S Korean 'comfort women' sue Japanese rock band

I'm not sure that filing a lawsuit in a Korean court is the best response to this nonsense. Perhaps make their own video, making fun of nutjob right wingers?

It just gave the the punkers publicity which is what they wanted and old women making a video making "fun" of this kind of subject.. is just..

Perhaps make their own video, making fun of nutjob right wingers?

.....and that is a better response than legal action for a group of elderly women, is it?

"A group of South Korean women forced into wartime sexual slavery by Japan filed a defamation suit Monday against a little known, far-right Japanese rock band for calling them prostitutes" were they calling them prostitutes or the prostitutes, prostitutes? lack of detailed news coverage.

There still are many Koean comfort women today who are in Japan and comforting Japanese men for money.

“Scramble” has no real public profile in Japan,

No public profile, period. I imagine that will change though - now that they've got the free publicity of this lawsuit.

Perhaps make their own video, making fun of nutjob right wingers?

.....and that is a better response than legal action for a group of elderly women, is it?

Yep, certainly is. That's the only response these nutjobs will recognize.

Further proving that Japan just does not 'get' punk. Scramble, if you had any guts, you'd sing out against the attrocities caused by your government.

Like U.S., Japan has freedom of speech. Maybe in South Korea, there is too much conformity and a lack of free speech and censorship. So what does South Korea want? More like North Korea? Your argument is weak. Censor records, TV, school books too? And who decides what's right to hear?

Freedom of speech is one thing, hate is another, and while they may have the "right" to say what they did, these women also have the right to challenge them in court as well. They should be held responsible for their actions.

to a shelter caring for so-called “comfort women” in Gwangju, south of Seoul, last week

.to a shelter caring for former "comfort-women" in Gwangju....there I fixed it for you!

By using the words "so-called", which can be read to mean something totally different, as in they being falsely termed, or inaccurate, you do a disservice to the women in the article and all former comfort women. Using ambigious terms with a subject as sensitive as the "comfort women" issue is in poor taste at best.

It is sad this 'band' is getting any publicity.

Korean courts have no standing in Japan. At best this is cheap propaganda and there is no doubt they will be found guilty. A impossible award will be made and it will be ignored. This will be used to further the case of hatred for both sides.

The band is described as a rock band here, not punk. It's hard to comment, not knowing the lyrics concerned - the title is revolting enough. The fact that they sent the song with translation of the lyrics just proves it is a political move.

Scramble is rubbish.

Yubaru Mar. 05, 2013 - 08:59AM JST Freedom of speech is one thing, hate is another, and while they may have the "right" to say what they did, these women also have the right to challenge them in court as well. They should be held responsible for their actions.

There are many music that people get offended today. What do you want Japan to do? Go back to 1930's and take away the freedom of speech. Or if you don't like the music, they don't have to listen and turn off the music. These women in SK could move to NK and not listen to these music.

sensorship in Japan is not dealt using sensible codes of morality, and ethical values virtually dont exist. Add the fact that 'the comfort women' are ignored from school curriculums and basically regarded as fiction, nobody seems to really care. they are just stalling until everyone feels that its ancient history and it is Taboo to even talk about it. Personally, I dont even know why anyone would even listen to a JPs band, no wonder senseless garbage is in the lyrics. Its very sad that the true history of JP is swept under the carpet and hidden from the history books taught at school, Europe, including Germany made every efforts to expose the truth about what happened during the same period in JP, and now Museums highlight the truth right throuout Europe and all the Countries involved are living at Peace and show no dissatisfaction in anyway regarding the experiences of the past. It is very sad the 'Comfort women' are still not rightfully acknowledged by their persecutors of the past.

SUE EM! But I think they won't win sadly.

humanrightsMar. 05, 2013 - 09:20AM JST sensorship in Japan is not dealt using sensible codes of morality, and ethical values virtually dont exist.

