Outrage as WWII sex slave memorial removed in Manila

Asked about the statue's removal, President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday conceded he knew little about it but urged Filipinos not to "insult" Japan.

Nah, he said way more than this. I advise people to read this article from this Philippine news site:

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/04/29/1810611/tapos-na-yan-duterte-says-japan-already-paid-occupation-world-war-ii-abuses

This article on Japantoday omitted so many things, like the fact the statue was placed on a government property, so it could be interpreted like a government protest against Japan.

But there's not any problem if statues like this are placed in private property. Duerte also said Japan has apologized to the Filipinos for its wartime actions, and it made much more than this in terms of reparation.

The problem with the Philippines comfort women issues is that unlike South Korea, Abe did not offer a sincere apology himself to the women. He only reaffirmed previous apologies from Japanese officials.

But anyhow, as we have seen with South Korea, it does not matter how many times Japanese officials apologize for its past wartime deeds, people will still claim that Japan has 'never' apologized for its past, or that because Japanese politicians didn't get on their knees and grovel for forgiveness, it's not 'sincere.' THAT is the issue. There will never be an end game for Japan regardless of whether their politicians apologize or not, because the anti-Japan crowd will continue to use the past to slander all things Japanese. It is what it is.

By the way here's an excellent commentary:

http://www.manilatimes.net/rape-women-war-grievous-given/372554/

@ oldman_13

> There will never be an end game for Japan regardless of whether their politicians apologize or not, because the anti-Japan crowd will continue to use the past to slander all things Japanese. It is what it is.

By the way here's an excellent commentary:

http://www.manilatimes.net/rape-women-war-grievous-given/372554/

Agree with this, and indeed an excellent commentary.

Yesterday JT published another article on this statue issue, in case you missed it:

'Comfort women' memorial removed from Manila baywalk

@ Alex80

I couldn't reply to you in the other article on this issue as that 'thread' was closed for comments by the moderator.

I hope that you can make it one day to Japan as a well-informed traveller :)

@Pukey2: I didn't say you despise Japan, I said the ones like you look to despise the financial assistance that Japan gave basically to all its former colonies.

They weren't only loans, but many different forms of economic assistance and sharing of know-how.

Basically everyone should know how much Japan contributed to the development of China and South Korea, it's something that you learn since you are a child at school, but I wonder what Chinese and South Korean children learn about Japan, besides its war crimes and the fact that some right-wing politicians have some controversial views about some specific facts related to WWII.

China and South Korea got tons of economic support by Japan for the past decades, but now sometimes it seems almost Chinese and South Koreans make fun of Countries like the Philippines calling them "dirt-poor" for accepting Japanese economic support without fueling polemics about the war crimes, forgetting they did exactly the same. I find this really hypocritical.

@Pukey2: China and South Korea aren't poor anymore also thanks to Japanese financial assistance after WWII. Both the Countries accepted the money that the ones like you look to despise so much. Philippines are doing the same. No Country really apologized properly for all its war crimes committed during its own history, not even Germany, unlike what you think. Ask the Greeks if they think Germany did enough for its war crimes. At some point, Countries need to move on. Don't worry, we don't need to remain stuck to the past to hate each other. Humans are idiots enough to create always new conflicts between Countries. It's in their nature.

I wonder how many women, men and children are still victim of sex trafficing. Maybe someday people will be erecting statues in their honor...

Humanity will never catch up at this rate. Better to stop crying about the past and focus on actually doing something meaningful to solve the present issues.

Good, now lets all move on and leave the past in the past!

Its been 70 years and most of the people who put these god awful statues up have no links what so ever to the supposed crimes committed. Hopefully the rest will come down soon after and we can all get on with our lives and look towards the future and not harking on about issues that have been apologised for time and time and again and whose "victims" have had decent recompense issued!

Good riddance!

Unlike other Asians it's in Philippine people/s character to forgive, forget then move on.

Good on the Philippines for removzing this silliness.

They were prossies earning good cash during wartime. Do we also need to start making statues for storekeeps and taxi drivers??

@ Wallace Fred

Enlighten this forum with your historical facts before calling it a pathetic situation :)

There are many atrocities that happen every day of every year in this world that could warrant a statue for each one. To make a big deal about some sex slaves from 70 years ago is unfair to all citizens of the world as it takes time away from dealing with the current sex slave phenomena with human trafficking. It is a complete joke to keep on discussing this further. What is done is done and one little statue will do nothing for anyone.

