheep-in-wolfs-clothing

Oh I see. Those persnikkity furriner hacks refuse to toe the Sankei's line, so that makes 'em all biased. Looks to me like Harakawa-san's rant is a classic case of 負け惜しみ　(make-oshimi), i.e. "sour grapes."

Kim Seong-hwan (2004). 일제의 침략 전쟁과 병참기지화. SaKyejul. p. 173. ISBN 89-5828-032-8. Of course I can't read the Korean but according to someone who can, over 450,000 Korean males were forced into the war. Kuniaki Koiso was the Japanese Governor General and it was his plan and idea to force them. That is pretty much written by many sources both Japanese, Korean and otherwise. I don't understand Nigelboy why you can't seem to get this.

Virgo

Again, using commen sense, if the Japanese government wanted to force "450,000" Korean males into the war, they would simply just issue a "national draft" ordinance in Korea much like they did to mainland. If I were to, let's say, use today's examples, the current Korean government's mandatory draft would be one. The problem with Korean view is that they must adhere to the narrative of "we were forced by Japanese" when the reality, based on historical evidence, is that they volunteered where the number of applicants exceed 60 times the required quota.

If any more proof were needed that this right-wing lunatic author was looking in a mirror when he wrote this, look at the staccato posts of the apologists like CH3CHO and nigelboy on this. They can't answer a single question you ask them, and only deflect when you answer theirs. And yet this man, who speaks directly to the aformentioned fans and their ilk, purport to be objective while ALL international media is buying into things 'made up' by Korean and Chinese media?

Smith,

What is the question? All I see here is what the man stated which is “According to that view, Japan must be the villain, and anyone who attempts to assert something at odds with that is stereotypically tarred as a revisionist who is attempting to gloss over history." Or in your case, "apologists" or "right wing"

Gotta love it! So they 'merged' with Korea, did they, like two lines in a highway -- not like one country raping and killing thousands in the other. I doubt you'd use the word 'merge' to describe the way the fires of the atomic bombings melted the skin off people in Hiroshima, or how Japanese 'merged' with death in the gulags in Russia after the war. But hey, look on who's behalf you are arguing here, given the article.

Of course, when you run out of arguments, use some absurd comparisons.

nigelboy: "All I see here is what the man stated which is “According to that view, Japan must be the villain, and anyone who attempts to assert something at odds with that is stereotypically tarred as a revisionist who is attempting to gloss over history." Or in your case, "apologists" or "right wing""

Sorry, bud, but that is what YOU are doing. You were given direct responses earlier and said, "Well, I was only referring to this and that, not your answer!" earlier, when given examples of the exact of similar behaviour to that which you asked about. Ie. you do not want an honest answer to your own questions -- you only want to hear what people like the right-wing Harakawa have to say, and if you don't hear it, you shake your fists and pull a "We're not Voldamort! YOU are!" response, save that you forget you are the one doing exactly what you declare you are not. Not surprised, though. I still remember when I pointed out to you that Samsung was ahead of Panasonic in sales and you could only reply "In your dreams!", and when it sunk in you could not admit to what you said. Tells a lot about a person.

But hey, if you want to believe that a right-wing, Sankei Shimbun columnist is going to be making any waves outside of his own little circle, you can just stay in that little black truck and keep hoping the Emperor is actually descended from god.

Sorry, bud, but that is what YOU are doing. You were given direct responses earlier and said, "Well, I was only referring to this and that, not your answer!" earlier, when given examples of the exact of similar behaviour to that which you asked about. Ie. you do not want an honest answer to your own questions -- you only want to hear what people like the right-wing Harakawa have to say, and if you don't hear it, you shake your fists and pull a "We're not Voldamort! YOU are!" response, save that you forget you are the one doing exactly what you declare you are not. Not surprised, though. I still remember when I pointed out to you that Samsung was ahead of Panasonic in sales and you could only reply "In your dreams!", and when it sunk in you could not admit to what you said. Tells a lot about a person.

Smith.

The person linked a wiki entry on 朝鮮人強制連行 which I read but apparently you didn't. Unknowing to you, the page basically sums up what I wrote Apr. 10, 2014 - 10:34AM JST in which since their was a labor shortage around 1938, Korean men were recruited on a volunteer basis from 1939 (Company initiated 募集） and subsequently 官斡旋 in 1942 where the local government acted as an intermediate for screening volunteers. As other have stated, prior to that, there were many Koreans who were illegally trying to get into Japan because the government set limits on Korean immigrants.

So no. The term "forced" or 強制連行 has expanded so much a normal person going to work next Monday fits that description.

Japanese friends do not worry, only the china and shit

Before you guys label the government as "right-wing" and " revisionist", I hope you doubt what source you are based on. This is not a matter of justice and humanity but who speaks out louder amongst the international relationships.

Japan in singular among developed nations that still glorifies fascist era in its history while white-washing its war atrocities. Let's not mince words and play "saving face". It's 2014. Time to own up. Enough with the denials and blaming the victims please.

In 1945 Japan was defeated, when a report was made by US army about the Comfort Women of Japan army.

The reports was tell us, those women at WW2 was worked for own free will, and all of them was satisfy by well payment and treatment, then they have nothing to be complain. Those women are 200,000 of Japanese, with 20,000 of Korean, and few is other nations.

Korean War is blows after WW2 in 1950-1952, when Korean army was kidnap 200,000-700,000 women for orders of US army's request. Chaos of Korean war, not exact count is remains, and mostly of them may be killed.

Kidnaped Korean Comfort Women was evidenced the war is Korean War, but few of WW2 women is mixed with them, then evidence is mixed Korean War to the WW2.

Those women must be separated as WW2 or Korean War, but Korean do intentionally mixed them, and then they say it be WW2.

Now you will be think, the Korean War's women must be truly need the remedy, Korea and USA must be offer it, it be not Japan.

China+Korea was hardly denunciation Japan, and then other peoples was seemed as ruled or cooperation by them.

Agreed 100% Those regimes that depend on Censorship and the Barrel of a Gun to keep its grip on power, can not be a dependable News source on "History". CCP tyrants vs. Elected Japanese leadership... I give my vote of greatest Confidence for the latter.

i like a good laugh when the Japanese establishment are trying to cover up their shameful and disgusting past history. this is worse even than living in the UK by a huge margin. actually i was on a flight back from Seoul on Korean Air last year and picked up a Korean, English language newspaper and was shocked at how rabidly anti Japanese it was. actually the Koreans especially, in my humble opinion are quite correct to feel that basically the Japanese Establishment doesn't give a damm about their past history in Korea, as evidenced by all this crap about comfort women, even coming from the current Japanese PM, who would have, i have no doubt, watered down the already feeble apology about comfort woman if he could have got away with it.the notion that these women were all poor women drawn to prostitution like was the case in Europe in WW1 and WW2 somehow doesn't quite gel. i don't know why the Japanese try to be so stupid in their foreign relations. if i was advising the British Government (which i'm not) i would say this country can never be completely or even mostly trusted if the going got tough. i sometimes wish i'd never left Europe.

Doug BirbeckApr. 11, 2014 - 10:24AM JST

i like a good laugh when the Japanese establishment are trying to cover up their shameful and disgusting past history.

Cover up? What are you talking about?

Historians need to study the comfort women issue more to shed more light on the issue, since the testimonies by former comfort women are this much confusing and even contradicting their own accounts. I think Abe is right in supporting the studies. http://www.japantoday.com/category/kuchikomi/view/foreign-correspondents-blindly-swallowing-anti-japanese-propaganda-writer-alleges#comment_1761544

It's telling that you refuse to answer my question, Thomas Anderson. It's because the answer you have to give would destroy your little narrative.

So basically anyone who agrees with a Japanese revisionist view of history has 'done his homework'?

There is absolutely no doubt that Korea and China are milking these issues, but that doesn't mean they didn't happen at all.

As far as Japan being seen as the villain of the piece...well were'nt they friends with the Nazis? That in itself is a strong argument. Even revisionists like Abe will accept that the Nazis were evil, but then somehow within the revisionist mind-set there is a miraculous disconnect between Japan and its closest allies at the time. 'Oh no, we were completely different from them.'

If the jackboot fits wear it.

