Voices
in
Japan

quote of the day

I made an inappropriate remark. I retract the remark and offer an apology to all family members of the abduction victims as well as related people.

11 Comments

Opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) lower house member Yukio Ubukata, apologizing after he incurred the wrath of the families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea for saying he thought none of the abductees are alive.

© Asahi Shimbun

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

11 Comments
Login to comment

why is that an inappropriate remark?

If you think that was inappropriate, what about Taro Aso's remarks? why does he get a free pass?

6 ( +9 / -3 )

Cold reality is hard for people to face when a loved one just disappeared from their life. I have sympathy for these people, but they need to let go of the pain and accept reality that there is a great chance their loved ones are dead.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

It's just an opinion. It's not inappropriate to say that these abducted people (all of whom save Megumi Yokota, were born in the 1950s or prior) might already be deceased.

If they were actually in North Korea and lived a Pyongyang Elite North Korean version of captivity along the lines of say Hitomi Soga/Robert Jenkins (and not an average NK citizens' bleak-by comparison existence), then life expectancy rates for the country alone would suggest that yes, they are most likely all dead as claimed by North Korea. (and the vast majority of the abductees were admitted by North Korea to be abducted but to have subsequently died.)

Why would an opinion need to be retracted, unless the power of these "families" to enforce their "hopes" onto everyone else as a "fact" is so strong, that one simply has to buy into their "hopes" as "facts"...or else?

Well, here's the Key Criterion for "the families": "the survivor families still refuse to believe these people are dead until the North provides irrefutable evidence."

Aha! There it is. Without "irrefutable evidence", these people ARE ALIVE (say the families). OK, Hope On....

4 ( +5 / -1 )

"I'm sorry for telling the truth".

2 ( +5 / -3 )

They are dead. What is not dead is the cruel and cynical cheap politics by Abe and the LDP who lied to the families for decades now with absolutely zero results. Abe created a fake issue taking advantage of the hopes of the families and used it to become Prime Minister, so big win for him and after 20 years big nothing for the families and the country. Eventually this issue will go away when everyone directly related to it has died. Including Abe. Historians will call this issue a shameful political exploitation of cheap emotion. The fake wall issue is exactly the same in the USA as manipulated by Trump for many gullible Americans.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

He retracted the remark and apologized.

And time will tell if he means it.

Some time back, I remember a politician who said something nasty that most of us just cringed at. But he didn't retract it. Later on, during an interview, he disavowed feeling the way he originally sounded, but he still wouldn't apologize. But the journalist persisted, by repeating over and over, “Just say sorry. Just say sorry. Just say sorry.” Finally he did: mumbling "obviously, I’m very sorry for everything that’s happened.”

I think that this guy did a little better.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

If you think that was inappropriate, what about Taro Aso's remarks? why does he get a free pass?

Because he's an entitled LDP old fogie born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

I think the official line is that Sato Hitomi's mother is still alive. I feel really sorry for these innocent victims, but we have to get real. And Harold Holt is dead!

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Because he's an entitled LDP old fogie born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

I think the official line is that Sato Hitomi's mother is still alive. I feel really sorry for these innocent victims, but we have to get real. And Harold Holt is dead!

got it! thanks!

0 ( +2 / -2 )

It’s not necessarily about hope. The second a politician accepts NK’s explanation that they are dead and ashes scattered to the 4 winds, then Jgov no longer needs to spend any time negotiating for their return, alive or their bodies.

This would kind of set a bad precedent, so I can understand these families wanting Jgov to still fight for their return, regardless of what their status actually is

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Have no say in J politics yet find it interesting this particular “Quote of the Day” is posted the morning the “Top Story” of what the opposition party promises the country. - Is it to highlight this politician’s contrition for insensitivity to the families or, to highlight their fallibility and thus, help serve the interest of the current LDP ruling party? - Will take it as as a reminder that one party can be just as stupid as the other, at times.

*- Politics “Main opposition party [CDP]pledges to achieve growth by reducing inequality, poverty” -*

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites