Asahi apologizes for erroneous Fukushima, comfort women reports

Better late than never. Good for Asahi.

many from Korea but also from China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan, served Japanese soldiers in "comfort stations"

Let's not forget that as many as 40% of these comfort women were actually Japanese of Japanese decent. None of these Yamato girls came forward and complained after WWII. They must have been paid really well.

Asahi, very very shameful!

I'm confused. Does this mean that the whole "comfort women" thing never happened in the first place?

He said he would decide whether or not to resign after enacting “revival through sweeping reform.”

The actions of Asahi are sickening enough, but this lame statement is far, far worse. Japan prides itself, rightfully so, on the incredible legacy of the samurai and their code of personal honor and responsibility. And everyday some J-Inc dirt bag does his best to eradicate any modern-day connection to that code. Great role models.

Forget the past & move forward...we can't change the past, whether true or not! Pathetic ...

Is Asahi being forced by the government to declare fact gathering on Comfort Women was falsified??!!

Workers did abandoned their posts, sounds like an Abe "secret" and has put onto the newspaper to report the facts as Abe wants them remembered.

Tessa: I'm confused. Does this mean that the whole "comfort women" thing never happened in the first place?

Asahi Shimbun retracted some articles. Including about one guy who made up a bunch of stuff. That doesn't affect any other evidence not based on their articles, except by association.

While Asahi are culpable of neglience re checking sources, the whole "comfort women" issue did and does not hinge on the ramblings of one single man.

Many other accounts exist from a variety of cross-cultural sources, too numerous in number to ignore.

The anti-Asahi forces focus on this one single view, is a weak attempt to discredit all views & accounts.

And re Fukushima - again it's not really clear from Yoshidas vague account whether his words / actions / in-actions did or did not play a significant role in a controlled evacuation or a panic evacuation. He says they didn't follow his orders, so there are unknowns.

While I'm not a blind Asahi fan, it does seem there are certain forces at play at the moment designed to crush their voice and cast doubt on their status. I wonder how any of the other media networks would come out from a similar scalpel wielding dissection? Clean as dirt I suspect.

Oh, right, just because one newspaper ran one report with inadequate fact checking, an entire history of shameful behavior by wartime Japan is now out the window -- never mind the other witness testimonies and the numerous personal accounts by survivors from different countries. Right.

Yeah, great! But, my question is, where they paid to print it or to retract it? I remember it very well and they did leave the plant. I remember the PM at the time screaming at the deceased TEPCO GM to get in there and sort it out. The order was given to evacuate the plant. This is a cover up folks!

Asahi Shimbun retracted some articles. Including about one guy who made up a bunch of stuff. That doesn't affect any other evidence not based on their articles, except by association.

And the said "association"' namely the Yoshida testimony and the deliberate 'switch' of 'teishintai' (Women's work Corp during the war) to comfort women fueled the false assertion of "MORE THAN 200,000 WOMEN AND GIRLS WHO WERE ABDUCTED BY THE ARMED FORCES OF THE GOVERNMENT OF IMPERIAL JAPAN. 1930's - 1945" for decades.

Make no mistake. Seiji Yoshida's work is the foundation of this issue for it was cited in U.N. Reports and the House resolution in the U.S.

The admission of the mistake has boosted the country’s conservative forces, which have insisted there was no “sex slavery” at the frontline brothels and that many of the comfort women were highly paid prostitutes.

No. The retraction by Asahi have angered the good willed Japanese populace who were sympathetic towards the comfort women who helped paved way for the issue of Kono apology and the establishment and the funding of Asian Women Fund.

As the former director of the Asian Women Fund had recently stated, if the Korean government and the group push this issue even further '日本社会は許さないだろう' (Japanese society will not forgive)

Either way, Asahi's management should be tried for treason. Though there ARE other testimonies, Asahi did pay a pivotal role in putting Japan in a difficult position with that article. There is enough controversy about the actions of Snowden and Assange, but they are leaking out a CURRENT affair, something that cannot be said of Asahi.

Sure there are plenty of other witnesses to the sex slavery, but since they aren't Japanese their opinions don't appear to count here.

Amidalism, you do realize the difference between the weight of a testimonial and a report from a Japanese newspaper, do you? Even to the Chinese and Koreans, there is a difference which they exploit for their ends.

nigelboy: Seiji Yoshida's work is the foundation of this issue for it was cited in U.N. Reports and the House resolution in the U.S.

"cited in (etc. etc.) ..." is not enough evidence for "the foundation of this issue".

As the former director of the Asian Women Fund had recently stated, if the Korean government and the group push this issue even further '日本社会は許さないだろう' (Japanese society will not forgive)

Oh, the bitter, bitter irony.

Sure there are plenty of other witnesses to the sex slavery, but since they aren't Japanese their opinions don't appear to count here.

Maybe because they have nothing to do with Asahi or this article? And if we bring out those testimonies we will have to bring out all the false ones as well.

It's a start from Asahi, but there's much more they should be retracting and apologising for. I have seen Asahi publish some nonsense in my time. I don't know why they are still such a big influential "news" agency at this stage.

therougouSep. 12, 2014 - 09:47AM JST

And if we bring out those testimonies we will have to bring out all the false ones as well.

So true. 2 of the all 3 former ianfu who have ever testified before US congress made self contradicting testimonies.

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

On page 19, written testimony by Ms. YONG SOO LEE

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 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.

On page 17, oral testimony by the same Ms. YONG SOO LEE

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.

Sorry but who is turning the screws into Asahi to make them come forward and make such statements? I can only think they are being put under pressure by the government to retract statements. We all know that workers fled Fukushoma, we also know that Japan had sex slaves during the war. Indeed, articles might not be 100% correct but there is too much coming out of Asahi for me to think that this is just business as usual and nothing is going on behind doors.

The daily said about 650 employees, or 90% of the plant’s workforce, retreated to another seaside TEPCO nuclear plant (Fukushima Daini) 12 kilometers away when the nuclear crisis worsened a few days after the accident.

This is EXACTLY what happened, who remembers the Fukushima 50!? The governments is pressuring Asahi to retract actual FACTS!

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a radio talk show Thursday the comfort women report had “agonised many people and impaired Japan’s reputation in the international community.”

What a moron. The fact that it happened isn't what's impairing Japan's reputation. It's the continued denials. It happened more than half a century ago in a time of war. Atrocities are committed during war because war sucks. Most countries own up to them and try to move on.

If Japanese politicians like Abe kept their mouth shut, the troublemakers in China and Korea wouldn't have a leg to stand on and would be forced to move on eventually. By troublemakers, I don't mean the actual victims, but the politicians that use the situation to their advantage. As it stands, they have a point when they say Japan's leaders don't seem repentant.

Well now Asahi is required to straighten out all the misunderstand around the WORLD due to their disinformation. It's their burden to to remove the stain they brought to Japan as a whole.

I really do not think they understand the gravity of the problem they had created.

best movie is climber's high, about the newspaper business. Although dated technically I think it still holds up socially. Anyway, all I can think about is the line, check and double check...

Funny that I'm not seeing this in the western news sources,

So, is there any evidence left regarding the comfort women? This is worse than if there was a trove of hard evidence as now both sides won't accept it.

It's their burden to to remove the stain they brought to Japan as a whole.

The stain Japan brought upon itself by using comfort women and denying them or the stain of taking short cuts and having Fukushima end up in the mess it is in? Or do you mean both?

Funny that I'm not seeing this in the western news sources, Nothing "funny" about it. The rest of the world is rolling their eyes because it has been proven that Japan used sex slaves and that staff fled after Fukushima. Japan can lie to itself all it wants but the rest of the world aren't sheeple willing to swallow Abe's lies and cover ups.

zichiSep. 12, 2014 - 11:29AM JST

The retraction of the Asahi articles about the Comfort Women, particularly those who came from Korea does not invalidate all of the evidence and documentation. For instance, the Asian Women's Fund has substantial documentation unrelated to anything published by the Asahi. There's also documentation in other countries like America and Britain.

There are true stories, as well as untrue stories. Someone has to sort out facts from lies.

What I see one of the biggest problem is that "the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan" which is the most vocal group for ianfu is a propaganda organization. The name itself is a false in that no inafu was "drafted". http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1962763/Korean-Council-for-the-Women-Drafted-for-Military-Sexual-Slavery-by-Japan

Japanease citizen already knew there are no comfort women, but well paid prostitutes. I really hope foreigners recognize Asahi News Paper's guilt and get the truth.

I call BS on all this!

First of all the J-govt & J-media NEITHER has had or ever will have any real CREDIBILITY wrt Fukushima or the sex slaves!! PERIOD they lost that ages ago!