Anyone in Japan ever heard of the "Streisand effect?"

Best to let these memorials sit there and for the families involved to remember as they like. Japanese visiting should show quiet respect just like they do for soldiers of other armies killed in wars.

The past is done and history will not be repeated.

Although Duterte is a fool, he is showing admirable practicality and realpolitik here. Well done to him for not falling for this political dead horse, constantly being beaten by the South Koreans. What an absolute non-issue

I think most/many Asian nations just don't 'get' why it is important to have memorials and also don't know how to promote them without naming/shaming the perpetrators again and again.

Imo both sides i.e. victims & perpetrators are equally at fault; victims for not knowing when/how to promote their artwork & make a point without pointing the finger at 'big-bad' Japan for the humptieth time. Perpetrators for (often unnecessarily) getting defensive and lacking of discernment/sensitivity.

Would love to hear Koreans/Japanese/Filipinos/Chinese etc opinion re the new 'lynching memorial' which was recently inaugurated in Alabama. That's how the rest of the world deals with History (even/especially painful one)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/apr/28/lynching-memorial-backlash-montgomery-alabama

Not 100% convinced of the need for these statues, but more are going up than coming down.

There is talk of one going up in front of the South Korean embassy in Vietnam to highlight the hidden Lai Dai Han abuse by Korean soldiers there. There is a theory that the driving force behind all these statues going up in US sympathetic nations in the Pacific the Philippines is China, though, who wants to break up national alliances in the region.

https://taskandpurpose.com/much-may-think-know-korean-comfort-women-wrong/

Terrible things like this should definitely be remembered, and I hope this one gets put pack up somewhere else.

However, placing a statue like this, so close to the Japanese embassy, is obviously meant to provoke a negative reaction from the Japanese government in order to keep all these arguments going. There are plenty of prominent places that a statue like this could be erected that are not near a Japanese government office. It would be no different than if the Japanese put up a statue honoring Admiral Yamamoto across the street from the US embassy. It would serve no other purpose than to stir up negative feelings and promote anger.

Anti-Japanese feelings in South Korea are not only related to WWII, like some people are implying here. The problem is way more complex than this, and I believe that this article deals with the topic in a rather complete way:

https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/why-south-korea-so-obsessed-japan

I think not even in China the situation is at this level.

The author of the article, Robert E Kelly, is a professor of international relations in the Department of Political Science and Diplomacy at Pusan National University, so he works in South Korea and I guess he knows the Country very well. I noticed the same things he said about South Korean press too.

The Japanese government should ignore the statues. Talking about this is to provide free publicity. Keep silent and nobody will notice the statues. I personally think that remembering the sex slaves (I don't like the term "comfort women") is a good thing to do. Remember the past and don't repeat it.

gaijinpapa, haven't you heard of brainwashing or WGIP?  You need to know all the detail to see the whole picture.  Just asking the local people isn't enough.  If you ask Koreans, the younger people hate Japan more because of brainwashing.  According to them, Japan is No.1 enemy,  not NK.

It is very difficult to find any war in which rape did not happen - hand in hand with murder, destruction, plunder, etc. European countries have a long history of it and as punishment of god, they brought back syphilis from South America.

Alex: I do not DESPISE Japan (this is always used as a word to fire back when someone else dares to criticize or doesn't agree with you). What I do hate are the lying, hypocritical, racist Japanese politicians. (And, by the way, I have no love for the Chinese government either). And nobody said all countries were perfect. And you do know that 'loans' have to be repaid? I think loans is the absolute minimum they should get, considering chemical weapons left in China are still being found to this day. But yes, I would like to see peace between all these countries - it would certainly give a certain other country fewer reasons to station their troops half way across the world.

Anyway, if I'm guilty of something I don't get to decide how many apologies are enough.

Well, that may be true for the first 50 years or so. There's a point where they have to realize that unless they want to be enemies, they've taken it as far as they can and it's just time to move on.