Freedom of speech is extremely important for individual liberty and no other right is as important as the right to think what you damn well please and then talk about it. But for Japan it is important as well. First, Japan is made up of individuals, so what matters to them matters to their country. The only way to get new ideas and improvements on the status quo is to be able to question the status quo, no matter how offensive others might find it. Even hate speech has a place and when we hear it, we can fight against it and make our own arguments stronger.

Compare it to activist in China where many of these people were taken from their home for speaking out against the government if we can't complain or ask for changes in their own country, we will soon be locked up for disagreeing...just like in China.

gotta love how korea blows everything out of proportion, yes scramble shouldn't have do it, however; i'm not convinced all "korean woman" were forced into the "comfort women" scenario but bitch about it now like it was against their will. the biggest problem here is korea and china refuse to forgive and forget, and try to add to past histories then accuse japan or changing history. not everything japan did in the past was good or right, but all the hate from korea against japan doesn't make them any better then what they accuse of and bitch about japan "did"

It is a stupid move on the side of Japan. Some people behave stupidly when they think they will not be held responsible for what they do. Why do not we ship the band to South Korea and see what happens.

Better yet, the former comfort women should file criminal charges against the band in Japan.

People here did not go to Japanese highschool. Even if the textbooks do not talk in detail about something like this, teachers make "supplementary materials" about "special topics", including lots of scarry pictures. Teachers are very leftist.

Better yet, the former comfort women should file criminal charges against the band in Japan.

Yeah, and it would be even better if Japan had enforced hate crime legislation.

Nothing says "tough guy" like insulting elderly women. Way to establish your rep, boys.

Poor form the band.

Perhaps make their own video, making fun of nutjob right wingers?

And this is the problem. Which ones? The Japanese nutjob right wingers or Korean nutjob right wingers? Because there are idiots on both sides.

Geoff GillespieMar. 05, 2013 - 07:26AM JST "Perhaps make their own video, making fun of nutjob right wingers?" .....and that is a better response than legal action for a group of elderly women, is it?

Maybe not but certainly isn't any worse. Filing an action in a South Korean Court that has no jurisdiction over this band isn't the smartest legal move I can think of. Even if it doesn't get dismissed for lack thereof and somehow goes through it will be a default judgment, something that's hardly ever recognized by other courts in other countries on the basis of comity. One thing is certain though, the South Korean lawyer will be making some money.

There are many music that people get offended today. What do you want Japan to do? Go back to 1930's and take away the freedom of speech. Or if you don't like the music, they don't have to listen and turn off the music. These women in SK could move to NK and not listen to these music.

Ever hear of hate crimes? But if you would actually read what I wrote you might notice that I have given them both their just and due "rights".

These women should take their case to a Japanese court and get all the international attention and support focused on them and the issue behind their case as well.

Freedom of speech is one thing, hate is another, and while they may have the "right" to say what they did, these women also have the right to challenge them in court as well. They should be held responsible for their actions.

I completely agree with you here, but I think this is all about how far freedom of speech should go.

Japan doesn't have, or doesn't enforce, hate crimes, so it would seem that freedom of speech will probably used as a defence in this case, rather than doing the right thing and putting these scumbags in jail.

They are probably suing them in Korea, because they can't in Japan, because what they have done, isn't really a crime in Japan. So, taking them to to court in Korea, is probably more of a symbolic gesture with a hope that it will lead to something more.

Probie

Yeah, and it would be even better if Japan had enforced hate crime legislation.

I do not see any need for "hate crime legislation", when defamation and insult are legislated to be crime.

I do not see any need for "hate crime legislation", when defamation and insult are legislated to be crime

Where? Here in Japan? If what you say here is so then these women have every right to file in a Japanese court and win as well.

I can not think of anything more insulting and defaming than calling a person forced into slavery a prostitute.

Can you?

When discussing "good v evil", remember that at worst this "Scramble" group is exercising freedom of speech in an unpleasant way, while at best these women are trying to inflict monetary damage against a group that ultimately were not the same ones that coerced them, because their unquantifiable feelings are being hurt. Real damage versus abstract damage here, people.

At worst the Scramble group speaks truth and these women are scammers.

Even if you play the hate crime thing (and I don't remember Japan having a hate crime law), there is debate on whether the very concept of "hate crime" is an undue limitation on freedom of speech.

These women should take their case to a Japanese court and get all the international attention and support focused on them and the issue behind their case as well.

I'm not a legal expert but from what I know that would put Japanese courts in a no-win situation...

First, obviously a large part of this case will depend on whether the plaintiffs are actually comfort women at all (if they aren't, they have no standing and their case will get thrown out of court in the first 5 minutes). Then, having demonstrated they are comfort women, they'll have to show they are sex slaves rather than prostitutes. Of course, technically even prostitutes don't deserve "violence" so they can win the case in a technical sense without the second part - however, a ruling on that basis will effectively be a defeat for their cause, and since it is technically a win they can't even appeal.

AFAIK, In Japan there is no class action. If there is, it would be relatively easy to show as the comfort women "class", there were at least some that were sex slaves (there are documents to that effect). However, without it they have to fight as individuals. Documents can at best show the phenomenon of coercing women exist but that's not the same as showing those particular women were coerced.

Physical evidence after so many years will likely at best show they indeed had a lot of sex. So they can probably show they are comfort women. The hard part is making the leap from prostitution to slavery. Japanese right-wingers have lost no time in seizing on any contradictions in comfort women testimonies. I've actually seen a site citing a claim by a particular comfort women who was actually recruited by a Korean (said Korean supposedly said he is being threatened by the Japanese but there's obviously a point for doubt here) and she can't even remember where she provided her, uh, services. These may make good sob stories but clearly are worthless as court witness testimony.

The point is that a court that plays to strict legal standards will probably rule most if not all the cases have no merit. Or they'll give the women their Pyrrhic victory. So that's the fair court.

But I doubt the world will be greatly pleased by this outcome, even though it is the legally valid one.

So let's say they become as political as a Korean court would be and award things. Now the right-wingers have legitimate grounds to complain.

@sjjp330 You have mistaken "freedom of Speech" with defamation and libel. Whilst it is okay to express opinions, it is not okay to lie or defame a person. For that you can be sued. Although I hold out no hope that the racist Japanese courts will do anything about it... one can always hope.

@Kazuaki, you make the same mistake. The women's point is that "they were not prostitutes". For someone to say that they were is defamation.

Sorry for the double post up there but let me use the chance to add one addendum:

a site citing a claim by a particular comfort women who was actually recruited by a Korean

Just to make it clear, that site was not by a Japanese at all. This was from the rather famous "Ask a Korean" blog.

AFAIK, In Japan there is no class action.

There is, and it's used quite often down here in Okinawa for WWII related and base issues.

If there is, it would be relatively easy to show as the comfort women "class", there were at least some that were sex slaves (there are documents to that effect).

Really? It seems to me that the old farts like Ishihara in Tokyo didn't get the memo on this and refuse to aknowledge that there were anything but women of free will and desire acting as hookers.

So let's say they become as political as a Korean court would be and award things. Now the right-wingers have legitimate grounds to complain.

Are you trying to infer that Japanese courts ARE NOT political? Get real, they are just as bad too.

Who ever translated this and sent it to the centre is at fault. By doing so the person gave emotional distress to the ladies and exposure to a rock band no one had heard off...

YuriOtani: "This will be used to further the case of hatred for both sides."

Gee, ya think? I mean, sending a song called "Slashing Koreans" to a group of women in an old-folks center who may have suffered being raped day in and day out (remember your previous comments on rape, Yuri!) intentionally. It's beyond insulting.

Hopefully the IOC is introduced to this song and vis-a-vis the issue while they are here checking out Japan's 2020 bid.