On Fukushima.............sorry all this supposed documentation coming out now...........sorry don't buy it! And the crap they have released DOESNT EVEN show that people didn't flee, I mean what the hell!

On the sex slaves, the crap I have been reading in the "japan newspaper" this year is of the charts propaganda that no one in their right mind should be believing, atrocious stuff!

Bottom line the guy Yoshida's testimony ..........true or not we will never know, and the supposed "proof" its untrue is lame at best.

And with so much more evidence of the sex slavery, sorry Japan your guilty, simple as that.

What is happening to the Asahi wrt sex slaves & Fukushima is EXACTLY the same as what Japan has done wrt to WWII, and that is to deny, re-write history...............

Sorry Japan you will only fool yourselves on these two, no one else, thanks NOT for continuing to take the low road!

I personally know one Japanese friend of mine, a former Fukushima worker, who can verify that many Japanese workers fled the nuclear plants right after the accident. So who are you trying to lie to here? It's pretty obvious what's going on here, with Japan's press freedom at developing country levels, the right wing government is putting the screws on Asahi - the last major newspaper left in Japan that dares to tell the semblance of truth. And it's also the only paper left in Japan, that reports on Japan's virulent xenophobic racist street protests against foreigners. The government has to shut them up to stop making Japan look bad in front of the international audience.

We all know that the workers fled Fukushima because we all now Naoto Kan had to make them go back, even if they died as a result of returning. This "fact" has been countered by "an official document" has it? What a surprise! Meanwhile the current state of Fukushima is unknown because since December last year no independent news articles have been permitted. We are only given the information the government allows us to be given.

Comfort women testimonies can be overturned and disproved by "rival newspapers and academics". Which academics are these then; are they the ones that Mr. Abe pays to support his idiotic revisionist agenda? This is just the government's historical revisionism at work again, nothing more. Anything this government sees as portraying Japan in a negative way will be overturned by "official documents" and "academics" and a few Japanese will be taken in as they have no other sources of information. The rest of the world just sighs deeply and wonders why Japan is unable to take responsibility for what it did and move on the way Germany did.

Japan's press freedom level took another deep dive. All the democracy is being slowly and methodically being undone by Abe's government who is building a projection of Japan that he wants the rest of the world to see. This may fool the Japanese, but the foreigners in Japan won't get fooled so easily.

Papi2013

Yes, the Fukushima nuclear plant workers fled obeying to the Yoshida's order. But Asahi News Paper said ' they fled despite Yoshida order stay at the site' . There's big big difference.

Yuya Koike, you're just taking the word of the government as if that's the absolute truth. The people who were on the field that day, say differently.

http://www.awf.or.jp/e3/oralhistory-00.html

(comfort women Digital Museum; Testimony of the Victims)

Japanese government's summoning of Asahi journalists to parliamentary hearings on comfort women earlier this year, put direct pressure on them to tow the government line.

Right-wingers/netouyo/Abe's interpretation: This means that Comfort Women never existed, it's all just lies made up by Asahi Shimbun! And the whole world's misunderstood, because of Asahi Shimbun, the traitors!

Like anyone in the rest of the world give a crap about "Asahi Shimbun". Nobody reads the thing. Comfort women are now documented facts researched by thousands of historians around the world. Nobody cares about Asahi Shimbun.

Sorry but who is turning the screws into Asahi…?

Well, it would be only speculation and conjecture at this stage to suggest that any sort of political will was behind Asahi suddenly walking back controversial past articles.

And to be fair, that's a pretty heavy accusation. I mean, the implications of a democracy's free press not only being pressured by a political party to censor itself, but to actually give in to said pressure? My god… That's simply unthinkable.

It would be an unconscionable assault on constitutionally protected civil liberties akin to, say, Shinzo Abe maybe asserting political pressure on a publicly funded broadcasting entity like, say, NHK, to censor unflattering portions of a 2001 documentary because he felt the content painted Japan in a negative light regarding, say, the comfort women issue.

Oh, wait. Err… that actually did happen, didn't it? Never mind. Maybe the suggestion of something stinking here might not be too far off the mark.

http://www.jpri.org/publications/critiques/critique_XII_3.html

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2005/01/13/national/abe-admits-telling-nhk-to-censor-tv-program/#.VBJwjtgcTIU

What about Lai Thai Han?

They better go back then too.

Akahata, Asahi, Mainichi, Yomiuri, Nikkei and Sankei - Order of Japanese newspapers from extreme left to the extreme right. I place JAPANTODAY after Asahi.

Soon the j government will have the people believe one plus one equals three

This could be the start of a worrying trend that sees a newspaper that makes slight efforts to question state authority pressured to move more in line with Abe's neo-national push.

Japan already lacks critical media and a more fearsome Asahi will make the situation worse.

Are we really sure that Yoshida's statements are completely forthcoming? Are we certain that this good company man was not purposefly vague with his descriptions of how and why the workers abandoned their worksite if not to protect the company image at least to protect how his colleagues would be viewed. Asahi can be blamed for it's use of wording, but maybe the interpretation is actually true.

The reason they are backing down so easily is likely threats by the government about removing early access to officials and official reports, which would hurt their ability to produce future news articles.

It's time in Japan for a serious independent news organization.

@tmarie

Sorry but who is turning the screws into Asahi to make them come forward and make such statements?

I find this interesting. So, according to you, there is no possibility that Asahi really made a mistake (in fact, it is too generous to treat it as a mistake).

That's one of my primary reason for having doubts about the comfort women thing in the first place. In most of the world, the kuuki they'd call it in Japan has slanted to the point where people automatically revolt against any idea or evidence to the contrary. This is not a healthy environment to determine whether it happened or not, or its extent.

Japanese criticize the newspaper which will get a fund from China & Korean spy. It is only natural.

It7s good Asahi has owned up to the false report. Unfortunately it gives the right wing a chance to seize on Asahi's comfort women reportage as 'the only source' and claim it has been discredited. No, just that one story. the rest of the rather large body of historical evidence out there is still solid.

" Comfort women" issue was documented at the end of war. You can see it in US National Archives.

I find this interesting. So, according to you, there is no possibility that Asahi really made a mistake (in fact, it is too generous to treat it as a mistake).

According to me? Were did I say there was no possibility? There is making an error and then there is massive media, the sacking of editors and this hitting the news and staying in the spotlight for days thanks to other media outlets. Retractions aren't usually massive news like this. One can only why this is as massive as it is.

I guess youalso don't get what Abe has done with the media's "right" to print things and the control the Japanese government now how over the media - not that the media had much freedom before Abe rammed though the news media and information act. I'm also guessing you don't know how poorly Japan ranks in freedom of the press either, right? At this rate, it continues to drop and folks like yourself just think these things are really just mistakes?

tmarie, You probably don't read and speak Japanese fluently, so you don't know how Asahi has fabricated for decades to sell their papers not just this but many others. It is Japan's biggest disadvantage that most non-Japanese don't speak Japanese fluently, so have difficulty understanding what's going on in Japan.

Well, bye bye to the editor who was fired.

South Korean's lobbying has been very intensive and extensive, and yes working. But they did too much. They should have been satisfied when they blackmailed Japan for several apologies and money. Japan should have been strong, not kowtowing to SKorea. That's what's excruciating Japan now. But SK did too much, finally even Asashi came to feel guilty conscience and admit. I know the world has been brainwashed by SK especially recent years, and critical to Japan. But from this long suffering Japan has learned her lesson that Japan will never kowtows to South Korea.

Masaji Yoshida is a novelist The Asahi created Juugun-iannfu articles from his novel This is true

. It is Japan's biggest disadvantage that most non-Japanese don't speak Japanese fluently, so have difficulty understanding what's going on in Japan.

Tina- It is funny you do not think there are enough non-Japanese to be able to translate Japanese. That thinking helped the U.S. greatly 70years ago during the pacific war, as we had Japanese American soldiers that could blend in the front line. Anyway many of the commenters here have lived in Japan a long long time, and your language is not impossible to learn.

For all the other nihonjinron loving types. I am confused, did Japan properly apologize and we should forget the past? Or did were there no 'sex slaves' I an confused what the party line is this week. See I am only a foreigner so I can't understand or read Japanese.

A good day for Japanese right wingers... One erroneous (fabricated report) wipes the entire slate clean...realllly? Unfortunately, this is quite possibly a foreshadowing of things to come.

Who was the genius above who said they should be tiried for treason? Well done! What a brilliant Chinese/ North Korean style apprach to a Japanese problem... But who knows? if the fascists get their way in this country that might well become a reality.

And as one poster above said the world at large doesnt really know or care about Asahi Shimbum-so to say this has somehow damaged Japan's international reputation is to have a narcissistic and inflated view of Japan being central to world events. Newsflash: Japan isn't as important to the rest of the world as it thinks it is. The world is an extremely large place and most of it I gaurantee you is not thinking about 70 year old East Asian history. Sorry to disappoint you.