When Abe constantly bash china each time that he visit outsite,you all think it's OK。When china fight back on propaganda ，you cry for blame-japan.What a loser！

40 Good Bad tideofironAPR. 10, 2014 - 07:48AM JST I'm almost 100 per cent sure that this is what happens when countries that actually have a media whose job it is to be critical and ask tough questions runs up against a culture like Japan where real journalism is pretty much non-existent. When the guy from Arashi is one of the lead anchors on the 10 o'clock news, you know your country's media is just a huge joke.

^^^ What s/he said.

I am also curious as to how the Japanese plan to counter this 'anti-Japanese propaganda'. Their "Nanking never happened and the comfort women are all greedy prostitutes" narrative doesn't fly overseas. they constantly rail against the Koreans and Chinese for being so vocals, but the truth is the whole world knows about Japan's atrocities except Japan. So my guess this is just going to be played for a home audience, as usual.

Is there anything that Japan is NOT a victim of "anti-Japanese propaganda"?

From politicians, to CEOs, to next-door yamada-san, when criticized, they say "you just don't understand the Japanese spirit".

At least 110,000 Koreans were conscripted, and 700,000-800,000 Koreans were made to work in Japan. Read Unno Fukuju's (Tokyo University Japanese history professor) book「岩波講座 近代日本と植民地 五」, part「朝鮮の労務動員」.

Ethnic Koreans were enmeshed in, as well as suffered from, the Japanesewar effort. Wartime labor shortages led to enforced migration [kyosei renko]. In the name of eliciting “volunteers,” ethnic Japanese and Koreans colluded in the conscription of Koreans to work in factories and mines.

Between 1939 and 1945, 700,000 – 800,000 Koreans were made to work in Japan (Unno 1993:120 – 21). The notorious teishintai (chongsindae inKorean) was initially designed not to produce sexual serfs for Japanese soldiers, but rather to recruit Korean women workers into ammunition, textile, and other factories. Beginning in 1944, 110,000 ethnic Koreans were conscripted by the Japanese military (Kim Yondal 2003a:59). Many Koreans in Japan suffered war-related injuries and deaths: 239,320 Koreans, according to Higuchi (1979:44 – 46). Up to 30,000 ethnic Koreans died in the atomic bomb explosion in Hiroshima (Yoneyama 1999:152).

Remember folks, even the Japanese government admits them:

1) In the past, Japan, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations. Japan squarely faces these facts of history in a spirit of humility, and with feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology always engraved in mind, has resolutely maintained, consistently since the end of World War II, never turning into a military power but an economic power, its principle of resolving all matters by peaceful means.

1) The Government of Japan recognizes that the issue known as wartime comfort women is one that severely injured the honor and dignity of many women. The Government of Japan has extended its sincere apologies and remorse to all those women known as wartime comfort women who suffered immeasurable pain and incurable physical and psychological wounds.

1) The Government of Japan believes that it cannot be denied that following the entrance of the Japanese Army into Nanjing in 1937, the killing of a large number of noncombatants, looting and other acts occurred.

http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/q_a/faq16.html

If you disagree, then you must be anti-Japan.

These apology was done to keep friendship with the Korea or China, and it be progress to the new boon world, we are promise for deeply. But now, they are criticism Japan, by the reasons of apology matters. We are very great disappoint from there behavior, and it perfectly braked our hopes.

The true history is far away what China or Korea says, then we must be "revision" it, by the right of human, not of the "political ideas".

1) In 1937, our army attack Nanking, no papers telling to world the massacre is done, but papers scoop the Nanking's photographs it snaped friendly smiled peoples and soldiers. In 1949, Mao ordered to People's Liberation Army be surround Nanking, and killed all 200,000 peoples, the massacre was Mao had done.

2) The Kidnaped Korean Comfort Women was exist, but it was at the Korean War, not at the WW2, then Korea and USA must be apology to the women.

Thomas AndersonApr. 11, 2014 - 05:00PM JST

What are you trying to say with that long post?

Japanese government conscripted Koreans as well as Japanese for public work between 1944 and 1945.

Teishintai or Cheongsindae has nothing to do with comfort women.

Korean workers were killed by allied bombing.

Those look exactly the same as what I have been saying.

It is clear that China is fanning nationalism and anti-Japanese sentiment merely to deflect international and domestic audiences from rampant corruption, internal repression and lack of basic human rights. For Korea, the explanation is easier – pure politics. It is also clear that post WW II both countries engaged in levels of brutality that were at least equal to that of Japan during the years of the Great East Asia Co-prosperity era. In the case of China and the Cultural Revolution, even greater…..

What is also equally true, and is readily evident from the comments of the far right wing Japanese posters here, is that they admit no culpability or responsibility for the many factual and historically verified instances of Japanese barbarism and cruelty during this period. The Rape of Nanking and the comfort women are fabrications, Unit 731 and its biological experiments untrue, the Bataan Death March an exaggeration, etc., etc. – it’s one rationalization after the other. And these folks are equal opportunity haters – if you’re not a direct descendent of Amaterasu, then you’re just plain inferior.

And what is most worrisome, is the current lack of an effective counter-voice to these right-wingers – the DJP and other center left political parties bumbled their time in office, and as a result, are not viewed as credible by the Japanese public. That’s a significant problem facing Japan, one if not addressed could have grave consequences.

Teishintai or Cheongsindae has nothing to do with comfort women.

Initially they were not comfort women, but they were turned into them gradually.

So are you denying this?

1) In the past, Japan, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations.

Thomas AndersonApr. 11, 2014 - 09:09PM JST

So are you denying this?

No.

The event was intended to publicize the activities by a delegation of Japanese legislators in local government assemblies who had visited Glendale, California to protest Korean lobbyists installation of a statue of a comfort woman in a public park.

Can you imagine the international uproar if a group of German politicians went to the countries listed below and demanded that they remove their Holocaust memorials and museums?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Holocaust_memorials_and_museums

I don't think the Japanese understand how horrible this makes them look in the international arena.

It's very clear that part of the Chinese script is to cast Abe and anyone who questions their propaganda campaign as "far right" without any real grounds to assert that, or even understanding of what it meant, and that large proportion of the criticisms are no more than irrational race hate. I became aware of the patterns a long time before the reality of it was reported in the media. Ditto, the use of "revisionist".

I suspect many of the activist even know what the terms really mean, except that they are supposed to be "bad words" for Westerners and effective as shying away the more reasonable of liberal minds who would fear such a taint.

How many times has one read them banded about ...

For many American, "Japan hate" is a convenient guise to hide their own nation's inequities in the region and their response to having their nation's "manifest destiny" questioned is often even more aggressively or irrational responded too.

We know for sure the Korean and Chinese governments are directly involved. Is there any suggestion that the Americans also have an oar stirring in this information war?

I am an American and I love Japan and South Korea for the respect you show elders such as parents ect..; I also love your belief systems towards foregners. My country is going down the drain real fast and my goverment has alot to do with it. Please understand alot of this chaos is orchestrated to breed hatred and anger and divide the countries! I see it here in the states everyday! Do not feed into this and help cultivate their dreams. We can all get along with little goverment intervention not goverment takeovers!

Both of your countries have so much to give the world and I love you for it!

I am curious about the actual LDP anemometer direction...

As far as Japan being seen as the villain of the piece...well were'nt they friends with the Nazis? That in itself is a strong argument. Even revisionists like Abe will accept that the Nazis were evil, but then somehow within the revisionist mind-set there is a miraculous disconnect between Japan and its closest allies at the time. 'Oh no, we were completely different from them.'

Logical fallacy for you can put "Stalin" in place of Nazi.

In addition, it's an extension of “Foreigners, especially citizens of the Allied nations (during WW2), tend to view the historical truth in terms of judgments handed down by the Tokyo war crimes tribunal,”

Achieving peace of mind is much braver than trying to avoid loosing face by any possible means - Myself believing only in self-accountable mankind.

I also love your belief systems towards foregners.

have you been paying attention?

Just about the only thing Japan shared with Germany, due to Russian being in between, was a distrust and insecurity about Russia! It was an anti-communist pact which a little bit of technological transfer denied to Japan by their previous allies for strategic reasons, i.e. America's own imperial ambitions in Pacific-Asia.

Japan actually refused to accept key tenants of Nazi ideology.

As for the Germans, they were also supplying military intelligence and equipment to Japan's enemies in China ... (hence Rabe's dubious position and report) and so hardly the best of allies. So, no, the boot does not fit at all. The concept of fascism and whether it can be applied to the Japanese society of that time has been widely debated, but it seen as difficult to apply ... except as an adolescent accusation.