If anyone's interested, here's the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=560bR8-cNsI

It calls for the killing of Koreans, and it's not denigrating the former comfort women. The video urges people to kill these old prostitutes and kill Koreans. The video denigrates all Koreans including jpop group KARA. After some research I've come to the conclusion it's the Japanese who uploaded this video, who translated them into Korean (and not the Koreans) to send a message to people in Korea.

They maybe a fringe rock band, but that still doesn't take Japan off the hook. I've not seen any outrage from the Japanese public in general. Instead there are lot of encouragement for the band members online. For instance Yahoo Japan, read all the disgusting comments that I've come to expect.

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20130303-00000014-cnippou-kr

At worst the Scramble group speaks truth and these women are scammers.

Kazuaki, the video doesn't just insult the old women. It also sings about feces eating, feces alcohol drinking dirty Korean animals. And here the Japanese on the internet, saying they speak the truth. All I can say is stuff like this are only going to backfire on Japan. Keep defending your countrymen, let's see how far this will go.

Jaymann,

The women's point is that "they were not prostitutes". In the history of human being, most of the prostitutes did their job against their will. Why is the use of the word "prostitute" improper, when the word does not imply they were willing?

I disagree that the women have to prove they were former comfort women to prove their case in court. Nobody has to prove anything because this was simply a hate attack on all Koreans, not just comfort women. The DVD that was sent to the Korean retirement home calls for the killing of Koreans, which should be considered death threats. It's full of racist message involving slurs and feces, against Koreans so this is not even attempting to show a Japanese point of view on the comfort women issue. The music basically is nothing but racial commentary, and the comfort women issue is just one of the background issue.

I'm not a lawyer and I'm not familiar with the hate speech law in either Japan or Korea. But I think whatever happens in the Korean court will not effect Japan at all. The women are taking it to Korean court because they have no chance of winning it in Japan, and even if this does nothing to change the mind of Japanese, this is just a form of symbolism for the women.

Jaymann,

The women's point is that "they were not prostitutes".

Comfort woman is a translation into English of Japanese "ianfu" and Korean "wianbu", both of which mean "prostitute" in original language. I think you are missing the point.

Graham:

Nothing says "tough guy" like insulting elderly women. Way to establish your rep, boys.

Indeed. That seems to be how things are done around here, though: only attack the weaker and the ones who can not fight back. How else can you win?

@chucky3176 Thanks for the vid. I was going off the article.

To be honest, I can't hear much from that song except a lot of repetitions of the word "feces". I do agree that they can win (as in get money) without proving the comfort women bit. But I stand by my stance that they won't be very happy if they win without proving that (because the judgment would then include statements such as "the claim that comfort women are sex slaves is insufficiently substantiated").

I've not seen any outrage from the Japanese public in general.

Why should they? One fringe rock band? To the Koreans it is very large. To the Japanese it is a speck.

And here the Japanese on the internet, saying they speak the truth

Stop twisting my words. It is certainly true that I don't buy the comfort women at face value [making claims after 40 years, self-contradicting testimony and worse, trying to make a sob story where you can't even remember what happened (if you remember nothing, no one can point out any contradictions!) does that to me]. Nevertheless, I don't make a conclusion they are liars either.

Keep defending your countrymen, let's see how far this will go.

By the way, I'm not so much defending Scramble as suggesting how hard it'll be to get the comfort women the win they want in court.

You have a right to state your opinion, but you have no right to call for killings of an ethnic group and calling them inferior animals. How would United States handle such material sent to a retirement home? Would it be considered free speech, or hate crime? I'm just curious.

Ha, watched the video ..... (shouldn't have given them any hits but) They sound like a sub-par glay with lyrics by Skrewdriver. Bunch of tossers. Go tour Korea and sing that crap.

Historians say about 200,000 women from Korea, China, the Philippines and other countries were drafted to work in Japanese army brothels in Asia.

