Former sex slaves urge Hatoyama to resolve issue

Frankly every country, every group has committed horrible atrocities in the recent and not so recent past. If we were to therefore follow, no country would ever be able to criticize another for any reason, no matter how valid.

As far as letting private groups pursue this, what hogwash. As we have seen time and again, private organizations simply don't have the needed clout in order to make people wake up and listen. Governments, with their interconnection of trade, money and politics do have the needed clout and are morally obligated to do so when they see a wrong.

And frankly, Japan needs to be riled up a bit over this issue. Their treatment of WWII, and their lack of remorse concerning many of the events that took place is appalling, and frankly dangerous. If the subsequent generations of Japanese aren't exposed to the truth of their own history, that simply makes them that much more likely to repeat it.

Lee Yong-soo said

Not her again. Isn't she the one who gave 4 different version of her "experiences" as a comfort woman one of which includes being comfort woman for 3 years since 1944 in Taiwan even though the Japan's Armed forces in Taiwan disbandoned in the same year as well as the fact that the war was over a year later??

not the same as a full-out, formal apology by the Imperial Government of Japan.

That would be difficult since all of them are dead.

Junnama - Singular apologies by singular government officials is not the same as a full-out, formal apology by the Imperial Government of Japan. Its interestign that every time a government official from Japan "apologizes" for World War Two in the Pacific, the Japanese government and Media distance themselves from that official, and/or that official "explains" to the media what s/he "really" meant. This thing has little to do with money.

Until the Japanese Government owns up to and apologizes for -- in writing -- her guilt in starting and perpetrating the Pacific War, all of this will continue to be ignored. In the eyes of Japan and her government, she did nothign wrong. In fact, if anything, it is the USA's fault for "interfering" in Japan's plan to "civilize" Asia....

Call my cynical, but waiting for the victims to die is obviously Japan's best strategy. Japan loves to demand apologies but never gives them for far greater atrocities. Ever.

Isn't that the truth....! You have to remember, you cannot use traditional logic and common-sense to argue with these people, it's more like arguing with your 7 year old...

I am surprised I haven't seen any of those same blabbering idiots.

"What about the U.S...? They need to apologize for __...!"

And

"The U.S. did the same thing...!"

Japan has actually apologized more than a few times. The real issue is not an apology, it's the cash - the recepient countries kept it an never passed it onto the victims - very sad. Regarding Koreans, I am sure the last thing they want to do is actually ask why the ROK kept the money for other means. That would be taking Japans side over Korea's side - unimaginable (but then again many of the post WWII Korean government were seriously corrupt).

Also, globalists shouldn't dig too far into this. The military history of almost any country is far from clean on such practices. Japan just happens to be rich country with no military left to stand up for its history - easy target.....

Womanforwoman, let's have the Japanese government apologize and then see what happens, shall we. I would imagine that the comments made by the Abe administration have not helped this situation - you may recall that his adminstration had stated the (paraphrased) comments below:

That there was no 'evidence' that the Imperial Army had taken part in the utilization of forced sexual labour. That as it was customary for Japanese woman from the countryside to be sold to brothels in the cities in the era, so the Asian sex slave's experiences were not out of the ordinary That they should be honoured to have helped rejuvinate the Imperial Army soldiers, and to therefore have supported the Imperial Army war efforts.

You may find it interesting to have a read on the internet about the GLOBAL response to these comments - I can assure you that the outrage felt at these historical attrociaties and the comments of the Abe adminstration was felt by many more than just a few senior citizens with a chip on their shoulder.

yasukuni, read some of the stories and even wanted to offer support. I feel that rather than reminding oneself over and over again of the pain suffered the victims should learn to look at other things that can heal their hearts and minds. If you dwell on that and wait for something that may or may not happen will do more damage. Can words heal and make the nightmares of the victims go away?

Call my cynical, but waiting for the victims to die is obviously Japan's best strategy. Japan loves to demand apologies but never gives them for far greater atrocities. Ever.

Big difference between these women and blacks in US wanting reparations for slavery is that these women are alive and were the victims. Blacks cannot claim to be individually wronged by slavery though they may have a case of systemic wrongs to their community due to the legacy of slavery.

Japan needs to do as the US did to the Japanese who were imprisoned in USA concentration camps in WWII. Pay those that can verify that they were victims. These women have to be getting on up there in age.

On a plus side, if bureaucracy stays true to from, by the time that the verification process is finished there will not be many left alive to collect the payments while Japan gets to save face by pointing to the payouts as penitence for their Greater East Asia War crimes.

"Hatoyama, who as opposition leader in 2002"

Yeah, but he's the prime minister now.

if they knew the fact that they don't need the other party to resolve issues, they wouldn't do that. But as it is, they are doing wrong. Acting like that at their old age, there isn't a minimal excuse. In other words, why they don't turn to Jesus and be healed and saved.

This issue again? I will be surprised if Japan did not sign any treaty with SK or China many years ago to conclude all things related to WW2 before commencing ODA program to help these countries .

Womanforwomen. Just move on?

Read some of their stories. Just moving on is easy to say. Not a man, but I could never say that about what many of them went through.

If Hatoyama supported them and criticized the LDP over the issue, then they have every right to expect action from him now - whether you think they should just move on or not.

How do you say, "get over it" in Japanese?

The Jgovernment can make a show of the apology. Creatge a stage for it, and ask PM to make a speech. And then what? It would heal the hearts and mind of the people of the nations who suffered?

How does making an official apology remedy the hurt caused? Glad that they refused the money. And would be gladder if they forgot what happened in the past and just moved on. Very rarely that an apology actually heals the damage done. Get stronger and just move on. Feeling sorry for one self and expecting the wrongdoers (I wonder how many of the persons who actually committed the heinous acts are still alive) to apologise is not going to right the wrong I think.

There is more than a bit of selective reporting here. The Japanese point of view is:

As part of the SF Treaty Japan gave money to other governments specifically for this reason when the two countries normalized relations. The ROK for instance did not pass that cash on to the victims.

Would it hurt to have some balances reporting?

It's not about the money - it's about the fact that the Japanese government has never officially apologised for the abduction and enslavement of women for the purposes of sexual gratification of the Imperial Army. Money is the tool that previous Japanese goverments used to try to get around making an apology. It was Korean and Chinese pride and dignity that allowed these women to reject that money, and to continue to press for a public and formal apology.

Well it's a sensitive issue. But the fact that they can apologise on behalf of those who died and admit to that shady past is a lot better than letting it pass under the carpet. The victims who are still alive deserve that much. They'd rather have that than the money. Nobody is asking for a personal apology or paycheck.

Exactly! This is all about compensation culture and greed, It's over, it was over more than 60 years ago. Only Korean and Chinese greed and inferiority complexes that are keeping this going.

This is just as rediculous as Blacks wanting restitution from the american government for the slave era. If said people were still alive Id be all for it. THEY deserve the money/apology. However much like the blacks in america, very few of the victims are alive, and probably even fewer of the people who commited the act are. Why should this generation pay for something that people (related or not) did in ages past? I enslaved no one, I raped no one, I should pay nothing for someone else's mistake 70+ years ago.

Hatoyama's deviation from USA will totally depend on his inclination towards solving these issues... Not impossible but almost impossible because they are dealing with Japan.

"wartime documents"!! that's great! otherwise they would all deny it all the way to the bank like they have denied other massacres... in Germany denying the holocaust is a jailable offense, in Japan it's SOP in schools.