The Japanese right wingers condemn Chinese totalitarianism (quite correctly) while pressing for a more totalitarian Japan at the same time. A bird's eye view from space would seem to suggest that both countries are becoming more and more like each other every day. I cant wait for Abe's 'Blossoming of 1000 flowers' period.

tmarie, You probably don't read and speak Japanese fluently, so you don't know how Asahi has fabricated for decades to sell their papers not just this but many others. It is Japan's biggest disadvantage that most non-Japanese don't speak Japanese fluently, so have difficulty understanding what's going on in Japan.

Yes because foreigners could never master the oh so unique Japanese language, right? That's a might big assumption on your part. The biggest disadvantage Japan has is people like you who refuse to use your brain and logic and look at how your government is screwing up your country with all the cover ups and lies.

That's what's excruciating Japan now. No, what is excruciating now is the right wingers like yourself who constantly blame China, Korea... for all of Japan's problems while not looking at the big picture that Japan has done nothing to help itself in the past few decades except screw around with nationalism and it's education system so folks like you spend more time worrying about what your neighbours are doing rather than looking at the problems Japan has created for itself.

justbcuzisay If you believe they were sex slaves, then it obvious that you do not understand Japanese language fluently or you are korean. I believe the term sex slaves was first used around last year. What's the point of changing from comfort women to sex slaves seven decades after war? Anyway, Japan has given up on this, and very tired. Japan will never capitulate any more no matter how long SK continues on this.

Because comfort women has a nice fluffy image to it when in fact these women were raped repeatedly, given STDs, tortured and many killed at the hands of Japanese troops.

A shame that someone with your level of English doesn't seem too interested in picking up a few books or reading articles read by non Japanese writers that discuss this. You might actually learn something rather than just spew the crap you've been told by your government. Oh wait, no, some of the folks in your government have actually admitted that these womenwere sex slaves... I guess they are Korean or can't understand the Japanese language as well??

tina- I do understand Japanese (sorry if my sarcasm was not clear to you), I am not Korean, and I NEVER said any opinion on if there were sex slaves or not. I have talked about the subject, and people like you have accused me of words I have never said. I read the newspaper to gather information, it is not my place to decide history.

My original comment was asking you and the others what version of history is popular in Japan now, because you hear 'Japan has apologized for comfort women. Every one needs to let go of the past' and then we read 'There were no comfort women, we don't have to apologize' WHICH ONE????

If you can't understand English fully, then I am sorry that you misunderstood. It is a big problem for us foreigners in Japan that Japanese can't not understand English but continue to attack us when they mistranslate what we say.

tinawatanabe

But SK did too much, finally even Asashi came to feel guilty conscience and admit. I know the world has been brainwashed by SK especially recent years, and critical to Japan.

Wow, really? Which do you think is more more plausible? SK being capable of brainwashing the world, or Japan brainwashing it's own people?

tmarie, I said Japan has given up on this. There are not many things Japan can do now after apology and money and all assitance given to SK. The reason I said about your Japanese language skill is that you do not have the same information as Japanese have. I know Koreans will contiue this comfort women issue, but there is one thing Japan can do. Ignore SK completely.

Asahi started this Japan bashing using Yoshida decades ago. Anti West pro communism "liberal" lawyers like Mizuho Fukushima had been teaching Korean women how to play the game to get money from Japan.

Now Japanese learn how this lie started in detail.

Foreign papers used Asahi and joined the lie. I especially demand apology from Japan Today who also used false information fablicated by Asahi to spread false information.

According to me? Were did I say there was no possibility? There is making an error and then there is massive media, the sacking of editors and this hitting the news and staying in the spotlight for days thanks to other media outlets. Retractions aren't usually massive news like this. One can only why this is as massive as it is.

If you said it, I'd have quoted you. You just acted like it. If you actually believe there is a significant possibilty that the retraction is genuine, you might have felt more like lambasting Asahi.

Yes, retractions are usually handled more low-key but do consider the strategic consequences of THIS mistake. Consider how much damage this whole comfort-women thing had done Japan. And to a very great extent, its origin was due to Asahi and Yoshida. It might not be the only evidence in the pile but without Asahi and Yoshida, it is quite likely the comfort women issue will not be the big deal it is today.

In essence, Asahi betrayed the confidence of the nation to cause grievous harm to its interest by publishing something that is untrue. Why should Asahi not be subject to the most severe censure.

There is a significant part of the population that clamors for Snowden and Assange's heads. And their disclosures are at least regarding current events. With the information, Americans can choose to mobilize to stop the government. Asahi's kicking up of old wounds cannot be compared to this, and its last bastion, that it is at least the truth, has just fallen.

If I were in your shoes, I'd be a good sportsman, admit that one of my sources was bad, and join in the kicking of Asahi. After all, there are so many other sources to prove the sex slave comfort women, right?

If you believe they were sex slaves, then it obvious that you do not understand Japanese language fluently or you are korean. I believe the term sex slaves was first used around last year.

I guess that you would believe that if your English is not so fluent. It's been around for longer than that though. Here's an example: http://news.yahoo.com/hillary-clinton-japan-tiff-over-sex-slaves-comfort-163939728.html

No surprise here. Asahi Shimbun is a rag unfit to even line bird cages.

Also no surprise to see the hand wringing from the vankers claiming that this single retraction amounts to a denial by the J-gov of any and all responsibility relating to WW2 atrocities. Some people read what they want to read.

tmarieSep. 12, 2014 - 06:13PM JST Because comfort women has a nice fluffy image to it when in fact these women were raped repeatedly, given STDs, >tortured and many killed at the hands of Japanese troops.

That is a perfect example of the erroneous view of the issue. Please read US Army Report No.46. They were NOT repeatedly raped, they received good health care and medical treatment (for obvious reasons) and they certainly weren't "tortured and killed" by Japanese troops. The Comfort Women was run by the Japanese military and these women were recruited (how is he debated issue) and were on he military payroll, They were working for the Emperor just like the Japanese soldiers. Do you think they would dare to torture and kill women working for the Emperor? And you should be aware that not just Japanese soldiers, but Koreans in the Japanese military and Chinese civilians employed by the Japanese military made use of the Comfort Stations, Views such as yours are the result mostly of "testimony" given by some individual former comfort women rather than documented evidence, Prof Ahn of Seoul University investigated the stories of 40 former comfort women in 1993 and concluded that their testimony was "not credible". These was an incident in Indonesia which involved clear cut forced prostitution which was not only tried at the International Tribunal for the Far East but was in fact investigated by the IJA itself during the war resulting in a Japanese officer being court marshalled as a result, I also suggest you read "The Comfort Women" by Sara Soh to understand that it is not a simple black and white issue and views such as yours are far from accurate.

I said Japan has given up on this

No they haven't. They keep denying it and play victim when anyone talks about it. Japan is trying to get the US to remove memorials to the victims, members of the government deny it and folks like yourself get upset when anyone talks about so no, Japan has not "given up" on this.

There are not many things Japan can do now after apology and money and all assitance given to SK. Wrong. Japan could actually offer an apology from the government and make it illegal to continue denying it happened. YOu know, kind of like what Germany has done. Japan can stop denying what they did, stop playing the victim and stop suggesting that this is all over money.

The reason I said about your Japanese language skill is that you do not have the same information as Japanese have. I know Koreans will contiue this comfort women issue, but there is one thing Japan can do. Ignore SK completely. You have no idea what imformation I have access to. You attacked me because I am not Japanese and therefore, you suggest I don't know the "truth". Koreans will indeed continue this issue as they have a right to. Just like how Japan continues Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The one thing Japan can and should do is own up to its history and stop denying things. Until then, the rest of the world will continue to roll its eyes when folks like yourself speak and deny.

Kazuaki, you can go and read my comments to Tina because they fit you as well. I think I've made it pretty clear I don't think this retraction is genuine. I think it was forced - hence my comments. If I were in your shoes, I'd keep an eye on your government because your civil liberties and the freedom of your press is shrinking the longer the public allows Abe to do as he likes.

And yes, there are many sources about sex slaves. Perhaps you could enlighten Tina on this since you seem to be Japanese or are presenting yourself as one? You both might learn something.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a radio talk show Thursday the comfort women report had “agonised many people and impaired Japan’s reputation in the international community.”

So, does he, or does he not admit the existence of comfort women? Why would it tar Japan's reputation, when we're talking about the the ex-government of Empire of Japan?