Oh, they are still using the word "drafted", which will just frustrate reconciliation process between Japan and Korea.

I am very happy that Japan hasnt yet succumbed to the pressure to have "hate speech" legislation. There is nothing wrong with hate, it's just another human emotion like love or happiness. The idea of legislating against an emotion is ridiculous.

Of course the band was being offensive, and provocative, and IMHO complete d!cks. But so what? Let them rave, and punish them the worst possible way- by ignoring them. The most hurtful thing you can do to a loudmouth fool is simply not to pay attention.

I've not seen any outrage from the Japanese public in general.

Haven't watched any wide-shows or the news today but chances are the general public doesnt even know about this. They are kept in the dark about many things by the press.

Haven't watched any wide-shows or the news today but chances are the general public doesnt even know about this. They are kept in the dark about many things by the press.

Not so much kept in the dark in this case as simply that an objective assessment of the significance of this barely merits even a corner on P.20 of the newspaper. What's next, anyone that badmouths a comfort women gets his day on the evening TV news?

Weird group & song directed at elderly prostitutes !!!! JUST WEIRD

Amazing Song Of The Year !!!!!

Produced by White & Black Vans at the nearest JR Station near you

Haven't watched any wide-shows or the news today but chances are the general public doesnt even know about this. They are kept in the dark about many things by the press.

oftentimes even if they do know or hear about this, their usual and naturally perfunctory demeanor means they have no reaction, silence is golden...or means consent

I'm not sure that filing a lawsuit in a Korean court is the best response to this nonsense. Perhaps make their own video, making fun of nutjob right wingers?

If a bunch of elderly anyone made a music video making fun of the right wing nutjobs I would buy it and enjoy it on principle.

What are the lyrics? Something that got me most is that someone idiot sent them the lyrics, someone was just searching for ways to create drama. Great publicity stunt if indeed it was one. The Korean women should be old enough to know that Comfort Women are same as prostitutes if they slept with the soldiers and no matter the sugar coated name, it remains the same definition. The only thing is they are offended because even at their age, they haven't learned to let hatred go. It is the truth and the truth hurts. Let it go, both sides. It shouldn't have been said by the band, but really...we don't even know the lyrics enough to say anything beyond this point.

I read that the phrase 'kill the elderly prostitutes' was translated into 'polite' Korean. It looks like these Neanderthal idiots have evolved thumb opposition and can use the translation app on their smart phones. It is progress of a kind. Maybe they'll stop being obsessed by feces in the future.

Not so much kept in the dark in this case as simply that an objective assessment of the significance of this barely merits even a corner on P.20 of the newspaper. What's next, anyone that badmouths a comfort women gets his day on the evening TV news?

More like Japanese media likes to keep the public's head in the sand when it comes to racist issues or issues that make Japanese look bad. Japanese are not the most introspective people in the world and have a real hard time admitting they did anything wrong publicly or privately for that matter.

My translation of the lyrics was deleted by the admin. I guess they were that racially offensive. Not even 5% of the song is actually about the comfort women issue. The song actually covers vast sets of issues that they have a beef about.. including Takeshima issue, the fake Kpop hits in Japan, earthquake in Japan where Koreans are looters and thieves and the advocating for killing of the grandmother prostitutes and all Koreans. This only became a comfort women issue in the news, because the DVD of this song and a letter full of slurs were sent to a retirement home for former sex slaves.

"More like Japanese media likes to keep the public's head in the sand when it comes to racist issues or issues that make Japanese look bad. Japanese are not the most introspective people in the world and have a real hard time admitting they did anything wrong publicly or privately for that matter."

What, like other countries that were involved in "comfort women" but have hid it completely under carpet, at least the "Japanese" have taken steps to look at the issue more than once over many years and compensate more than once; even when the Korean gov "wasted" the initial compensations, so tried to track down the individuals themselves.

This is more about long running politics and latent racism and convenient hiding/obliviousness to their own countries similar wrongs by foreign media, selling agenda news.