It's really time we put either put to bed or refused all these "far right", "revisionist" or "denier" accusations from the China Communist Party propaganda wing, and all those surfing the ripples they are making, attempting to align modern Japan with Nazidom. It's a joke. Not quite as much as joke as, say, the idea of "China and human rights" but a joke all the same.

All history is constantly being revised. Revision is a good thing. As new and more evidence is discovered, our understand increases. Words like "denier" and "revisionist", are just parts of a strategy Beijing is cynically adopting second hand from the Jewish Holocaust lobby. A lobby it sees as having been highly successful in managing its territorial disputes.

If there is anyone is Asia who should be wearing the "Nazi" armband these days, it is the Chinese Communist Party. If you are honestly going to accept its activists as the arbitrars of historical objectivity, anyone who is not a student funded by Beijing, or a child of the party's elite living overseas, is going to be rolling in the aisle with laughter.

Even though such documents could have been destroyed in the big fire of 1945:

There exists such document in 1942 which is basically a volunteer recruitment/screening method using local government agency as an intermediary. No "Draft". No "force".

" Foreigners, especially citizens of the Allied nations (during WW2), tend to view the historical truth in terms of judgments handed down by the Tokyo war crimes tribunal,”

As opposed to the J- right wingers who view the historical truth in terms of " facts" presented by second rate " historians " who lack credibility and recognition outside of the black van / black keyboard circles? Yep, those are certainly the pinnacles of credibility....cough.

For anyone STILL saying this is all "anti-Japan propaganda", blah blah, I suggest just picking up ANY history book that is reasonably credible (i.e. not written by an amateur right-winger with no history background) about Japanese history after Meiji restoration. Seriously, you can even pick up Japanese ones, they all say the same thing.

And remember:

1) In the past, Japan, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations. Japan squarely faces these facts of history in a spirit of humility, and with feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology always engraved in mind, has resolutely maintained, consistently since the end of World War II, never turning into a military power but an economic power, its principle of resolving all matters by peaceful means.

"Mr. Henry Scott-Stokes, who has really done his homework on the issues" Hiroyuki Fujita

It might be helpful to share what Scott-Stokes has to say as well as a more complete description of the Glendale, CA installation and how Glendale citizens were motivated to approve it.

As it is, without judgment or sufficient facts, this article presents more heat than light.

No wonder reporters appear confused. Maybe readers of this type of too broad complaint cannot appreciate Japanese perspective. To read that the findings at the end of the war and all histories since paint a foggy half light of fact is an ineffective narrative.

And while Japan's acknowledgement of war crimes has already been made stirring resentment for the Japanese of today is little more than some political manipulation for unreported intent. It would be more useful to answer the questions this article raises. As it is, the reader knows nothing of Japan's contrition or the desires of Korean or Chinese detractors. Both answers are essential to putting this nagging resentment to rest.

Seems more like Japanese journalists aren't asking the right questions. Worrying lack of private media in Japan, honestly seems like mostly state-sponsored "journalism". Can't remember the last time any news outlet here was publicly critical of Abe or the ruling party.

Can't remember the last time any news outlet here was publicly critical of Abe or the ruling party.

Haven't you read Asahi Shinbun or Mainichi Shinbun? Or watched TBS?Those news outlets, etc are considered pro-China pro-Korea anti-Japan. NHK is to me avoiding trouble on see no evil, hear no evil.

Gaijinheiwa - that just means you aren't reading much Japanese news.

How exactly is that comment productive to the discussion at hand? The poster claimed that Japanese news is not critical of Abe. I pointed out how he is obviously not reading the Japanese news, as there are many publications that speak out against the government, some mentioned by Tina Watanabe. If you think these don't exist, then it just shows you aren't reading the Japanese news either.

Yes, they are "critical", but not really serious enough to be any real threat to the Abe administration. They're like the Japan Communist and Socialist party, they may complain here and there, but they're not really interested in actually taking power.

I mean look at Abe's approval rating, it should be plummeting, given just how badly Abe has betrayed the Japanese citizens. But it's not.

The Japanese media was all up in arms about how Hatoyama was "anti-US", yet look at Abe, he's doing the same thing, yet not much is being said about it.

Yes, they are "critical", but not really serious enough to be any real threat to the Abe administration. They're like the Japan Communist and Socialist party, they may complain here and there, but they're not really interested in actually taking power.

As always, you are critical without giving credit where credit is due, nor of understanding the limitations of the press here. If they are overly critical, they get cut from the kisha clubs, and they lose their ability to report at all. So being overly critical would be self-defeating.

Hate the game, not the player.

Strangerland, I am very aware of the "press clubs". But it all boils down to the fault of the Japanese media and the journalists, who are betraying the Japanese citizens by not properly informing them, just because it's convenient to do so. And you're just defending them. Who is the "anti-Japan" here?

Thomas Anderson and Strangerland, please do not address each other any further on this thread, since all you are doing is bickering. Instead, focus your comments on what is in the story and not at each other.

The Japanese media was all up in arms about how Hatoyama was "anti-US", yet look at Abe, he's doing the same thing, yet not much is being said about it.

You're so wrong. Hatoyama was anti-US pro-China/Korea. Abe is exactly the opposite, pro-US anti-China/Korea.

Who is the "anti-Japan" here?

Japanese news media

tinawatanabe

You're so wrong. Hatoyama was anti-US pro-China/Korea. Abe is exactly the opposite, pro-US anti-China/Korea.

Hatoyama was not "anti-US". All he wanted to do was to move the Okinawa's bases to outside of Okinawa.

Abe is a bundle of contradictions. He visited Yasukuni, which greatly upset US. His "buddies" like Hyakuta are very vocal about being anti-US, saying that the Nanking massacre was made up by the US to excuse the atomic bombings and things like that

Japanese news media

This person gets it. Lol!

Thomas you said Hatoyama was anti-US in your post above.

Yasukuni is too important place to stay away. My mother in law is visiting the shrine this afternoon. I'll go myself this month.

Nanking was capital. If 300,000 were killed as China says, people there would have noticed. Foreign Embassies were there. Where were news paper reports at that time?

I doubt few outside of Korea can comprehend the depths that Korean ultra-nationalists have sunk to since 1945 in their witch hunts against anyone even mildly supportive of the Japanese, even more so, those deemed as 'collaborators' (which has been extended to witch hunts and the seizure of assets of their children and grand children).

This hatred of all things Japanese became an article of faith of Korean post-war nationalism, and cares not a wit about facts or reality, and has created an imagined alternative narrative to describe the Japanese occupation which few Koreans dare question for fear of being labelled 'traitors' or 'collaborators'. As this imagined history has been propagated by successive Korean governments (via education and dictum), it gets repeated ad nauseum by those with little or no factual understanding of Japanese occupation.

While there were elements of the Japanese occupation that were repugnant, they are not the whole story. Korean nationalists simply refuse to accept that millions of their citizens embraced the liberation from feudalism (and literal slavery for 30-40% of the population) that accompanied the Japanese occupation, and the opportunities presented by the modernity (and industrialization) they introduced.

The notion that every Korean was bitterly opposed to the Japanese occupation, or suffered under it, is a fallacy - consider these statistics: At the end of the Pacific War in 1945 there were an estimated 2.4 million Koreans living in Japan (roughly 10% of the total population of Korea at that time), and after assisted voluntary repatriation, 650,000 Koreans chose to stay in Japan rather than return to Korea. The decision made to stay in Japan by 3% of the total Korean population is counter-intuitive to the argument of universal suffering or 'slavery' promoted by post-war Korean nationalists.

As @Nigelboy has explained, there was no forced labour until the last year of the war, and prior to that, Koreans migrated to Japan under labor contracts - the same labour contracts many Japanese worked under at the time. To portray this voluntary workforce who migrated to Japan for a job and a better life as enslaved or forced labour is simply re-writing history.

Koreans simply cannot accept that without the Japanese, the Joseon Dynasty would have been content to maintain the status quo of the backward feudal society they ruled, while kowtowing to Beijing, and suppressing any dissent (such as the 1894 Peasant Revolt where the Joseon Dynasty relied upon the Japanese military to prevent social anarchy).

Until contemporary Koreans acknowledge that a large number of Koreans embraced and benefited from the Japanese Gabo Reforms and later occupation (including most of the founders of Korea's modern industrial conglomerates), and embrace the truths of their own history, the inane bitterness towards the Japanese is set to continue.