What a joke, what impaired the Japan's reputation in the international community the most is his insistence that Empire of Japan never committed any war atrocities, and his visits the Yasukuni shrine, and now having neo-Nazi friends. And this is why nobody takes Japan seriously in the international community. The whole thing is a joke, and the right-wingers and the netouyos in Japan have no idea how they're actually perceived in the rest of the world.

Face it the world doesn't read Asahi. That is a fact. So how can a Japanese newspaper that is not very well known outside of Japan damage Japan's international reputation? The J gov (with a little help from its Chinese and Korean detractors) are doing a fine job on their own in that department.

If I were in your shoes, I'd keep an eye on your government because your civil liberties and the freedom of your press is shrinking the longer the public allows Abe to do as he likes.

Why don't you dial back the fear-mongering a couple of degrees there t.

You both might learn something.

And the false sense of superiority too. For someone who complains as much as you do about how gaijin are "mistreated" in Japan, I would think it might have occurred to you by now that your attitude is maybe part of the problem?

From NY Times to US Govt, they all used false information fabricated by the Asahi Shinbun. Even Koreans did.

Why don't you dial back the fear-mongering a couple of degrees there

What fear mongering? You don't think silencing the mediahere even more isn't an issue about civil liberties?

And the false sense of superiority too. For someone who complains as much as you do about how gaijin are "mistreated" in Japan, I would think it might have occurred to you by now that your attitude is maybe part of the problem? I know! Imagine complaining about a country that constantly gets rapped by the UN for things like lack of laws against hate speech and discrimination! How dare I complain about such things - though interestingly enough, your red herring has nothing to do with the topic being discussed...

What fear mongering? You don't think silencing the mediahere even more isn't an issue about civil liberties?

The fear mongering, for example, that sees you equate one retraction (issued by an obviously biased rag of a newspaper) with a "silencing" of the media. And then theorizing that Mr Abe is working up a campaign to deny your civil liberties because of this one retraction. Please tell me one civil liberty that you are not free to enjoy in Japan - assuming you do live here and aren't just "presenting yourself" as doing so.

I know! Imagine complaining about a country that constantly gets rapped by the UN for things like lack of laws against hate speech and discrimination!

Please. Getting "rapped" by the UN is nothing special. Name me a country that doesn't get "rapped" by that useless and toothless organization. And its not "constant". Do you not see how your hyperbole and truth stretching totally invalidates any legitimate point you may be trying to make?

If Abe and the right-wingers really cared about Japan's reputation in the international community, then they would stop denying that the comfort women never existed. So that's what they should do first. In fact, if there were such a central system that protects its national interests placed within the Japanese government, then Abe would have been made to shut up, and so do all the right-wing crazies, and diplomatic efforts would have been made to come to an agreement with Korea, etc.

I highly doubt that the majority of the Japanese people actually agree with the views of Abe and the right-wingers. So why is he considered to be the leader of Japan, whom represents the "voice" of Japan? It makes absolutely no sense. The only explanation is, he is no real leader, as all PMs in Japan are nothing more than mere a decoration of the country.

Discrimination is a fact of life. In Japan and everywhere else too. Adults learn to live with it.

This is what every right-wingers and the netouyo says, but that's unacceptable in the rest of the world, at least in the developed world. Shows how clueless they are about what the outside of Japan is really like.

No, actually it is such a curious "Japanese" mentality... that you shouldn't complain and just put up with it, however that is only some clever propaganda to keep the populace meek and obedient.

This sole statement, it's second part in particular, shows how little you know about Japan and the "curious Japanese mentality." At the end it is obviously true that hidingout does have more perspective and undoubtedly more experience than you :-)

They keep denying it and play victim when anyone talks about it.

tmarie, if you look at the relation after war, of course Japan is the victim and SK is the blackmailer.

zichiSep. 12, 2014 - 08:41PM JST OssanAmerica "That is a perfect example of the erroneous view of the issue. Please read US Army Report No.46. They were NOT repeatedly raped, they received good health care and medical treatment (for obvious reasons) and they certainly weren't "tortured and killed" by Japanese troops."

The same U.S Military document from Ledo stockade in India where 20 former Korean comfort women were >interrogated and stated that they didn't know they were being recruited to be battlefield prostitutes? 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.

Exactly. The consensus among "objective" historians seems to be that a large number, if not a majority, were deceived in their recruitment by agents working for the Japanese military, both Korean and Japanese. That all these women were "abducted" in the middle of the night by armed Japanese solders a concept that defies not just logic, logistics and historical records from Korea at the time, is a myth created by this fabricated story written by Yoshida and publicized by the Asahi Shinbun.

The report states 800 females were recruited in this manner. The report is No 49 not 46?

My typo. You are correct it is Report 49 from 1944.

"cited in (etc. etc.) ..." is not enough evidence for "the foundation of this issue".

It is. It destroys the narrative of "ABDUCTED BY THE ARMED FORCES OF THE GOVERNMENT OF IMPERIAL JAPAN. 1930's - 1945" The second retraction by Asahi of using the term "teishintai" (volunteer corps) being made systematically into comfort women also destroys the historical narrative of "200,000" as well

What is left is mere allegations by the surviving comfort women (mostly Korean and members of the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan) whose testimonies have changed in order to fit the above quoted narrative despite the fact that their INITIAL testimonies have basically stated that they became comfort women as a result of deception by private individuals.

While questioning the validity of their statements have been deemed "offensive" in the past, this is now no longer the case for there are lawmakers calling for proper Diet summons for those who are responsible.

zichi

There is no known documentation, unless you can provide links, showing the battlefield brothels were also used by Korean and Chinese civilians?

Don't know about the Chinese but in IJA there was very little discrimination of whether being from the peninsula or from Japan since most all spoke Japanese (being taught at school) and most from the rural parts of Japan had a very heavy intonation and dialect that people from other parts wouldn't understand each other. So it would be very hard to discriminate even if they wanted to.

Ossan: I'd like to comment about that report. I'd like you to be aware that it is "a" report and not "the" report on the issue. Obviously, the United States doesn't think that all of the women that were in this situation were treated as well as the women in ONE document that is 4 pages long. You should know that any OFFICIAL position of the United States is not a 4 page long PDF.

You want stories that paint a different picture, go read some soldiers diaries from the Pacific theater.

As others have said. It seems fishy that this has only come to light after the new information/media act was rammed through.

As others have said. It seems fishy that this has only come to light after the new information/media act was rammed through.

Nope. It goes to show that many people here don't actually follow the Japanese edition of the Japanese media. Nothing more.

The retraction of Seiji Yoshida's testimonies and articles came as a result of the recent review of the Kono statement. The apology of the TEPCO's May 20th article came as a result of the release of the hearings of the Fukushima nuclear accident.

With these two documents in full access to the public which basically contradicts their prior articles 180 degrees, they had no choice.

zichiSep. 12, 2014 - 08:58PM JST There is no known documentation, unless you can provide links, showing the battlefield brothels were also used by >Korean and Chinese civilians?

About 5 years ago I found several photographs taken at the time of a Comfort Station. One of the photos showed a sign with handwriting. It stated Japanese, Koreans and Chinese and gave the rate (for comfort women services). The Japanese were charged the most, the Koreans slightly less and the Chinese the least. I was surprised when I saw it but it made perfect sense since any military brothel would probably cater to anyone in the military as well as civilian employees. Perhaps someone well versed in Japanese websites can locate this photo, Additonally, US Army Report 49 mentions that the Comfort Women did not like "Indian men". This has also stuck in my head and made me wonder.

I want you to stop criticizing a Japanese without knowing anything.

former comfort woman defrauded $ 1500000 with a reporter of Asahi newspaper http://sakuramochi-jp.blogspot.jp/2012/02/former-comfort-woman-defraud-1500000_27.html

Mother-in-law of Takashi Uemura in Asahi Shimbun fabricated reporter for "comfort women" is accused a lawsuit by compensation fraud ! officials organizations of South Korea are seized as deceive 30,000 people, "compensation from Japan" Sankei Shimbun 2011.5.9 09:43

[Seoul=Katsuhiro Kuroda] Seoul city police announced recently,39 the executive of organization arrested on suspicion of fraud, against the victims during the Japanese occupation of wartime mobilization, said do receive compensation from the Japanese government, for the attorneys' fees,had defrauded 1.5 billion won; approximately 120 million yen,$ 1500000) Up to 30,000 victims.

accused are "Pacific War Victims Compensation war-bereaved association "and "private claim right suit organization", such has developed as do the requirement to japan,anti-Japanese meeting,demo. Suspect has been also directed to (67) Chairman of the bereaved family,Yang Sun Im who is known activists in Japan since ancient times. it could take a brake on the movement compensation claims against Japan.