Behind freedom of speech the Japanese show their true arrogance and callousness towards other Asians nations

Yes, because some obscure, attention-seeking rock band is the true representative of how all Japanese feel.

So how do most Japanese feel about this? Just curious. I don't see any condemnation of the group (or groups like them that make Japan look bad), but I do see quite a number of support for this group, especially anonymously on the internet.

A group of South Korean women forced into wartime sexual slavery by Japan filed a defamation suit Monday against a little known, far-right Japanese rock band for calling them prostitutes.

Hmm. I have issues with this sentence. So all of these women claim they weren't paid for their service and their indignation at being called "prostitutes" means they were never recruited from brothels? It's interesting how one "comfort woman" managed to buy five houses in Tokyo from the wages of that "sexual slavery".

@Kazuaki, you make the same mistake. The women's point is that "they were not prostitutes". For someone to say that they were is defamation.

Really? Hmm then Nishioka Tsutomu at Tokyo Christian University is in BIG trouble and has been for six years! I wonder why HE hasn't been sued yet?

http://www.sdh-fact.com/CL02_1/39_S4.pdf

It seems a lot of the comfort women "hopped on the compensation bus" once lawyers started telling them they could get money from Japan if they pretended they were kidnapped, rather than recruited.

First of all I am sure the four 80-90 year old women didn't even know about it till some stupid korean nationalist brought it to their attention. Like these old lady's needed to be bothered with it. On the other hand I am sure there are Korean bands making bad songs about Japan. Hell That stupid anoying Psy made a song about killing americans.

ryukyustriker, how about if one of those Korean bands made a bad song about Japan and mailed it to a bunch of Japanese tsunami victims? Would that be different then?

A CD containing a song with the allegedly defamatory lyrics by the band “Scramble” was mailed—along with a translated text—to a shelter caring for so-called “comfort women” in Gwangju, south of Seoul, last week.-AFP-

ryukyustriker,

It is very surprising that the CD was mailed to the former comfort women by KOREANS, not by the rock band. ryukyustriker, are you sure? If so, AFP should be accused for unethical journalism.

@CH3CHo. No, the point is rather clear - opinion is opinion, defamation and libel (or would it be slander in a song?... will have to ask a lawyer) leave one open (quite reasonably) to a law suit. This is not a grey area. 'Comfort Women' is an accepted term for the historically noted and widely accepted as having occurred, Japanese practice of forced sexual slavery in WWII. Prostitution is sex work. Being raped by Japanese soldiers and then being accused of being a sex worker by a particularly low-brow sector of Japanese society is "in my opinion" lacking in human decency (in my opinion that is...).

If, for example, I was to go on Tv a declare to all the world that your mother is a prostitute and you the result of her paid union with some trick; you could reasonably seek to sue me for damages. Why should these women not have the same chance at redress? They have been declared "whores" by these knuckle-draggers, if said 'rock group' cannot prove that this is true, then they should be sued... and publicly humiliated would be just deserts as well methinks.

Jaymann, I do not believe in someone who tries to manipulate information, and you should not either.

The article makes readers believe the rock band sent the CD to the former comfort women, which is not true if ryukyustriker is correct. The article says the comfort women were "drafted", whereas none of the women in the shelter house claim they were drafted. There are two manipulations. Now, how can you be sure there are no manipulations other than the two?

If you make comments based on misinformation, you become the one who spreads misinformation. How do you make amends for that?

Jaymann Mar. 06, 2013 - 03:08PM JST No, the point is rather clear - opinion is opinion, defamation and libel (or would it be slander in a song?... will have to ask a lawyer) leave one open (quite reasonably) to a law suit. This is not a grey area. 'Comfort Women' is an accepted term for the historically noted and widely accepted as having occurred, Japanese practice of forced sexual slavery in WWII.