SecularBeast

The notion that every Korean was bitterly opposed to the Japanese occupation, or suffered under it, is a fallacy - consider these statistics: At the end of the Pacific War in 1945 there were an estimated 2.4 million Koreans living in Japan (roughly 10% of the total population of Korea at that time), and after assisted voluntary repatriation, 650,000 Koreans chose to stay in Japan rather than return to Korea. The decision made to stay in Japan by 3% of the total Korean population is counter-intuitive to the argument of universal suffering or 'slavery' promoted by post-war Korean nationalists.

Yes, and we can say that Britain brought India out of poverty, America freed the Africans, Germany helped the Jews, and other various European nations didn't exploit South East Asia, but only brought them to success and improved their infrastructure.

Only in Japan. How many times have we heard the same thing from the right-wingers? This kind of view is NOT acceptable in the rest of the world! Get over it! It does not excuse the fact that Japanese committed many other atrocities! Jesus Christ, STOP with the excuses already! EVERYONE IS SICK OF IT.

If the Japanese Empire improved the Korea here and there, then the whole purpose was to EXPLOIT THEM. How would the Japanese feel if Koreans or Chinese invaded their land, started forcing the Korean language, and forced them to use Korean names? They would probably riot and turn into anti-Korea or China hysterics.

Jesus H... the hypocrisy... the utter illogic... how can they not understand this? Why do they attempt to justify everything? Can they not think properly?

So much talk and yet, so little to talk about. Japanese politicians love to dig themselves in a hole. All you have to do is hand them a shovel, and away they go! The most perplexing thing is when they stop for a second and exclaim that there is no hole before they start digging again!

I love Japan, but the continued insistence that Japan did nothing wrong during the war era and these visits to Yasukuni and back pedaling from previous admissions of guilt are some of the ugliest things about this country.

The idea that koreans should be happy because they came out of their occupation with better infrastructure is like saying the slaves should have been happy because they came out of oppression living in America.

Sorry, it just doesn't work.

Nanking was capital. If 300,000 were killed as China says, people there would have noticed. Foreign Embassies were there. Where were news paper reports at that time?

Probably the us and their European allies are practicing see no evil, hear no evil because they can't afford to divert their attention and resources towards East Asia

When past 1990's, we think the China and Korea be impolite for there poorness, then we give assistance them for get rich, now they grow up, but could not free from impolite. The history was moved far from 1945, but China and Korea could not escape from 1945, for the reasons of they have nothing to proud of but have grudge.

The progress to the WW2 is the quarrel of Japan and USA, China is place of to fight. China is negotiation USA to help from invasion of Japan, then USA stand on China side and help for China. If USA was stand on Japan side, the history is change more heavenly.

Now the history is seemed turn over to the bygone days. Korea is select to return to China empire, USA is throw away by her, Japan is only a ladder to meet China.

@nigelboy @mistered

Axis powers WWii= Germany, Japan and Italy. Logical fallacy? Historical fact. Tokyo War trials set the postwar order which stood the region in good stead for 70 years. Rejection of the verdicts is a rejection of the order which they brought.
Also just because one is disdainful of Japanese right wing revisonism doesn't mean one is a card carrying member of the CCP. That too is a logical fallacy. Chinese nationalsm and Japanese nationalism are both equally misguided engagements with reality. To champion one over the other is intellectually 'adolescent'.

China will to make the new world orders, then they open the history book, and add the new comment of the proof for China's justice by the red ink. Nanking and Comfort Woman and Slave Work is newly big items, it had rise the Xi Jinpings status and protect him from peoples angers. History can be revision by those grate powers, not by the truth, angelic boweevil may be think so too.

Hatoyama was anti-US pro-China/Korea. Abe is exactly the opposite, pro-US anti-China/Korea.

Not really. The ultimate goal of both Hatoyama and Shinzo Abe is genuine independence for Japan. That's why both are disobedient in the eyes of the Americans and are distrusted by the US.

In order to break free from US Suzerainty, Hatoyama went by the direct way of building good relations with all surrounding neighbors of Japan and tried to resolve the territorial disputes that the US created for Japan after the beginning of the Cold-war through peaceful negotiation.

As for Shinzo Abe, he is trying to break free from US Suzerainty indirectly through 2 ways: I. pulling the US into a war with China to get it weakened and II. building nukes.

Yasukuni is too important place to stay away. My mother in law is visiting the shrine this afternoon. I'll go myself this month.

As the representative institution of State Shinto, the Yasukuni shrine is indeed very important for the Japanese fascists because its central belief is fascism and holy war.

Nanking was capital. If 300,000 were killed as China says, people there would have noticed.

The 300,000 figure is taken from the total number of dead bodies buried by the various burial societies and bodies disposed of by the various Japanese troops.

The fact is that the burial societies and other organizations counted more than 155,000 bodies before they were buried. However, this figure does not take into account those persons whose bodies were destroyed by burning or by throwing them into the Yangtze River or otherwise disposed of by the Japanese. According to Japanese Lieutenant colonel Toshio Ohta's statement, between December 14 and December 18 the Japanese commanding headquarters of Nanjing Port disposed of 100,000 bodies while other troops disposed of 50,000.

So by adding up 155,000 to 100,000 and 50,000, you get the figure of more than 300,000. Again this figure still does not take into account the bodies that were destroyed by burning or by throwing them into the Yangtze River.

The reports of the burial societies are not consider to be reliable as they were paid by the Japanese and, hence, as prone to over report as the Chinese are to exaggerate over such matters in general.

The 'big figure' estimates tend to be related to deaths over the entire Yantze Delta area over a the entire period of conflict and not just Nanking, and is still not thought of as credible.

The 300,000 figure is bunk. There is just too much anomalous and contradictory evidence.

"Fascism" is a very silly immature and word to band about and you should be cautious of doing so. It's likely to undercut your own credibility faster than drag anyone else's down.

You know when the politicians dodge certain questions, they are aware they are not completely innocent. Otherwise, they could have buried these needless cycles already.

Axis powers WWii= Germany, Japan and Italy. Logical fallacy? Historical fact. Tokyo War trials set the postwar order which stood the region in good stead for 70 years. Rejection of the verdicts is a rejection of the order which they brought.

Thanks for confirming the "guilt by association" fallacy. That's why I mentioned "Stalin" but as predicted, it went beyond your narrow mind frame.

The reports of the burial societies are not consider to be reliable as they were paid by the Japanese

So the humanitarian organizations that buried the victims aren't trustable in the eyes of the Japanese fascists/neo-Nazis?

What about statements made by Japanese such as former Prime minister Hirota Koki (9 March 1936 – 2 February 1937), Japanese Ambassador to Nazi Germany and General Yasuji Okamura, Japan's commander-in-chief in China:

"In a document sent by former Japanese foreign minister Hirota Koki to the Japanese Embassy in Washington on January 17, 1938, he stated "based upon investigation, over 300,000 Chinese killed". (Ref. National Archives, Washington, D.C., Released in Sept. 1994.)"

"In December 2007, newly declassified U.S. government archive documents revealed that a telegraph by the U.S. ambassador to Germany in Berlin sent one day after the Japanese army occupied Nanking, stated that he heard the Japanese Ambassador in Germany boasting that Japanese army killed 500,000 Chinese people as the Japanese army advanced from Shanghai to Nanking."

General Yasuji Okamura: "First, it is true that tens of thousands of acts of violence, such as looting and rape, took place against civilians during the assault on Nanking. Second, front-line troops indulged in the evil practice of executing POWs on the pretext of (lacking) rations."

@nigelboy

The alliance between Nazi Germany and Japan is a well documented indisputable fact. Ambassador Oshima had a regular audience with Hitler. When Germany lost the war there was wide spread dismay in Japan.

I'm not quite sure how a knowledge of widely accepted historical fact (at least outside of Japan) constitutes a 'narrow mind frame'. But are insults in the pursuit of a Japanese nationalist narrative really necessary? Apparently so.

@Thomas Jefferson @Strangerland - before leaping to any conclusions, familiarize yourself with the basic facts of Korean society (and the lot of the average Korean) before and after the Japanese occupation.