Something I learned when dealing with my ex-wife... ;-)

@ Alex80

Anti-Japanese feelings in South Korea are not only related to WWII, like some people are implying here. The problem is way more complex than this, and I believe that this article deals with the topic in a rather complete way:

https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/why-south-korea-so-obsessed-japan

I think not even in China the situation is at this level.

Obvious as Korea was a Japanese protectorate for 40 years. The article was very informative about this issue, arigato gozaimasu.

I'm pretty familiar with the feelings of HK Chinese, Mainland Chinese and the Chinese diaspora in my home country about the Japanese. Even at the massage parlour I ask about it as most of the women come from the Dongbei area, better known as Manchuria or during the Japanese occupation as Manchukuo.

Many of them refer to the Nanjing Massacre and what happened with relatives but it's more of what you saw in neighbour countries of Germany during the first decades after WW 2, the mix of hatred and admiration. Kids were brainwashed at school about German war crimes and the heroism of the resistance. Today we know that history wasn't black and white but often grey.

The difference is that in Europe the hate is faded but that in certain Chinese circles stories about the Japanese are kept alive at the kitchen table. On the other hand, as you may know, Mainland, HK, SG Chinese as well as Taiwanese make up for most of the foreign tourists to Japan.

All is in the "perspective" of that time period.

Next is in the situation, circumstances, condition and environment.

Having stated that, as has been said often here, "past must be kept in the past". The past is what we label "history". And we must "learn" form it. We cannot live it or relive it or redo the past. To begin with the entire situation is different. One must recognize that it was at a time of "war" regardless.

And we must live for now and for what the future may become,

We must also remember that "we" are the future and will "make" the future.

We know that grudge and hatred and even blaming others will not get us anything better or even make us better. All of that "creates" walls that prevent positive steps toward better thoughts and action.

We need good and pure thoughts, good and pure speech and good and pure action.

@Netgrump: about Chinese people who live in my Country, the second generation immigrants are usually interested into Japanese pop culture very much. They are young, and living in a Country like mine, where Japanese culture in general, and manga and anime in particular, are very appreciated, it's normal that this happens. Plus, both them and their parents often open Japanese restaurants.

dcog9096: "They were prossies earning good cash during wartime."

At the barrel of a gun, and who were raped constantly, and bayonetted if they became pregnant.

The leaders of Japan today have no reason to apologise for the choices made by people from the past. They have more important issues to worry about in the present day. It seems millennials are everywhere.

Edit, above: "...including the Philippines"

Anyway, if I'm guilty of something I don't get to decide how many apologies are enough.

Precisely

Like in South Korea, this statue is an attempt by China or CIA (same mentality) to break the relation between the two countries, the Philippine and Japan.  By the way, comfort women were just prostitutes.  Japan was fighting for the Philippine independence from evil USA.  Not only in Japan, but in the Philippine also, USA committed genocide.

@ golderak

Please leave paternalistic thoughts at home :)

@Tinawatanabe

many of the comfort women were prostitutes. That’s true. But not all - study the matter.

Also many prostitutes of that era (including Japanese) weren’t free at all.

Read how many of them were treated and their lives and it’s impossible to not feel grieved as a human.

as for liberating the Philippines - go there and talk to the people. They didn’t feel liberated. So many died were tortured and raped. Have you been there? How many Filipinos do you know?

as for some of you saying that the reason Filipinos are different to Korea and China re Ww2 re the war being because of poverty , I disagree. It has more to do with the character of Filipinos and their attitudes of forgiveness and getting on with life.

Japan says they are sorry but they don't seem to show remorse towards people they've wronged, you see all the time Japanese officials pressuring governments and institutions to yield to their displeasure for revealing their tainted past.

Money (Foreign Aid). It is as simple as that. The Philippines, being dirt poor depends on the money Japan sends to the country. That is why we never hear much war criticism against Japan from the Philippines. Now that China and Korea are rich, they are not afraid to speak out. Money talks.

@ tinawatanabe

Like in South Korea, this statue is an attempt by China or CIA (same mentality) to break the relation between the two countries, the Philippine and Japan. By the way, comfort women were just prostitutes. Japan was fighting for the Philippine independence from evil USA. Not only in Japan, but in the Philippine also, USA committed genocide.

Well dear Tina, it seems that you need an update at probably the best place in Japan to get one: the Yushukan at Yasakuni Jinga.