In 1965 the issue was settled for $500 million that was paid out to Korea. The Japan goverment asked Korea goverment to show the concrete number of conscripted workers and soldiers, dead and injured and how much unpaid wages were. They asked to "show the evidences and they would pay". Korea agreed and investigated them. What I want to clarify here is that Korea didn't claim the compensation for the war time prostitutes. Why didn't they? It's because there was no abducted prostitute. Nobody said at the time in Korea, those prostitutes were abducted. Everyone knew there were many women who were so poor that they sold themselves to live and the Japan army didn't have to abduct Korean women. There were many Korean volunteers for Japan army at the time. Therefore Koreans didn't claim it at that time. It's the Korea goverment's problem if they did not disclose the comfort women issue at the time.

Unlike Korea (both) Japan has freedom of speech. You have the right to say anything no matter how stupid. This cause no harm other than make themselves look STUPID.

None of you address the actual issue, and Yuritani "Freedom of speech" most certainly DOES NOT mean 'that you can say whatever you want' - that is just totally incorrect and I'm surprised that you don't get that - it's pretty simple.

Jaymann, a lot of efforts were made and is being made by researchers in East Asia to uncover the whole picture of comfort women system during WW2. It seems you really want to deny such efforts.

The researchers uncovered working and living conditions of comfort women, how much they were paid, how they were recruited and so on. How much do you know about such studies? You said comfort women were not prostitutes. I can say you spent almost no time studying comfort women, and that you actually do not care about them.

If you care, read, for example, the archive of Asia Women's Fund.

by 'efforts' you mean right-wing revisionism. this would be hot on the heels of holocaust deniers and climate-change apologists right?

YOU should read the accounts of Dutch women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese army in WWII. I get that you are ashamed of Japan's horrific actions in WWII (you should be) denials simply don't wash. Just saying something over and over in a loud voice (sound familiar Japanese Black and red van drivers?) does not actually make it true.

Has Korea imported lawyers from California? Back in the USA everyone hopes for a turn in the lawsuit lottery.

@Ch3Cho. You sound like an apologist. Also, you miss the point. The women in the story (you know the article above) were slandered - that means they can sue for libel. That is really the only point here.

JAPAN has some really, really messed up racist idiots called UYOKU, the Japanese Right Wing,** so The song, with an accompanying video posted on YouTube in January, is titled “Slashing Koreans” and contains inflammatory lyrics, exhorting violence against “the elderly prostitutes.”

“Scramble” has no real public profile in Japan, and a fan base that appears limited to fringe ultra-right nationalists.**

I love JAPAN but, these racist idiot fools, kind of like the KKK of Japan?? If I meet them, they will have my Mexican foot, deep, deep up their racists asses!

99.999% of us would never have even heard about this stupid band and their stupid song if not for the "news" about this lawsuit. Why do them this big favor?

It's not about the band. Judging from internet board comments and even comments on JT, the fact that basest of racist sentiments and behavior receives wide tacit to overt support is the single reason why this is newsworthy.

It is interesting what they are going to sue based on which law. I would not support the band but their lyrics has provoked some people but in the freedom of expression they think. Always many artists have been doing it in many different ways. I am curious how they draw the line between a libel and expression at the court.

Also I am not sure who is claiming about the government of Japan that forcefully made more than 200,000 women as a sex slave and abducted them. Even some one erected 2 monuments in USA.One I saw was at the　Eisenhower memorial park at Korean war memorial. 54,000 American lost their life to protect the freedom of Korea. That has nothing to do with the Sex Slave issue. Some people might get offended that monument. Is this considered as a libel by someone?With out any actual proof and evidence, establishing such a monument? Or freedom of expression? So many evidence exist that it is not true. I am not taking about some individual cases. I know those some local cases were true and I feel very sorry for the victims because some JPN solders were punished by JPN army because of their crime. The record exist.

But Japan has enough records that could prove the 200,000 abduction case which is stated on the monuments did not happened. In this case, this could be a libel by someone to Japan?