If any Korean can say they would have preferred Korea to have remained an isolated, backward feudal state, ruled by a venal self serving Confucian elite that kowtowed to China, where 30-40% of the population were hereditary slaves and the illiterate peasantry (most of the population were forced to wear identity plates and not allowed travel outside their own villages, and state sponsored religious persecution was the norm (all of which Japan ended) - they're out of their cotton-picking minds. Life was much better for the average Korean during the Japanese occupation than it had ever been under the yoke of the Joseon Dynasty.

The Joseon Dynasty murdered or exiled any one who threatened the status quo, and as I said, it was only a massive country-wide peasant revolt against this oppressive system and Japanese intervention in 1894 that forced social and political change. In the late 19th Century, most of the Korean educated elite calling for reform had either been schooled at Japanese universities or were impressed by (and wanted to mimic) Japan's rapid modernization.

Certainly by modern standards, some aspects of life were tough for average Koreans during the Japanese Colonial Period, but life was positively dire before that time. The modern state of Korea would not have been possible without the education system established by the Japanese, and the post-war academics, managers, economists, techno-crats etc it produced.

These basic facts tend to get buried by Korean nationalists, as it doesn't play to the propagandist narrative of Korean victimization by the Japanese 70-100 years ago.

SecularBeast

If any Korean can say they would have preferred Korea to have remained an isolated, backward feudal state, ruled by a venal self serving Confucian elite that kowtowed to China, where 30-40% of the population were hereditary slaves and the illiterate peasantry (most of the population were forced to wear identity plates and not allowed travel outside their own villages, and state sponsored religious persecution was the norm (all of which Japan ended) - they're out of their cotton-picking minds. Life was much better for the average Korean during the Japanese occupation than it had ever been under the yoke of the Joseon Dynasty.

Amazing... you're saying the exact same thing that Nigelboy has been saying. We've been through this before.

So I wonder if these right-wingers can think for themselves... or are they just "copy and pasting" some info that they got from right-wing sources?

Anyway, it seems that you're stuck in the past, because those are the same 19th century propaganda and justifications that the Imperialists and Colonialists used in the past. They all said that they made their colonies for the better, not worse, and hence justifying their invasion.

We can say the same for Japan. Had the Western powers not intervened, then Japan would have been stuck in backwards feudal era. And had not the US bombed the hell out of Japan, then Japan would have been stuck in Fascist militarist state hell bent on invading other nations.

Obviously, these only work as justifications to serve their own purpose, which was to colonize and exploit their land and their people.

Honestly, how would you feel if Koreans invaded Japan, and started to force the Japanese to speak Korean, and adopt Korean names, and destroyed much of Japanese culture? Would you be happier, even if it "elevated Japan"?

@Strangerland - before leaping to any conclusions, familiarize yourself with the basic facts of Korean society (and the lot of the average Korean) before and after the Japanese occupation.

That's like saying 'before criticizing slavery, familiarize yourself with the basic facts of life in Africa and the lot of the average African, before and after slavery.'

Absolute rubbish.

Honestly, how would you feel if Koreans invaded Japan, while it was under Chinese occupation, and started to force the Japanese to speak Korean, and adopt Korean names, and destroyed much of the oppressive Chinese rules? Would you be happier, even if it "elevated Japan"?

There, fixed it for ya.

"they're out of their cotton-picking minds. Life was much better for the average Korean during the Japanese occupation than it had ever been under the yoke of the Joseon Dynasty"

Why are they out of their cotton-picking minds? Don't you understand that humans, generally speaking, would rather be ruled by a tyrant who is one of their own as opposed to having any kind of change imposed on them from the outside by foreigners who think they're doing them some kind of favor? This isn't some phenomenon unique to Koreans. Ask any African his/her opinion of the European imperial era compared to the continent's pre-colonial history. This is why arguments like yours will simply never gain traction beyond believers in barely concealed Japanese supremacy.

I mean, I could prattle on about how much better life for the average Japanese was under American military occupation in 1951 compared to the hardships of the Meiji Era. New and more progressive constitution written by Americans, women allowed to vote, land more equitably distributed, and so on and so forth. But I won't do that. It's obnoxious and obviously something few Japanese want to hear, even if true in some ways.

After Russo-Japanese War of 1904, Japan and USA is in collision course. USA wish to invest to Manchurian railway, but it refused by Japan. Chinese and Korean was oppose to Japan, then they inviting USA to aline of them, like now they eager to. Those displeasing actions were piled up, and it grooming distrust between Japan and USA. As result of them Immigration Act of 1924 was realized by USA, it mainly limiting to Japan. With those actions USA choose China an ally against to Japan, and USA gave military aid to China. WW2 is the term of beginning of direct battles with Japan and USA, but indirect battles was continued over 20 years before.

If Japan pay attention for more seriously, and take adopt with effective means, the collision will be evade. But from 1910 to 1930, the power holders of Japan is passed from the lord and vassal to the cabinets and lastly to the military authorities. Then Japan is disorder in internal administration, could not have keep the confident to others. Invasion of Japan to China is, do not under fixed plans, but do it under vested interests of military side, so no one check or alter it. WW2 is planed by USSR, In Japan left side peoples act with them, it was remained in Japan political systems, then the press of Japan is mainly act as left.

In 1990's, for the friendship we have invest to China and Korea, but it was needed only Japan side burden, all result was get by them. Now they cut down Japan as they think all thing is stolen and nothing will be remain. to mortify Japan is the last thing to do. We had resignation to keep friendship with them, then Abe will not bend to China and Korea as a conventional style. China and Korea get angry by Abe's refuse of bend, then they appeal to the world as Abe is the wicker right and dangerous person.

Does the Japanese in this article seriously infer that the results of an international war crimes tribunal are propaganda? Wow... I really don't know what to say about that.

FizzBit

There, fixed it for ya.

Fixed.

Honestly, how would you feel if Koreans invaded Japan, while it was under Chinese occupation, while there were ongoing anti-China, anti-Korea and anti-foreign rebellions and started to force the Japanese to speak Korean, and adopt Korean names, and destroyed much of the oppressive Chinese rules, at the same time establishing a new puppet pro-Korea government? Would you be happier, even if it "elevated Japan"?

After Russo-Japanese War of 1904, Japan and USA is in collision course.

Not quite true@uuuccc. After all, wasn't it US president Theodore Roosevelt -- recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 -- who negotiated the peace terms to end that war, which was concluded with the Treaty of Portsmouth? Also, Japan and the US were allies in World War 1. Things began to take a turn for the worse with the Japanese Exclusion Law passed by the US Congress in 1924.

Read a weekly magazine, where a US journalist have a colum, he talk about Abe, there I found the full text of impeach Abe, by rumor of revision the Nanking or Comfort Women. If Japan deny these text, nothing influence to him, only the China or Korea is becomes awkward a little, for they are lost a stick to beat Japan.

He was seemed excellently person as graduate famous college, but he stand by China side and hostile Japan. Those person never touch what happen in China when war is passed, or what China had done at Tibet or Uighur. He would apology that he had talking about WW2 not of the others. But those items is used as present days to get honor of country, not the past story to laugh. He used double standard for us then it be unacceptable for me. I doubt that he knows everything about them, then he write the iniquitous history for his employer, or he is a innocent boy believing that China is normal.

To GalapagosnoGairaishu, nothing is different from you and me, I think so.

@ Thomas Anderson

Edo was not a backwards feudal society. I could explain why ... but I cannot be bothered arguing with Chinese or Korean trolls who use Caucasian names.

I wish you people would had some self respect. Come out as who you truly are.

All these reiterations of "right wing" and "fascism" are ridiculous. They are an offence to anyone with any smidgeon of intelligence.

When trying to verify Kono statement and comfort woman issue, freedom of speech is always restricted by Korea and China..

True objective journalism should be conducted very much the same way as an objective teacher. A good teacher tells you where to look but not what to see!

With that said all sides are guilty of propaganda. Even here at JT. It's up to the reader to recognize when they are being misguided.

How many foreign correspondents actually speak Japanese well enough, especially the written Japanese of the 1940s, to be able to check facts and do research?

The International Military Tribunal for the Far East, which is what it was actually called, was widely considered a piece of political theater even back when it happened.

Read up on Radhabinod Pal's comments that the legitimacy of the tribunal was suspect and questionable and an act of retribution, and not impartial justice.

He argued, as many agree today, that the United States had deliberately provoked the war with Japan.

He described the trial as a "sham employment of legal process for the satisfaction of a thirst for revenge."