According to the announcement, Chairman Yang was recruiting members through in the war-bereaved meeting,association to claim and various organizations.There are also examples told a lie such as "anyone who can receive the compensation if alive at that time, even if person is not the victim of mobilization" and paid an allowance to collect the membership. In the announcement of the police,chairman Yang had been "disguised activities" such as to mobilize members in about 500, set forth the banner on stand of the succor game for friendship Japan and Korea in Seoul, to request an apology and compensation to the Japanese government.

[the crime of Takashi Uemura who buried inside documents,

the back of the "scoop" on August 11 in 1991, on "Asahi Shimbun" ,crossed with Kim Hak-Sun who testified that "i was sold as Kisaeng at the age of 14 for 40yen;currency $5000"

The first scoop on Asahi Shimbun was for 3 days ago when Kim Huksun pressed her conference in Korea. how could they such a thing, the reporter Uemura is a son-in-law of Yang Sun Im who is a executive director, the leader of the "the meeting bereaved victims in Pacific War" including Kim Huksun, he is husband of her daughter. In other words, in order to trick the leader of the plaintiff was the mother-in-law, he got exclusive interview of Kim Huksun. ("WiLL" May,Nishioka documenton page 67-68 that "all began with the fabrication of the Asahi Shimbun" )

further more Mr. Nishioka claims that Uemura Takashi carry favor the trial of his mother-in-law,intentionally hiding the facts "she was sold as Kisaeng" .

its not only the crime by Takashi Uemura. Uemura is the relation,be in a position to be able to view the internal documents in the victims families meeting the Pacific War which are in private. it means that "Asahi newspaper" can touch the materials through by own reporter.

it is a part of darkness that led to the announcement by the traitor Kono's discourse. Suppose, "Asahi newspaper" have conclusive evidence in inside documents, they tried to publish in any way.

Although there is only a guess, there were not Smoking Gun shown "forcing" in internal documents. "Asahi newspaper" screams in the editorial corner,anyway. there is no change the fact,whether there was much involved with forced draft or not. So-what attitude they are let to faint they says that no need the Compulsory. If so, whether there national "crimes" is, in where the employee Kisaeng? it is slapdash tone, Asahi challenged to raise the company against to Yomiuri.

I'm confused. Does this mean that the whole "comfort women" thing never happened in the first place?

The comfort women were a fact. All sides agree there were comfort women. The controversy (started by this Asahi Shinbum article 32 years ago) surrounds the alleged kidnapping of Korean and Chinese women by IJA forces and subsequent forced membership into the Comfort Women program. When a Japanese professor researching the issue went to Jeju to find eyewitness reports of the kidnappings, not a single member of the village who was alive at the supposed time of the kidnappings remembered any such event.

The woman featured in the original Asahi article (I believe she was the mother-in-law of the reporter writing the article) turned out to have not been kidnapped at all, and instead had been sold to a Korean brothel by her parents prior to the IJA looking for whores to participate in the comfort women program. She had actually been recruited from the brothel by the IJA and was paid for her participation.

The only verified case found by the academic of kidnapping and enforced sex by the IJA was against a Dutch nurse. This does not suggest a army-wide program and instead suggests a criminal act by a lone unit.

Does any of that mean there were no other kidnappings? We can't say that. It just seems like there wasn't the widespread kidnapping that the original article and the comfort women are claiming there was. These people are old and are being told by their supporters and lawyers that they can get a windfall if they say they were kidnapped instead of recruited.

Was there some ownership change that prompted these retractions?

The problem was caused by the imperialist military which ordered its agents

They were no "orders". This is confirmed by the Kono statement review despite the urging of the Korean counterparts to place such wording.

"Also, regarding the involvement of the military in the recruitment of the comfort women, the ROK requested wording that was equivalent to “the military or recruiters who were instructed by the military,” or in other words, that the recruitment was carried out by the military or that the military instructed other recruiters to do so. But the Japanese side considered that the recruitment was not carried out by the military, but mainly by recruiters who had done so based on the “intentions” of the military, and hence could not accept that the military were the main party that carried out the recruitment. Also, as the Japan side could not confirm that the military “instructed” the recruiters to carry out the recruitment, it proposed that the expression be changed to that the military “requested” the recruiters carry out the recruitment. In response to this, the ROK wanted the expression “ordered” used for the involvement of the military in both the establishment of the comfort stations and the recruitment of the comfort women, but the Japanese side did not accept it. Ultimately, it was decided on the wording that the comfort stations were established and managed"

Asahi newspaper still gives important post to the fraud reporter who wrote the century misinformation article.

According to the ex-Asahi newspaper reporter,Mr.Minori Hongo said, the Leftist side handed in the company of Asahi newspaper shared anti-Japanese forces for China and South Korea, shared the problems of abduction, Yasukuni shrine, history, such as the comfort women, they have denounced to Japan's past until bent the facts. Below as a specific example which cited an article of comfort women hunting.

There is a reporter who is Takashi Uemura in Asahi Shimbun. knowing that the reporter Uemura began to write the series of "colonial Korea" in "War and newspaper" on evening paper from April this year, i hold a serious doubt on the position of Asahi newspaper.

Asahi has not been fixed for more than 15 years, the mistakes the press which originated by Uemura. on the top of social by Osaka Head Office version in Asahi newspaper at 11th August 1991,Asahi in a big way reported the article,"The original living witnesses Korean comfort woman has emerged" signed with Takashi Uemura in Seoul.

The efforts of the Abe government to discredit the Asahi are interesting to watch. They seem to think that the retraction of one article about sex slaves means the whole thing never happened, ignoring the testimony of those who were abducted. Abe and his fascist mates can issue denials until they are blue in the face but the fact remains that the Japanese army did set up brothels staffed with sex slaves. Whether they did it directly, or forced civilians to do it is really just splitting hairs.

In the case of the Fukushima reactors, we can read in the comments above that some people did flee the site, whether Mr Yoshida ordered it or not. I think the point here is that Mr Yoshida had lost control of the situation and was overwhelmed by the pressure he was under. The real scandal is the failure of the government to rehouse those affected and pay sufficient compensation. Instead, they are stacking the new nuclear regulator with yes-men, making it just like the old, failed one. They have learned nothing at all from the disaster.

Denying the imperial military used agents to recruit women for their battlefield brothels would be like also denying they ordered weapons, bombs, planes, warships, and so on and so on. The military ordered all their needs for their wartime campaigns across SE Asian and beyond.

Nope. Orders are generally written and distributed to local governments to be executed. There exists no such orders. PERIOD.

The comfort women system is simply a private individual who decided upon him/herself to operate a brothel to attach themselves to the military unit. This is strictly a volunteer basis for the operators. How these operators recruited these women locally are, in some cases, very hideous but that is simply a localized case that happens even in today's world.

Except the government of the wartime was the military and those in command of it were also running the government which is basically why Japan decided to go to war and occupy the whole of China and SE Asia?

Please concentrate. We are talking about written orders by the central government to recruit women. Where is such order Zichi? Please remind yourself that during this time, there are no e-mail or fax.

There were no separations between the imperial military and the government. The fact that the military organised battlefield brothels, and is documented, wasn't illegal in itself since prostitution was legal at the time but the women had to be a minimum age of 18 years, which wasn't always the case.

Yes. An operator bending and violating the law. I can pick up any search engine and come up with these incidents in ANY country today.

There were just not enough former prostitutes, Japanese and Korean so it turned to other women from poor and low education backgrounds. Many sold on by their families to the military agents and paid for by the military. Then documented and shipped out with the rest of the Japanese troops to service the dreams and campaigns of the Japanese Imperialist Military Government. PERIOD!

There are no military agents. They are private agents who recruited on behalf of the private operators. When the said operator recruited enough, he/she sent in a request to attach his/her operation to the military. It's that simple Zichi.

Kazuaki, you can go and read my comments to Tina because they fit you as well. I think I've made it pretty clear I don't think this retraction is genuine. I think it was forced - hence my comments. If I were in your shoes, I'd keep an eye on your government because your civil liberties and the freedom of your press is shrinking the longer the public allows Abe to do as he likes.

Here's the question from me to you, tmarie. Why do you think it is not genuine? As far as I can see, the main reason is because the statement is in a direction you don't want it to be. In effect, this is irrational denial.

I will not consider myself well-studied on the Comfort Women issue, though I have heard of Yoshida getting discredited and the self-defeating testimony from certain comfort women (which I guess puts me above 99% of Westerners who probably only got a vague sense it happened and it was sex slavery - for some reason based on this thin understanding they feel justified in attacking anyone that proposes anything else).

To me it is quite intuitive and natural that at least some evidence will not be pointing in the same direction. That does not mean the stack, when collated, will not lead us to a Yes or No answer, so there is no need for either side to get too over-excited over individual pieces of evidence gaining or losing their usability.