There you may learn what the main objectives were of all the campaigns in SE Asia by the Japanese during their Greater East Asian War.

To give you an idea I'll quote from a book that I bought over there:

' Capturing the Dutch East Indies [ Indonesia] and thus obtaining huge oil resources

there was the ultimate goal of the southern campaigns'

' The capture of the Philippines, an American stronghold in Asia, was crucial because

the Japanese needed to establish a communication line to their supply sources in

Southeast Asia'

It's correct that one of the outcomes of the campaigns was that the era of colonialism in SE Asia came to an end. But it was never the main objective. Compare it with the Americans bringing 'democracy' to Iraq after they removed Saddam Hussain.

On your phrase ' By the way, comfort women were just prostitutes' : with a business in Japan as large as the 'water trade' I should be more careful with making patronising remarks about these women, especially when you're a woman. [ I guess you're a women].

And don't come up with foreign [SE Asian] women working in the trade as the vast majority is made up by your compatriots. As a connaisseur of Japanese movies from the Golden Era many of my 'heroin actresses' played a prostitute. One of my favourites of those days, Ayako Wakao, played several 'comforting' roles. The beauty of those days can be seen as 'Obachan' in the Softbank 'Family White' ads on TV and internet. [ still a beauty at 85].

On 'genocide': make an attempt to understand the real meaning of that word.

Its been 70 years and most of the people who put these god awful statues up have no links what so ever to the supposed crimes committed.

That is the very reason that they build the statues now.  The people who witnessed that comfort women were prostitues have gone.  So these people who build the statues can lie openly now.

Japan was fighting for the Philippine independence from evil USA.

The Philippine Commonweath had been established in 1935 to create a 10 year interim period to independence. The above comment therefore makes no sense. It would suggest that Japan was fighting for Philippine independence which was already being given it's independence (by the USA).

It was over 70 years ago when these "crimes" allegedly occurred. The statues are to bully Japan. Move on. Duterte is a clever man, a good and strongman Leader like PM Abe, and realizes this and that his nation needs Japanese big investment. Japan will help make Phillippines great and rich, maybe even with Shinkansen soon, and it is just and fair that the anti-Japanese statues were removed.

It is practically certain that Duterte ordered the statue to be removed. His remark not to "insult" the Japanese suggests as such.

I note that the pro-rightwing Japanese trolls are out in force attacking anyone who is reasonable in acknowledging Japan's crimes against the so-called comfort women. Nothing anyone does to deny the truth will erase the truth. This is something the Japanese conservative power structure should have learned by now.

I know lots of Filipino people. Most of them know all about WW2 atrocities. But most of them have no animosity against Japanese at all.

They suffered at the hands of America and Spain too but have no animosity there either.

Most of them know about comfort women, and most of them aren’t interested in statues.

Having a statue or not having it probably isn’t that important - but as long as there are people like TIna Watanabe we probably need statues......

Tina, I have no problem with Japanese going to Yasukuni, or building a statue to victims of TOkyo bone bing raids or more statues or monuments remembering people who died.

Even IF it were true that out of 200,000 there were only 1000 who were truly sex slaves, and they suffered, then a statue shouldn’t bother you.

What’s troubling is you lack of understanding of your own Japanese history.

Do you think Japanese comfort women all were girls who decided to get rich quick and signed up? And who went to parts of Asia and at any time could say “I’ve made enough money, I want to go back and start a cake shop in the Ginza now”

No, read up. Most of the them were sold, and had absolutely no freedom. There were obviously SOME comfort women who were assigned to officers and lived okay - (yes, not all comfort women were kidnapped and abused everyday). Both sides of this debate need to actually read the accounts.

And Tina, I suggest you just take a trip to the Philippines and ask them about the war. Old people can tell you.

You might be surprised if they don’t thank you for liberating them.

No really, go there and ask around.

Filipinos aren’t in your face about it, and don’t care about Yasukuni, but if you want to hear heart wrenching stories about suffering because of Japanese “liberation”, go ask Filipinos.

oldman_13Apr. 30 07:15 am JST

But anyhow, as we have seen with South Korea, it does not matter how many times Japanese officials apologize for its past wartime deeds, people will still claim that Japan has 'never' apologized for its past, or that because Japanese politicians didn't get on their knees and grovel for forgiveness, it's not 'sincere.' THAT is the issue.