Mister Ed APR. 14, 2014 - 12:28AM JST Edo was not a backwards feudal society. I could explain why ...

Yes it was. Ranked by the outdated hierarchy. People who were born in the lower ranks were pretty disadvantaged and there were no gender equality. No tolerance on practicing foreign religions other than Buddhism and Shintoism. Why don't you now explain it was not a backward feudal?

@Vincehwr

Looking at this period from today's perspective, it was an interesting time for a part of humanity, as a period of peace and flourishing culture. During most of the Edo Period, Japan was closed off to the world, suffered no invasion from the outside, and had virtually no exchange with other countries. For the most part, it was a peaceful period, with almost no war inside the country, and marked a remarkable time of development in the economy and culture of Japan.

The alliance between Nazi Germany and Japan is a well documented indisputable fact. Ambassador Oshima had a regular audience with Hitler. When Germany lost the war there was wide spread dismay in Japan.

Boweevil

I'm not questioning the alliance but your fallacy stems from Nazi Germany=bad, Germany & Japan alliance, therefore Japan=bad simple minded guilt by association deduction.

There was dismay when Germany surrendered because guess who was coming? Soviets (Stalin). Remember them? Should I use the same logic as well? Stalin=bad, Soviets=Allieds, therefore Allieds (U.S. Britain, French,)=bad.

How many foreign correspondents actually speak Japanese well enough, especially the written Japanese of the 1940s, to be able to check facts and do research?

Mister Ed.

As far as I know, none. Most are here on assignment so they don't even bother to learn the language of their host country.

I'm not questioning the alliance but your fallacy stems from Nazi Germany=bad, Germany & Japan alliance, therefore Japan=bad simple minded guilt by association deduction.

But Nigelboy, I thought you said that the Japanese people were forced to go to war by an evil fascist empire, and now you're saying that the empire of Japan was just all good and dandy?

But Nigelboy, I thought you said that the Japanese people were forced to go to war by an evil fascist empire, and now you're saying that the empire of Japan was just all good and dandy?

"Even contemporary historians could think that 'as for the present war, the Principality of Monaco, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, would have taken up arms against the United States on receipt of such a note (Hull note) as the State Department sent the Japanese Government on the eve of Pearl Harbor.'"

You don't even have a clue as to what I said.

No Nigelboy, you were saying that say, the kamikaze pilots were forced to go on their suicide mission by evil fascist militarists. But now they were good after all? How do you explain that?

No Nigelboy, you were saying that say, the kamikaze pilots were forced to go on their suicide mission by evil fascist militarists. But now they were good after all? How do you explain that?

Never once did I mention "kamikaze" or "fascist". Are you confusing with someone else again?

Never once did I mention "kamikaze" or "fascist". Are you confusing with someone else again?

It was example, nigelboy, can't you make a logical connection? So how do you explain the fact that the Japanese empire was good, according to you, yet at the same time sacrifice their men on suicide missions? How is that "good"?

It was example, nigelboy, can't you make a logical connection? So how do you explain the fact that the Japanese empire was good, according to you, yet at the same time sacrifice their men on suicide missions? How is that "good"?

Thomas.

Why is this "need" to conclude everything either black or white, good or evil? I gave you an example how events and circumstances that lead up to the war is "gray". You"re no different than a five year old kid thursting to hear your parents reading a bed time story where good will eventually triumph over evil. Like all wars, there are negatives and positives depending on which angle you want to view them at.

So nigelboy, I guess you admit that the Empire of Japan was not much different Nazi Germany, than? Thank you proving yourself wrong.

Please stop bickering.

So nigelboy, I guess you admit that the Empire of Japan was not much different Nazi Germany, than? Thank you proving yourself wrong.

If you want to play that "angle", I would extend that the Allieds were no different than Nazi Germany.

If you want to play that "angle", I would extend that the Allieds were no different than Nazi Germany.

Except that they were not fascist militarists.

Except that they were not fascist militarists.

They were militarists nonetheless.

Thomas Anderson and nigelboy, that's enough bickering. Please do not address each other any further on this thread.

Fascism:

1. A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.

I would not say that Empire of Japan had strong "centralization of authority under a dictator", but it had everything else such as censorship, suppression of opposition, extreme nationalism and racism etc. that would mark a fascist state.

I was a reporter at this event. You can see the video here http://wcn-tv.com/blog/2014/02/27/wcn-tv-com-world-news-comfort-women-controversy-%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E8%AA%9E%E3%80%81eng/ and judge for yourself. We sat there for more than 30 minutes listening to them including their presentation about their trip to the Glendale statue. A reporter's job is to present both sides of the story. Most reporters at the event asked questions on behalf of the other side of history. Their response was always: the government said it didn't happen - so it didn't. If anything was blind in that room it could have been these two women's faith in their government.

I cannot fathom how this is still an on-going debate. Japan conducted a completely unjustified war of aggression and, during the course of that war, committed massive amounts of crimes against humanity. Not at all unlike Nazi Germany.

These are historically documented truths and right-wing Japan's inability to accept them is nothing short of childish and borderline autistic.

Just calm down. What did you expect from Sankei, which is a FOX news equivalent? My problem with it is that, somehow, MSN is cooperating with it and that, while browsing, I have to come across a few articles per day, on which I wouldn't like to even spend a second of my life time.

@ Mister Ed

I respect your arguments and have, in the past, even agreed with some them myself. In the spirit of a good-natured debate, I'll bite.

1. There's a difference between "questioning the past" / "historical revisionism" and downright denial. Certainly, critiquing America's imperial ambitions in Asia is an example of the former. But denying that the Japanese committed atrocities and crimes against humanity is a clear instance of the latter.

2. I'm not entirely sure what Japan apologists such as yourself think America was doing in the Pacific in the 20th century. It certainly wasn't "unprovoked aggression." America didn't want to invade Japan. (The U.S. didn't annex Japan after WWII, did it? America doesn't do things like that.) Sure, maybe Japan's "national pride" was hurt a bit by economic disparities between the two countries. And, yes, unfair treaties were signed. It seemed like every Western nation wanted to take a bit of the wealth of Asia back home with it. Japan was right to fight against that.

But there are ways of fighting economic disparities and diplomatic unfairness THAT DON'T INVOLVE wars of aggression and killing millions of women and children. It's called international relations, and it's what everyone has been doing since experiencing the horrors of WWII.

1. Bottom line: Yes, Japan suffered from racism, economic robbery, and unequal treaties. But you don't rectify those wrongs with total war. You find other ways to do it.

Looking forward to your reply.

**

LBW2010Apr. 17, 2014 - 12:34AM JST

I cannot fathom how this is still an on-going debate.

It is unbelievable that you cannot. It is because the testimonies of Korean former comfort women are severely contradicting. Read here http://www.japantoday.com/category/kuchikomi/view/foreign-correspondents-blindly-swallowing-anti-japanese-propaganda-writer-alleges#comment_1761544

The US army report during WW2 pointed out that "comfort girls" were "prostitutes" and they lived in "near-luxury." http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/japan-upset-by-s-korean-comfort-women-exhibit-at-french-comic-book-festival#comment_1720163

Anyone, let alone any journalist, would be interested in finding what really happened to comfort women.

Bottom line: Yes, Japan suffered from racism, economic robbery, and unequal treaties. But you don't rectify those wrongs with total war. You find other ways to do it.

That is by no means the bottom line. The bottom line is finding what really happened, even if that is inconvenient.

A reporter's job is to present both sides of the story.

No is isn't: a reporter's job is to listen to both sides of the story and then present what he or she believes to be an objectively accurate account of the topic.

That is by no means the bottom line. The bottom line is finding what really happened

I believe that's probably the last thing the Japanese fascists/neo-Nazis have in their mind. CH3CHO, even the report that you referred to says this:

"Early in May of 1942 Japanese agents arrived in Korea for the purpose of enlisting Korean girls for "comfort service" in newly conquered Japanese territories in Southeast Asia. The nature of this "service" was not specified but it was assumed to be work connected with visiting the wounded in hospitals, rolling bandages, and generally making the soldiers happy."

So it is very clear that the 20 Korean girls rescued by US soldiers did not choose to become "military prostitutes" or sex slaves but were cheated by the Japanese agents into it.

As for other sex slaves, some of them were directly kidnapped by Japanese soldiers while others were forced by the Japanese military into becoming one as can be seen from the following question and answer session in a war crime tribunal:

"Q: Some witnesses said you raped women and sent them to military barracks for more sexual assault from Japanese soldiers.