What the "pro-sex slave theory" crowd seems all too prone to doing, however, is to say anything to discredit anything in the "No" pile and on very weak, even non-existent grounds. Just like you are doing here. For a crowd that is arguing for the affirmative and also says most (all?) of the evidence is on their side, this is a strange position to take. Kind of makes me, someone who admittedly does not have the full stack, suspect the total size or quality of the stack on the "Yes" side is less than what they brag it out to be and the Yes crowd knows it.

This non-scientific attitude by the majority of the world to this problem renders me despondent in ever getting to the truth of this - which is one of many reasons I don't put a lot of effort into this topic.

A little extra on the whole government pressure bit, tmarie. Even supposing that there was some kind of government pressure involved, a more curious question would be whether it is appropriate. Now, normally, I am all for freedom of speech. However, a newspaper does hold great, potentially strategic weight - it is not some blogger shooting his mouth off. So when it publishes something that is A) not news (so much for the "I was in a hurry to get a scoop and didn't double check" excuse), B) greatly detrimental to the national interest and C) not even truthful, is it right (or at least acceptable) for the government to pressure it to retract? Or does freedom of speech to you mean that the government should do nothing even if A, B and C are true?

"Panicked workers abandoned Fukushima as the nuclear disaster unfolded" the Japanese government confirmed this report. Now it appears the government wants to put this information under the secrecy act and rewrite history. It wasn't just Asahi who voiced this, the BBC, CNN, NY Times and so on. Even PM Kan's original statements made the same claims. Release the unedited transcripts!

are you sexual hung up that the idea that the Imperialist Military requested and organised battlefield brothels that it sullies your tweaky clean image of them?

Switching goal posts again, Zichi?

The central issue here is whether or not the Japanese government "ordered" the recruitment of these women. You provided zilch as usual.

I'm quite aware of the exploitation of women as "commodities" in those days but what you are essentially doing is merely preaching the moral standards of today versus that of generations ago. To add further, this particular moral standard continued for DECADES by the Korean government and the more than willing customer in the name of U.S military. They labeled them as Fifth Military Supply.

The telegram from the Commander of the Taiwan Army to the Army Minister

Uhhhm.. The request specifically states "左記、経営者" (OPERATORS, listed on the left)

The telegram is simply a request that's been filled. Nowhere in the telegram indicates your assertion that military directly carried out recruitment.

You provided zilch as usual.

http://www.awf.or.jp/e1/facts-06.html

The telegram from the Commander of the Taiwan Army to the Army Minister

"In regards to the Army Minister secret telegram No. 63, I would like to ask travel permission of the following three business managers who were chosen by our Military Police… as the Southern Army General Command had requested that 50 native comfort women, or as close to that number as possible, should be sent to the Island of Borneo.

This is the type of deception this issue face. In the telegraph it states "左記、経営者" (OPERATORS, listed on the left) in the 4th paragraph as nigelboy posted and yet it is completely left out from the translation showing they went out of their way masking any involvement of individual operators with ulterior motive to paint as if IJA had direct involvement in operating the whore house.

Zichi I suggest you stop being suckered into such deceptions and learn Japanese so you can read first hand and not rely on second hand information in which it can be tainted like this example.

Stuart Hayward,

"Panicked workers abandoned Fukushima as the nuclear disaster unfolded" the Japanese government confirmed this report. Now it appears the government wants to put this information under the secrecy act and rewrite history. It wasn't just Asahi who voiced this, the BBC, CNN, NY Times and so on. Even PM Kan's original statements made the same claims. Release the unedited transcripts!

The BBC, CNN, NY Times, got their information from the Asahi. If your sources lie, then you print lies. Yoshida-san's testemony shows that the Dai-ichi workers did not 'flee', and he even approved of the move to Daini, retrospectively.

Some people continue to deny that the military were involved in the battlefield brothels and the prostitutes which serviced them

Nope. How the military are involved in reality versus what these groups are accusing of are completely different. Stop playing ganes, Zichi.

StarViking: Asahi was NOT the only source of this information, PM Kan's original statements matched exactly what Asahi reported. Are you saying that the PM's source was Asahi?? LOL. If there wasn't something to hide, the government would have released the UNEDITED, UNCENSORED transcript by now.

Its truly amazing the deniers on these threads, talk about heads in the sand!

Its so patently obvious the IJA operated, allowed transport, allowed for coerced, volunteers, pro's, & tricked women into being sex slaves. They are 10,000% responsible for ALL OF IT!

And its hilarious the abe & his ilk & the deniers here think Asahi is central to the sex slave issue, HELLO! Nothing could be further from the truth!

And regarding Fukushima, again this whole Asahi bit is NUTS, idiotic! The govt nor ANY MEDIA in Japan have ANY credibility(& that includes Asahi!) what so ever wrt to Sex slaves or Fukushima or WWII! I mean look at the crap coming out about the Emperors life............sounding pretty fictional!

This Yoshida "report" regarding Fukushima should be read while licking a salt block that cows lick at farm! This is so late, so likely manipulated & massaged that only a fool would believe its all true.

Bottom line is you CANNOT take J-news or politicians at face value, anyone who does............well good luck to them!

Can anyone trust these investigation results? I mean they just said they made some mistakes, but no one really knows what exactly they found to come to that conclusion. The key eyewitnesses were dead long ago, and the so-called internal investigations were conducted without them. The right-wings are all out in full force attacking and so on ... Something's not very transparent.

zichi

Nakasone never saw the battle field since he was in the Navy on an exchage program from the interior department and was stationed in Kure as a paymaster looking over financing.

Read the post, Nakasone was based at KURE, HIROSHIMA as a PAYMASTER.

Something's not very transparent.

wonderer13 Try reading Japanese artcles or talking with Japanese people. Japanese know this for a long time and have been telling SKorea. Meanwhile Asashi 's subcription came down and down..

I find this whole "Asahi bashing" a bit bizarre. Why now, and why so sudden? I bet like with any "scandals" bureaucratic maneuvering is involved.

My guess is that since Asahi is the one media that likely to oppose militarization, collective self-defense, etc, the pro-US bureaucrats (the majority of them) that want to bend to the will of the US (militarize and support US wars) want to shut Asahi up by tarring its reputation.

why so sudden?

If you think this sudden, then you're not following the development of J news for about two decades.

wonderer13 Try reading Japanese artcles or talking with Japanese people. Japanese know this for a long time and have been telling SKorea. Meanwhile Asashi 's subcription came down and down..

You mean the right-wingers/netouyo people? Lay off the 2chan, buddy... The entire Japanese people don't follow the cult that is right-wing/netouyo.

enough_rope

So anyone that objects your self rightious ideals are right-wingers/netouyo.

Yeah I hear you. LoL

People's words are not always translated in the proper meaning. Since you do not understand nor read Japanese how do you know the words are accurate?

First of all, there is no objective evidence that the comfort women were forcibly taken away.

zichi, do you deny the wartime documents from USA National Archives?

No bickering please.

Living here doesn't automatically make you proficient in Japanese. In fact if you read another thread you'll find Smithy and Jeff who claimed at this forum as long time residents of Japan not knowing how widely Ferica cards(Suica/Pasmo/ Edy/etc.) are used.

Basically I don't trust anyone's claim on the internet at face value.

Stuart Hayward,

StarViking: Asahi was NOT the only source of this information, PM Kan's original statements matched exactly what Asahi reported. Are you saying that the PM's source was Asahi?? LOL. If there wasn't something to hide, the government would have released the UNEDITED, UNCENSORED transcript by now.

And if what you say is true, would Asahi not have counter-attacked with a story about how their version of the Yoshida Transcripts were different from JGovs?

I wonder why they didn't do that? Maybe because they knew they'd been caught with their pants down.

As for Kan's statements, Which I think can be summarized as "TEPCO wanted to pull everyone out of Daiichi and DOOM Japan, but I stopped them" - how does that match what Asahi Printed? They said that Masao Yoshida wanted the non-essential Daiichi workers to evacuate to a safe part of the Daiichi plant, but they fled to Daini.

Asahi is under a lot of pressure because they've been opposing the government on matters such as Article 9 of the Constitution and the Special Secrets Act. Destroying newspapers that oppose the govt. is what fascist governments do.

zichi, I looked for English documents for you.

http://texas-daddy.com/comfortwomen.html

StarViking: as for the Yoshida documents, the government admitted that these documents HAVE been censored! (and conveniently for the government) Yoshida is dead and can't be further questioned. As for why Asahi didn't counter attack? "Cenchniu's" post is one GOOD example of why Asahi or any other Japanese media will NEVER be able to challenge the governments statements. The common theme was, "worker abandoned the post as the nuclear disaster unfolded" was confirmed by the only US worker (who was there that day) he said we all got out of there and no one around me was waiting for Yoshida to say "everyone except non essential worker must leave"

Stuart, have you a reference on the censoring of the Yoshida Interviews?