No it isn't. People claim that the apologies are not sincere because so many Japanese politicians deny there was ever any wrongdoing, like net uyoku who claim all the comfort women were well-paid prostitutes and that Japan was on a glorious crusade to end western colonialism.

Anyway, if I'm guilty of something I don't get to decide how many apologies are enough.

Many women from the Philippines are presently in clubs and bars all over Japan.

Some receive money for sexual favors and no doubt some are abused.Still, they have a choice.

However, Japan’s wartime government with connivance of its military abused and murdered civilians that had been coerced into service.

Present day politicians in Japan will strangely refute and deny such events took place.

Memorials to all and any war victims need to be openly displayed so we all don’t forget the past

Duterte is already bending over to pick up the soap in anticipation of his future incarceration. A shame he had to do it for Japan's need to gloss over its former atrocities. The statue was a testament to the women who suffered, as well as a reminder so that we do not repeat the past, and respect the lives of others. But, nope... Japan doesn't want that, and with Duterte becoming increasingly paranoid and having very few fans, and with Japan giving them old military equipment to "face the threat of Chinese incursion", he bowed down. Shame.

"It is not the policy of (the) government to antagonise other nations," he said.

Controversial Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte has labelled US counterpart Barack Obama a “son of a bitch” and warned him not to question his policy of extrajudicial killings. 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/rodrigo-duterte-philippines-president-barack-obama-son-of-a-bitch-a7226201.html

What a joke

Memorials positioned with an intention to provoke do more harm than good. Was the statue in a provocative location? I don't think so. If there was a legitimate need to MOVE the statue to allow for an infrastructure project then yeah... Otherwise... Should have been left IMO.

The statues are to bully Japan.

Oh, cue the violins. Yeah, I bet the Germans feel victimized and bullied whenever they come across a holocaust memorial site.

No one is ever going to believe the "apologies" made by a government, as being sincere, or believable, when the same government officials go and visit Yasukuni, the symbol, within Japan, of all that was wrong with the war.

It's that, and the open desire to rewrite textbooks, which are diluting Japanese involvement and keeping following generations ignorant and compliant.

Consider this, there are many Japanese, under the age of 30 that have ZERO idea why there are US Military bases in the country. They grew up with them, and for many learned to live together with them around them, and think nothing about them. They never ask "why" yet they do ask "why" when it comes to folks from Korea or China complaining about Japan, and when they hear about the war, give incredulous looks of disbelief because they don't want to consider their own history.

Just make a bigger one.

If Japan was genuinely sincere about investing money in the Philippines, then they would do it with or without these statues.

The weaboos are out enmasse.

Funny that no matter the downvotes, history will never, ever forget. This issue will always exist until Japan rises above the murky deception and try and imitate the german model of contrition. Continuing to kick the can downhill only furthers to place the country and its people in the worst light.

By the way, comfort women were just prostitutes.

Spoken like true couch potato warrior.

Money money money, only money, .. but no straight apology.

There is something very fishy about this. Why was it removed and not just moved?

Apologies are nothing when right wing politicians in Japan deny them the instant after they are uttered. Throwing money at an issue to make it go away means nothing when sex slaves aren’t covered in the education system.

The decent thing to do would be to re-erect the statue ASAP.

Why is it that Germany has no problems with other countries setting up monuments dedicated to the victims of Germany during WWII? Why is it that Germany teaches its kids what happened to these victims?

So Japan has offered (vague) apologies? Then why do the politicians then go and offer flowers and what-not to the shrine which honours war criminals? Why are right-wing politicians so vocal in their denial of past atrocities? What's the point in apologizing if you then turn away and mutter 'Well, it didn't really happen' to your children?

The Philippines is a dirt-poor country. It has no leverage and cannot afford to mourn and show their anger in public because Japan has it right under its thumb, financially. There was a time when China and Korea were dirt poor too and had no leverage, and had to shut up and put up with the lies. But no more. Japan should have sorted this problem out, but no, it (and the US) decided that everyone should get off scot-free. And those people who should have been hung (doctors working in Harbin, politicians, army leaders) then went on to higher places and even went on to become leading politicians and even prime minister (ask Abe).