Geta Gabo comments

This article fails to explain why many former Korean ianfu continue their fight for recognition.

First, official apologies admitting the Japanese government was responsible are still outstanding. Nor did the 1995 statement (more like 'sorry you suffered' than 'sorry for what we did') have any political weight, as it came from a non-LDP government. Abe could just make a policy to deny the coercive element AND the goverment's responsibility, essentially slandering the women as prostitutes (Several outside scholars at the time noted the similarity of this stance to Holocaust denial). This is in fact still his position. Unsurprisingly the 'settlement' he reached with the Korean government (over the victim's heads) did not assuage them.

Second, the 1990s fund came entirely from private sources, in line with the view that the government was not responsible. It is like all Germany did was to set up a fund where private citizens or companies could donate for Holocaust victims. I am exaggerating for effect here (the scale of the atrocities is obviously different) but the point is to show how dodgy the moral logic is here.

Third, the Korean government was for many decades complicit in silencing the victims. It eventually figuered out, however, how it could use the issue to its own advantage, both domestically and as an international bargaining chip. Many women were glad to have the government finally stand up for them, but they resent any 'settlement' only designed to make politicians look good, without having been involved.

They could have saved thmselves that last phrase. Who cares about what some nutcracks say about Nanking. Theres a conspiracy theory about just about anything in the world. Are they going to add at the end of an article on science ''religious fanatics maintain God created the world in seven days and scientific endeavor is, at best, worthless.'? Gimme a break!

most of the people who will lose their benefits did either not vote at all or vote for Trump (amounts to the same thing), because (A) Hillary just wasnt perfect enough for them, or (B) going to the voting booth is just too mich trouble. Their problem if they loose their health insurance.

But they made a big problem for the world. they put a person in power who may accidently start ww3 and who will certainly do his push the world climate system over the cliff. There are no profits on Venus dude!

Donating to organisations fighting every inch of pipeline, every fracking site, every new oilrig one by one is the only thing to do.

Trump and his team are aiming to tip world climate so they can profit from the ensuing chaos. its an easy task now since nothing effective was done for 30 years. oh an why was that again? Oh, mostly because, oil companies, above all Excon-Mobil have thrown huge sums into disinformation campaigns and lobbying against climate action (#exxonknew #exxondid). And with a true excon boy (40 years at the company) at sec of state it should be a sinch. Collaborate with Russia to drill the arctic, gut the Paris agreement one way or another...

And he may accidently start world war 3. but we all knew that.

Some words of caution:

physical violence by an adult is not a way to deal with bullying among children. the teacher says the boys bullied a girl, but there is no other source (here anyway) that corroborates it. Certainly thin ground for 'serves em right' comments. Bullying cases (if there is indeed any truth to the teacher's allegation) are rarely clear-cut, with former victims turned later perpetrators, accusations of bullying used for payback for some unrelated grievance, etc. etc. The world is not Doraemon.

The bottom line is: every school needs protocols, training and resources to deal with bullying that go beyond 'bullying is bad!' Lectures and ostracizing 'the bullies' (which makes it easy to use bullying allegations for, well, bullying) Many already have something in place, but more needs doing.

I hate how automobile makers get special backing from governments. If only a fraction of that support were given to clean technologies we could hand todays young people cities with cleaner air, more convenient infrastructure, and less at threat from climate change. Fie on Toyota, GM and VW. Fie on the lawmakers who kiss their asses. We all pay the bills for their profits.

Reminds me of the end of the Ghibli movie PomPoko (spoiler alert) where tanukuis have lost the battle against urban sprawl. They subsist by sneaking around the buildings and gutters, many get hit by cars, but somehow they make it.

to some of the glib expats here who got your own priviledge, but Dont want to see less well off foreigners in this pure land. Just wait next this government will go after cultural refugees like you...