As for cechanju's post, that's just more conspiracy theory stuff. Dramatic stories which play to a newspaper's demographic is what sells papers, so if the Yoshida Transcripts had been distorted they would publish on that matter.

tinawatanabe

I read your link...............wtf! It CLEARLY states the women were TRICKED to get them to the front line, they racked up DEBT which need to be paid off!!

The link clearly shows this to be SEX SLAVERY, the women were clearly not free..................

Thank you for proving your WRONG!

turbotsat: http://www.awf.or.jp/e3/oralhistory-00.html

(comfort women Digital Museum; Testimony of the Victims)

(excerpts):

Kimiko Kaneda ... Her father was a Korean and her mother was a Japanese ... When she was 16 years old, she went to Seoul for better employment on the recommendation of her friend who worked as housemaid for a Japanese family. Led by a Japanese, she was put on a train to go from Seoul to Tianjin, China, then from Tianjin via Peitan to Zaoqiang. There she was forced to be a comfort woman for the Japanese military. ...

In China: At 4 o'clock in the morning we took ride on a train. It stopped for two hours at Shanhaiguan at which point myself and Yoshiko attempted to escape. But the exits were blocked by military police. ... We were much too scared to escape from the train. ... When we got off the train at Tianjin, fully armed soldiers were waiting for us ... I was sent with other girls to Zaoqiang ...

Forced to become a comfort woman: How did I feel? I felt as if we were taken here to be killed. I could not but weep. No one talked. All were weeping. That night we slept there and in the morning we were put in those rooms. Soldiers came to my room, but I resisted with all my might. ... He waved a knife at me and threatened to kill me if I didn't do what he said. But I didn't care if I died, and in the end he stabbed me. Here( She pointed her chest). He was taken away by the military police ... I was treated in the infirmary for twenty days. ... I was sent back to my room. A soldier who had just returned from the fighting came in. Thanks to the treatment my wound was much improved, but I had a plaster on my chest.

Despite that the soldier attacked me, and when I wouldn't do what he said, he seized my wrists and threw me out of the room. My wrists were broken, and they are still very weak. Here was broken.... There's no bone here. I was kicked by a soldier here. It took the skin right off... you could see the bone.

In the comfort station in Shijiazhuang: When the soldiers came back from the battlefields, as many as 20 men would come to my room from early morning. ...

StarViking: Try Japan Times "Yoshida transcripts on Fukushima nuclear crisis" (The full text released Thursday, which has SOME names REDACTED?) Then that is NOT the "full text" as it's claimed and it is an admission censorship. As for anything else that May have been redacted, it could easily be considered or qualified as a state secret. TURBOTSAT: I do have those links if you are still interested, I was unable to post them because I can't comment twice in a row. Make a comment on that other thread and I will post the links today.

One point remains clear and that the involvement of the imperial military on every level of the battlefield brothels from recruitment to using the providing sexual service.

Nope Zichi. The 'involvement' you refer to amounts to merely a person placing an order on line via Amazon and is waiting for the delivery date. I know it sounds cruel but that is essentially what the telegram states.

Pretty much all Japanese media is horrendous & controlled by the Press Club, but I'd say Sankei's erroneous reporting is 1000x worse than Asahi,

nigelboy: Nope Zichi. The 'involvement' you refer to amounts to merely a person placing an order on line via Amazon and is waiting for the delivery date.

http://www.awf.or.jp/e3/oralhistory-00.html

... to Zaoqiang. There she was forced to be a comfort woman for the Japanese military. ... we took ride on a train. It stopped for two hours at Shanhaiguan at which point myself and Yoshiko attempted to escape. But the exits were blocked by military police. ... When we got off the train at Tianjin, fully armed soldiers were waiting for us with a truck, a coach and a jeep. ... he stabbed me. ... He was taken away by the military police ... I was treated in the infirmary for twenty days. ... In the comfort station in Shijiazhuang: When the soldiers came back from the battlefields, as many as 20 men would come to my room from early morning. ...

... They rounded up little girls still in school. ... The soldiers made Chinese laborers lay straw in the trenches and the girls were put in there. There was no bedding... When someone died the girls got scared and began to cry. Then everyone in the trenches was poisoned and they closed up the trench. They dug another trench next to it.

Testimony II Maria Rosa Henson (Philippines) ... In April 1943 she was arrested by Japanese at a check point in the suburbs of Angeles and taken to the garrison. There she was forced to be a comfort woman. She spent the next nine months of her life in this way. ... At times, we would be brought to some quarters or houses of the Japanese. I remembered the Pamintuan Historical House. We were brought there several times. You cannot say no as they will definitely kill you. During the mornings, you have a guard. You are free to roam around the garrison, but you cannot get out. ...

Testimony III A Taiwanese victim: ... I was helping my father's business at home. One day, the Japanese police called and told me to come because they had a job for me. They said that I would be preparing meals and mending torn clothes for the soldiers. ... So I went to work. I saw many Japanese soldiers. ... We got up in the morning, washed our faces and cooked breakfast to feed the soldiers. We washed their clothes and mended torn clothes. Then, at night, we were called and confined to a room. ...it was a terrible job. I was only weeping. ... I wished to flee away, but I did not know the way. Soldiers were standing at the gates. If you fled, you would be shot. ...

@Stuart: ok

turbostat

I'm quite aware of the 'accusations'. But the issue in contention here is whether or not the government at that time endorsed such acts. If not, it simply becomes an isolated crime/isolated case where this is hapenning even today in many nations which are barely addressed.

If so many comfort stations are being run across so many countries by or with assistance of Japanese military it doesn't look like "isolated" any more. Especially as one endpoint of supply was within Japan itself.

If so many comfort stations are being run across so many countries by or with assistance of Japanese military it doesn't look like "isolated" any more. Especially as one endpoint of supply was within Japan itself

You are merely assuming. If such actions were condoned, there would be written 'orders' to allow such conducts and the police wouldn't even bother apprehending these people indicated below.

http://sikoken.blog.shinobi.jp/%E8%B3%87%E6%96%99/%E6%9C%9D%E9%AE%AE%E5%8D%8A%E5%B3%B6%E3%81%AB%E3%81%8A%E3%81%91%E3%82%8B%E5%A3%B2%E6%98%A5%E6%A5%AD%E9%96%A2%E9%80%A3%E3%81%AE%E8%AA%98%E6%8B%90%E3%83%BB%E8%A9%90%E6%AC%BA%E7%AD%89%E3%81%AE%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E8%A8%98%E4%BA%8B%EF%BC%881930%E5%B9%B4%E4%BB%A3%EF%BC%89

How disgusting. You don't see Germans whitewashing Germany's WWII war crimes or blaming the Judenrat for the atrocities. The comments on this board are a good example of how poorly Japan has dealt with its past. No other developed nation, especially those involved with WWII, glorifies its fascist history and dabble in flying swatstikas, etc. It is all rather deeply pathetic.

nigelboy: You are merely assuming. If such actions were condoned, there would be written 'orders' to allow such conducts and the police wouldn't even bother apprehending these people indicated below.

What do you see at your link that says that?

I see (run through Japanese-to-English on Google Translate), from 1930, articles on: girls kidnapped and sold to Chinese; girl bought at age 16 was under the age of consent, woman referred to employment in Manchuria but [guessing here just on tone of page] on arrival is forced into prostitution, and at last article "Mukden of Busan, Kidnapping is break through to 100 people".

Anyway, googling ' "Mukden of Busan" 1930' (Mukden was old name of Shenyang) gives following link answering your link:

http://fightforjustice.info/?page_id=3132&lang=en

2-4 The Contractors were Punished?

Historical Facts Committee members like Yoshiko Sakurai point to an article in the August 31, 1939 Korean paper Toa Nippo (“East Asia Newspaper”) about the police punishing contractors who made women “comfort women” against their will. ...

However, the important question is, why were there so many “comfort women” sent overseas from Korea through kidnapping, abduction and trafficking, if there were also cases of the Penal Code being enforced? The reason for this is that tacit consent was given in cases of contractors selected by the police or military who possessed valid identification, while those without it were criminalized. In addition, even among those contractors involved in overseas trafficking without military backing, only a few were exposed. ...