A: I built a brothel for my soldiers and I used it too.

Q: Did the women accept being sent to the brothel?

A: Some accepted it and others did not.

Q: How many women lived there?

A: Six.

Q: How many women were sent against their will?

A: Five.

Q: Why were those women forcibly sent there?

A: They were daughters of people who attacked military police office.

Q: Were they sent to the brothel because of their fathers' activities?

A: Yes."

The following is the statement of a 25 year-old Dutch comfort woman who was kidnapped by Japanese soldiers in Magelang, Java Island in Indonesia:

"We were sent to an asylum from a detention camp by Japanese soldiers on January 28, 1944 and underwent a health inspection by Japanese doctors on February 3. We heard that we would be sent to a brothel for the Japanese. There was a rumor that the brothel would open that night. After returning to our room, Ms. Bracker and I closed all our windows and doors. Around 9 o'clock in the evening, we heard knock. Military police forced us not to close the door. The military police brought a Japanese soldier and said we must accept the soldier. The military police forced us to do so by saying, 'If you do not accept the soldier, your husband will be responsible for that.' The brothel was opened for officers in weekdays, and for sergeants on Sunday afternoons. Sunday mornings was for private soldiers and sometimes for common Japanese people. We always resisted but it was in vain."

On the Portuguese East Timor Island, the Japanese military forced the head of the area to cooperate with them to recruit comfort women. A Portuguese medic who witnessed the scene testified the following in June 1946.

"I know many places where Japanese people forced the head of each area to send girls to their brothels. They intimidated the head to cooperate with them in sending women and girls to the brothel by saying that they would send the head's relative girls to the brothel unless they cooperated."

The report also includes cases submitted by French inspectors which proved forced mobilization of prostitutes in Langson, Vietnam and fake advertisements for factory workers in Guilin, China.

Guru29Apr. 18, 2014 - 02:37AM JST

Let's see who is supporting the truth and who is manipulating.

Would you clarify in which war tribunal the Q&A took place? I guess it would be a war tribunal in Indonesia, and Koreans have nothing to do with it.

The following is the statement of a 25 year-old Dutch

She is Ms. O'Herne. She is not a Korean.

On the Portuguese East Timor Island,

Again, nothing to do with Koreans.

Do you see my point? I am talking about Korean comfort women. You start talking about comfort women other than Korean. Why? Your way of discussion is called straw man argument and is a kind of manipulation. If there really were 200,000 Korean comfort women, you would not have any shortage of evidence. Koreans say Japanese Army destroyed all the evidence. Funny, why do we see so much evidence of comfort women in Japanese archives? Dutch was enemy, Korea was friend. Treatment of enemy citizens would differ a lot from friendly citizens.

The nature of this "service" was not specified but it was assumed to be work connected with visiting the wounded in hospitals, rolling bandages, and generally making the soldiers happy."

Ask any Korean prostitute today. She would answer that she was tricked into the business rather than willingly went into the business. In addition, those comfort women in the US document testified they were not abducted.

CH3CHO, nobody on the world believes that Japan treated Koreans in a friendly way. After the 1923 kanto earthquake. Japanese even killed 3000 to 6000 Koreans living in Japan because there were rumors that Koreans were poisoning the well and causing mayhem. The media, the police and the government all participated in this conspiracy.

There were also discrimination against Koreans like any other minorities in Japan and they were seen as poor and inferior.

Before the annexation of Korea, there were pro Korea colonizers planning on invading and colonizing Korea. It had nothing to do with being friendly toward Korea.

Yes, as CHC30 suggests its very important to clarify what the nationalities of the women were who forcibly imprisoned at the comfort stations, otherwise Guru you are manipulating the facts and the information is not relevant at all to the title of the article which is 'Foreignors blindly swallowing anti-Japanes propaganda'. (NOT!!!)

That is the title of the article isn't it? So according to this logic (regardless of whether the facts its based on are true or not) the nationality of the women being raped is important? Do you even know what you are saying? If anything that comment just makes ithat line of reasoning all the more sordid and repugnant.

Thomas AndersonApr. 18, 2014 - 09:46AM JST

After the 1923 kanto earthquake. Japanese even killed 3000 to 6000 Koreans living in Japan because there were rumors that Koreans were poisoning the well and causing mayhem.

They were not just rumors, but Koreans actually looted stores, raped Japanese women, and set fire on houses in the chaos after the Great Kanto Earthquake.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%E9%96%A2%E6%9D%B1%E4%B8%80%E5%B8%AF%E3%82%92%E9%A8%92%E3%81%8C%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F%E9%AE%AE%E4%BA%BA%E6%9A%B4%E5%8B%95%E3%81%AE%E6%AD%A3%E4%BD%93%E3%81%AF%E3%81%93%E3%82%8C_%E6%94%BE%E7%81%AB%E6%AE%BA%E4%BA%BA%E6%9A%B4%E8%A1%8C%E6%8E%A0%E5%A5%AA%E3%81%AB%E3%81%A4%E3%81%8E%E6%A9%8B%E6%A2%81%E7%A0%B4%E5%A3%8A%E3%82%82%E4%BC%81%E3%81%A6%E3%81%9F%E4%B8%8D%E9%80%9E%E5%9B%A31.jpg http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%E9%96%A2%E6%9D%B1%E4%B8%80%E5%B8%AF%E3%82%92%E9%A8%92%E3%81%8C%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F%E9%AE%AE%E4%BA%BA%E6%9A%B4%E5%8B%95%E3%81%AE%E6%AD%A3%E4%BD%93%E3%81%AF%E3%81%93%E3%82%8C_%E6%94%BE%E7%81%AB%E6%AE%BA%E4%BA%BA%E6%9A%B4%E8%A1%8C%E6%8E%A0%E5%A5%AA%E3%81%AB%E3%81%A4%E3%81%8E%E6%A9%8B%E6%A2%81%E7%A0%B4%E5%A3%8A%E3%82%82%E4%BC%81%E3%81%A6%E3%81%9F%E4%B8%8D%E9%80%9E%E5%9B%A32.jpg

There is no justification for killing of innocent Koreans, but what some Korean did should be also mentioned.

Well, I would give you this. Japan initially thought of Korea as more or less equals, or at least as a "little brother". Polls back then showed that Japanese placed Korea in the 6th place as their favorite nation, only 1 place after themselves, in the 5th position.

The influential thinker Fukuzawa Yukichi initially had high hopes that Korea would also modernize their own nation like Japan did. But the reactionary response from the Korean rulers when Japan sent some troops to Korea, they tried to hold ever tighter to their regime made him lose hope, and how China was also crumbling, made him decide that the Asia was a hopeless case after all, and made the final decision of going datsu-a, or "leaving Asia" and "joining Europe". This thought spread to the right-wingers at the time who were pro Korea-invaders and colonizers. And all hell pretty much broke from there.

So back then, the elites were definitely divided into two camps, the pro Korea invaders and anti Korea invaders, although the opposition were not necessarily against Japanese Imperialism, it's just they thought that the time was not right to be invading Korea, when they should have been focusing on their own nation's issues instead.

Fukuzawa Yukichi's datsu-a-ron or "leaving Asia, joining Europe theory" was highly influential, and it gave the final stamp of finality in the prevailing Japanese thought that the Asians were no good, and that Japanese were superior to them and had the right to rule over them, and should join in with the class of Europeans and become equals, not unlike how the Europeans thought of themselves as being superior to the "uncivilized" peoples and therefore had the right to rule over them. Japanese were obviously also influenced by these supremacists thoughts from Europe.

They were not just rumors, but Koreans actually looted stores, raped Japanese women, and set fire on houses in the chaos after the Great Kanto Earthquake.

They WERE rumors. The media retracted the rumors a few days later and started reporting that people should not harm the Koreans, but it was too late, the damage had been done.

Anyway, the police rounded up the Koreans, and killed them. Mobs and vigilantes made people speak so that they know who were with Korean accents, and beat them to death. Killing 3000 to 6000 Koreans because of some rumors is pretty damn terrible, and it should not be forgotten. Not to mention that it's not so much different than what is happening right now, when Zaitokukai is chanting to kill and murder Koreans because of some rumors that Koreans are receiving "special privileges". Of course, the media, the police and the government do nothing about it.

The inner city land grabs explain why there is a big generally Korean run pachinko bar outside most central train stations.

Basically they were grabbing the land of Japanese families who had been killed outright, or where the husband had been killed at war, and where the destruction was so great (firestorms/lost records) it was difficult to tell where the old boundaries were.

In the USA, race huckstering within minority communities is recognised fairly, accepted and filtered out. It's not a term I've seen used to recognise some tendencies within some Zainichi Korean groups, especially those leaning toward the North, but its a fair assessment.

Neither have I even read any Korean activists admitting any element of criminality which has provoked quite reasonable reaction within Japan. It's not a reaction to race, it's a reaction to genuine criminality.

Most foreign correspondents miss the subtlety of this because, for example, Korean Yakuza leaders all use Japanese cover names. Many could not even tell the difference visibly or linguistically if they met them in person.

The race hucksters, the absolutely criminal elements, and the supporters and channellers of vast and illegal funds and goods back to North Korea all want to hide behind the facade of being "discriminated against" ... whilst at the same time receiving numerous state benefits.

Japanese news reports on alleged Korean crimes were mostly fabrications. This is translated from Kodansha's 日本犯罪史:

The mob lynchings of thousands of Koreans and smaller numbers of Chinese were anything but spontaneous. Two days after the earthquake on September 3, Fumio Goto, a security official in the Interior Ministry, cabled outlying offices that Koreans were committing acts of arson and ordered them rounded up. The media, particularly the nationalist Hokkai Times, chimed in with inflammatory stories.

Thomas AndersonApr. 18, 2014 - 05:00PM JST

They WERE rumors.

The Great Kanto Earthquake occurred on September 1, 1923. The newspapers I linked were issued on October 22, 1923. The reported crimes were real and confirmed. The news company could not report the crimes committed by Koreans till that day, because the Japanese government prohibited reporting of Korean crimes for fear such report might cause hate crime against Koreans.

Do you see? You are just white washing history.

Do you see my point? I am talking about Korean comfort women. You start talking about comfort women other than Korean. Why?

You have any proof that Korean comfort women were indeed treated differently by the Japanese as compared to say Chinese, south-east Asian or Dutch comfort women in the first place?

The following is a typical "training session" of a Korean comfort woman right after recruitment as described in a lecture note from Columbia University:

"On the first night there I was dragged before a high-ranking soldier and raped. He had a pistol. I was frightened at seeing myself bleed and I tried to run away. He patted my back and said that I would have to go through this experience whether I liked it or not, but that after a few times I would not feel so much pain. We were taken here and there to the rooms of different high-ranking officers on a nightly basis. Every night we were raped. On the fifth day, I asked one of the soldiers; “Why are you taking us from room to room to different men? What is our work? Is it just going to be with different men?” He replied: “You will go wherever orders take you. And you will know what your job is when you get there.”"

And this is the daily work routine of the Korean comfort woman as described in the same note:

"There was a large house right beside an army unit, and we were to be accommodated there. The house was pretty much derelict and inside was divided into many small rooms. There were two Japanese women and abut 20 Koreans there, so with the 30 of us who had arrived from Uiryŏng, there were about 50 women in total. The two Japanese were said to have come from brothels. They were 27 or 28, about ten years older than all the Koreans. The soldiers preferred us Korean girls, saying we were cleaner. Those who had arrived before us came from the south-western provinces of Chŏlla and the central provinces of Ch’ungch’ŏng and were of similar age to us. Those of us who had traveled together kept ourselves very much to ourselves. I was called “Langchang” there. From the 50 of us, excluding those who were ill or had other reasons, 35 girls on average worked each day. …

We rose at seven in the morning, washed and took breakfast in turns. Then from about 9 o’clock the soldiers began to arrive and form orderly lines. From 6 o’clock in the evening high-ranking officers came, some of whom stayed overnight. Each of us had to serve an average of 30 to 40 men each day, and we often had no time to sleep. When there was a battle, the number of soldiers who came declined. In each room there was a box of condoms which the soldiers used. There were some who refused to use them, but more than half put them on without complaining. I told those who would not use them that I had a terrible disease, and it would be wise for them to use a condom if they didn’t want to catch it. Quite a few would rush straight to penetration without condoms, saying they couldn’t care less if they caught any diseases since they were likely to die on the battlefield at any moment. On such occasions I was terrified that I might actually catch venereal disease. After one use, we threw the condoms away; plenty were provided."

Do non-Korean comfort women received different training or had different work routine as compared to what were described above?

Ask any Korean prostitute today. She would answer that she was tricked into the business rather than willingly went into the business. In addition, those comfort women in the US document testified they were not abducted.

While there are Korean comfort women who were abducted to "comfort" station such as the following one:

http://www.dw.de/former-comfort-woman-tells-uncomforting-story/a-17060384

I believe most of them were cheated into it by unscrupulous recruitment agents as described in the same note:

"I went to P’yǒngch’on to meet him and promised him I would go to Japan to work. He gave me the time and place of my departure and I returned home to ready myself to leave. In those days people were rather simple, and I, having had no education, didn’t know anything of the world. All I knew ― all I thought I knew ― was that I was going to work in a factory to earn money. I never dreamed that this could involve danger...."

She is Ms. O'Herne. She is not a Korean.

She is not Korean but even she said this:

"I have forgiven the Japanese for what they did to me, but I can never forget. The war never ended for the Comfort Women."

While the crimes against Korea are substantial, the Koreans are happy to milk the situation... and to lie about it. Many people here will tell you that Japan has never apologized, never paid reparations, and that they would forgive if only they did. School kids get caricatures of evil samurai in their history books. The nationalists here like having a villain, and Japan is theirs. I can't speak about China on this point. As for the train at Yushukan... where? I was there a couple years ago and didn't see it.

As for the train at Yushukan... where? I was there a couple years ago and didn't see it.

You don't even have to buy a ticket and go in to see it, it's in the foyer by the Zero and gift shop.

@Guru29

One does not need to prove something did not happen. If one is going to make accusations, one needs to be able prove that they have some substance.

In the last 20 years, since the usurping of the comfort woman issue - originally a feminist cause promoted by a coalition of Japanese and Korean women working together - by racists and nationalists, surprising little evidence has been found to support the wilder claims. And that is the problem.

That is the problem that has not filtered through to the popular level, and that is the problem that the foreign correspondence have not address either in their naivety, e.g. young correspondent without the language skills and background necessary; cynicism, e.g. pandering to market for "evil Japan" stories, or simply due to the changes in journalism and the old media not allowing proper investigative journalists.

Journalists, especially freelance journalists, just don't get enjoy to do the research they might like to do, hence articles become simply copy and pastes often lifted from the first few pages of Google.

Never once in the "serious" media have I read an exposé of Kim Hak-Sun's - the first Korean war time prostitute to "come out" in public and set the trend - or her fabrications, nor how it turns out that the Asahi Shimbun journalist who fabricated her story happens to be married to the daughter of the women who led the Korean "victims" NPO. Nor have I read how she and other directors of the NPO were since investigated and found guilty of fraud.

Journalist constantly repeat the "200,000" magical number and "sex slave" term as if it is true, inventing qualifications such as "respected historians" ... do any of them know where it came from and that it was just a high estimate? (It was from a Japanese academic).

More than 20 years of numerous groups trying to find the evidence, yet none has surfaced to support it ... so why is it reported as if it were true? That is "blindly swallowing" and regurgitating the production of the South Korean and now Chinese propaganda machines ... as the naive Iris Chang did.

Unfortunately, the media in Japan is s''t scared of breaking step with the government-the truth will never be re"orated and the politicians will continue with their faux pas ......

More than 20 years of numerous groups trying to find the evidence, yet none has surfaced to support it ... so why is it reported as if it were true? That is "blindly swallowing" and regurgitating the production of the South Korean and now Chinese propaganda machines ... as the naive Iris Chang did.

Then, I ask you why Japan destroyed most of the documents regarding it's ww2 activities, if there is nothing to hide?

Did it really?

Unless you can quantify how much, and of what, statements like that are of no value and are just conspiracy theories. A surprising large amount still does exist.

The bigger - and real - problem is that few to none of the Western historians who have looked at this period can read the kind of Japanese existing documents were written in. Even today's Japanese find it difficult.

Consequently, what we read most is the recycling of wartime propaganda, both US and Chinese, by patriotic military buffs, and the sick fantasies of atrocity pornographers.