Pretty much the only people that are denying the comfort women are right-wingers and netouyos (unfortunately, many inhabit on this board and infest many places online). The problem is that they're deliberately spreading lies and misleading the public like "Asahi spread misinformation to the world and caused 'misunderstandings' about comfort women, i.e. that it never happened", much like the American right deliberately lie and mislead the public. Unfortunately most Japanese people may not know any better, and believe in such lies. The problem is the severe lack of countering left-wing effort to educate the truths about comfort women.

zichiSep. 13, 2014 - 09:30AM JST

The problem was caused by the imperialist military which ordered its agents to recruit women for the battlefield brothels but also ordered that the women shouldn't be former prostitutes because the imperialist military wanted women free from sexual diseases

Can you defend your story "the women should not be former prostitutes"? There are a lot of JIA documents during WW2 that ianfu should be former prostitutes, in the historical materials collected by AWF. In addition, there are many ianfu who were indeed former prostitutes. Is it just your imagination, or a new propaganda by some of those Korean activists?

Prostitution under the age of 21 was ILLEGAL according to the Workers law during that time, which Japan had signed. And many of the comfort women were under the age of 21.

enough_ropeSep. 16, 2014 - 10:37AM JST

Prostitution under the age of 21 was ILLEGAL according to the Workers law during that time, which Japan had signed.

What workers law are you talking about? You may be talking about "International Convention for the Suppression of the White Slave Traffic" of 1910. http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/instree/whiteslavetraffic1910.html There are a few issues to the convention.

Article 11 If a Contracting State desires the present Convention to come into force in one or more of its colonies, possessions, or consular judicial districts, it shall notify its intention to that effect by a declaration which shall be deposited in the archives of the Government of the French Republic.

The writers of the convention who were Eurpoeans put this loophole in it. https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=VII-10&chapter=7&lang=en

Can you see Korea or the Philippines in the list?

FINAL PROTOCOL B. As regards the suppression of the offences provided for in Articles 1 and 2, it is fully understood that the words "woman or girl under age, woman or girl over age" refer to women or girls under or over twenty completed years of age.

Article 3 The Contracting Parties whose legislation may not at present be sufficient to deal with the offences contemplated by the two preceding Articles engage to take or to propose to their respective legislatures the necessary steps to punish these offences according to their gravity.

The treaty obligation is just to engage or propose. It is toothless.

Anyway, googling ' "Mukden of Busan" 1930' (Mukden was old name of Shenyang) gives following link answering your link

turbostat,

I've seen some wild assumptions but this one is by far top of my list.

First and foremost, the site is basically under the full assumption that "many “comfort women” sent overseas from Korea through kidnapping, abduction and trafficking" when this basis alone is in question. Secondly, why on gods earth would the police or the military for that matter violate an existing penal code while enforcing them at the same time? Tacit consent? Seriously??

As the memo which Zichi linked to @iSep. 13, 2014 - 04:26PM JST, it states "憲兵調査選定” which means "Upon investigation and selection by the military pollice.." which implies that the operator candidates are "screened". In other words, the police does a background check to make sure that these operators have not in the past or present violated such penal code or any other criminal misconduct.

Posters like nigelboy would disagree that is any JIA document connecting them and the brothels, but yes I would agree with you.

Zichi. I never ever denied the connection of IJA to the brothels. Stop playing these silly games. What I disagree with is the level of involvement which you tried to argue but failed.

nigelboy: First and foremost, the site is basically under the full assumption that "many “comfort women” sent overseas from Korea through kidnapping, abduction and trafficking" when this basis alone is in question. Secondly, why on gods earth would the police or the military for that matter violate an existing penal code while enforcing them at the same time? Tacit consent? Seriously??

I don't know why you'd disagree with any of that. It still goes on today, right?

As far as "violate" while "enforcing them at the same time", I guess you don't think that there is one policeman in the world and he enforces all the laws exactly and equally everywhere, right?

Even now there is a lot of police leeway in arresting and ticketing. Judge doesn't see anything until it gets to his court. Some precincts, some cities more corrupt than others. You can imagine it was a lot worse 70 or 80 years ago.

Anyway, the paragraph exactly addresses your point. Repeating it below.

However, the important question is, why were there so many “comfort women” sent overseas from Korea through kidnapping, abduction and trafficking, if there were also cases of the Penal Code being enforced? The reason for this is that tacit consent was given in cases of contractors selected by the police or military who possessed valid identification, while those without it were criminalized. In addition, even among those contractors involved in overseas trafficking without military backing, only a few were exposed.

I don't know why you'd disagree with any of that. It still goes on today, right?

Corrupt practices by those who are involved? Yes. So what makes the 'comfort women' system any different from any other prostitution/brothel business? Why is it being targeted almost exclusively?

As far as "violate" while "enforcing them at the same time", I guess you don't think that there is one policeman in the world and he enforces all the laws exactly and equally everywhere, right?

That's not the point. It's the question of where the government as a whole 'condoned' kidnapping, abduction and trafficking. The answer is obviously no.

Anyway, the paragraph exactly addresses your point. Repeating it below.

It sure doesn't as I alluded to just previously.

The initial sentence is an assumption, not a fact. Hence, everything else that comes after are completely moot.

It's the question of where the government as a whole 'condoned' kidnapping, abduction and trafficking. The answer is obviously no.

The other pastes I posted show active involvement by uniformed military in transporting the girls from Japan to destination and in maintaining control over the girls at the destination. A system was in place. The girls expected household employment at destination and were forced into and kept in a state of forced prostitution.

Who is the independent research company and which rival newspaper or organization contended this issue?

Has that Japanese writer been put on a fMRI Lie Detector as one of the barometer to test his testimonies?

Why did Asahi Shimbun take so long to come forward? Is there any political or financial pressure on them?

Also, for the peeps who said sex slaves were in fact highly paid prostitutes. Prove it. Show me the actual financial allocation from Japanese gov't to these brothels or organizations supervising these brothels and payments were ACTUALLY provided and received by these sex slaves. And if you post an ad hiring for a maid but in fact force her to have sex, she's not a prostitute, she's a kidnapped sex slave.

And if you point a gun on her head or her family to give her a "choice" to have sex or see what happens, and then called them highly paid prostitutes after the fact, then you have some serious mental problem.

How Japanese women wish to voluntarily service its own kind is their prerogative. How Japanese invade others and mistreat women of another nationality is a completely different case and standard. Just the fact that you invaded others and caused them to lose their home, livelihood and ability to live, and then leverage their necessity to live through luring them into prostitution is somehow legit?

And what proof do you have on whether those women were paid or volunteered or not? IF those women said they were raped and forced into sex slaves, I will take their words as direct testimony. And I will bet that if they are put on fMRI Lie Detector test, they will pass with flying colors.

How about Japan unlock those "secret files" and let use see what they said. You guys are good at documentation within the military, open up that vault.

highball7 Could you look at the link I gave above, which shows evidence from US National Archives.

The other pastes I posted show active involvement by uniformed military in transporting the girls from Japan to destination and in maintaining control over the girls at the destination. A system was in place. The girls expected household employment at destination and were forced into and kept in a state of forced prostitution.

Yes. When the regulated system is overseas, that's what happens. Military regulates the transport, safety, health, working hours, and prices. These are well documented in AWF archives. Not only that,

-Issuing passports to comfort women, verifying their age. -Order for weekly medical examination by military doctors to check for VD with hundreds of reports summarizing the results. -Order to carefully screen the operators for some are recruiting underage girls under false pretenses. -Supply orders for "condomns" because the local area did not have them. -Setting up price and working hours -Warnings not to use brothels set up by locals for it appears that they are growing in spurts due to presence of IJA soldiers and therefore, hasn't complied with the regulations (VD screening, age, how they were recruited, etc.) -Warning to soldiers to pay the prepaid ticket before the actual service for it was reported by operators that some have skipped paying. -Reports of fighting among IJA soldiers because of their affection towards a particlar comfort woman. -Advisement to the soldier to pay for the property damage incurred at the brothel to the operator.

And of course, there are documents/reports issued by Allieds when IJA surrendered which includes shocking documents. For instance,

Rabaul

-Women between ages 20~25, the fee is 2.5 yen which includes condomns. The drinks are quite expensive. -Operation hours between 8 am~6pm. However, certain upper class military can stay overnight at a price. -Women can refuse service if the customer does not use condom.

Burma

-According the Korean operator there, his restaurant business wasn't doing to well so he decided to operate the comfort station. -He recruited women from ages 19 to 31 paying in advance from 300 yen~1000 yen per woman. -In his operation, his women earned between 300 yen~1,500 yen a month of which a minimum of 150 yen per month was collected by the operator from each women.

Seriously turbotsat.

Would you rather have an unregulated military brothels run by the locals where the customers (occupied military forces) are only involved in the consumption?

Typical leftist paper, full of left-wing propaganda. Sure, they published fabricated and erroneous stories so now they apologize. It is much too late, and what good does apologies do now? The damage has already been done and hardly anybody pays attention to these apologies anyway.