melonbarmonster comments

Japan's abduction issue is a non issue until Japan owns up to its own war atrocities and abduction of 5.4 million Koreans forced into slave labor during WWII. Japan's unrepentant attitude prevents any sort of genuine effort in helping out abducted Japanese nationals.

No seriously how does anyone actually think that Japan discovered "Takeshima" in 1905??? Does anyone actually believe this?

You can stand on Ulleungdo and stare at Dokdo. No Japan did not discover and claim them 1905 terra nullis in 1905 which just happens to be 5 years before Japan invades Korea. Japan really needs to get rid of this rabid neo-fascist, right wing nuts. Unfortunately, they're running the roost at the moment.

Golden retriever?? That makes no sense....

What a pathetic sycophant weasel lapdog. It's one thing to trade concessions and favors but Abe has been on Trump's backburner. Pathetic. Sad. What a way to show weakness.

Who's for slave labor??? Really? Anyone here think it's a great idea to be able to abduct 5.4 million people bc they're a different nationality or race and then deny you did it, say you've already apologized for what you say you didn't do, and then point to technicalities to say the matter is resolved already? How about just admitting it and paying the dying, old victims, and reclaiming a measure of decency and honor? Seems like a no brainer to me but then I don't drive around in black vans.

Lol what a joke. Japan trying to throw cold water on inter Korea cooperation and gain support for military buildup.

If Japan causes more publicity with this, it will only bring more publicity to Japanese war atrocities. I don't think you folks realize how ridiculous all of this sounds to people in the US and Europe. No one likes perpetrators of historical war atrocities who go around denying it and whitewashing their deeds.

LOL either some of you are undiscovered legal savants who can do jurisprudence from a single out of context sentence.... or you have no idea what the heck you're talking about.

War crimes and Crimes Against Humanity are not covered under the 1965 Treaty. You can agree or disagree but at least understand the argument and form an intelligible opinion. In Korea, however the law of the land is decided by the judicial system. That's how a normal working democratic system works. Deal with it.

China was caught placing spy chips already. Why would anyone use Huawei when they can just get an Apple, or Samsung phones?

Time to update to Casio phones.

Wow Abe is just a terrible sycophant isn't he? Trump likes it we all know. They're a match made in heaven.

The 1965 Treaty is a diplomatic agreement and doesn't include matters that involve war crimes and crimes against humanity. That said, the real problem is the obvious racist attitudes exhibited in this thread exemplary of racist attitudes that are very far from any sort of contrition for Japan's atrocities and is exactly the reason why Japan is still struggling to move past its history of war crimes. I remember when the Ehime Maru was sunk by the USS Greenville, the Admiral captaining Greenville apologized multiple times with tears, Bush apologized, Powell apologized, Rumsfeld apologized, Foley apologized, many others apologized and no in Japan complained about the US apologizing too much or whining that the US apologized already. That's how these things work. Everyone knows obviously Japan committed atrocities before and during WWII to occupying countries as well as to its own subjects. Instead of admitting, and owning up, you have Japan whitewashing, denying, claiming they've already apologized for things they claim they did not do, replete with racist insults and attitudes, etc. That's not how you resolve issues. How about honesty, honor, and some decency????

The 1965 treaty doesn't cover damages resulting from the illegal actions on the part of Japan[…]Japan could have had that final resolution[…]included the word "damages" 

You forgot to mention that Japan offered Korea compensation for victims, which it declined formally branding individual compensation a Korean matter. As such, the burden lies on SK.

Also, the Korean supreme court simply doesn't have the competence to rule on or interpret bilateral treaties, as instruments for revision (in this case: none) and problems of interpretation (as stipulated in article 3 paragraphs 1 and 2 of the treaty) are to be settled in a specific way. Thus, SK is breaking the treaty by passing its own unilateral judgements and your argument is thus invalidated by legal ignorance.

There's a wide spectrum of victims including those wronged civilly, criminally, and those victimized by Japan under internationally recognized, tried, convicted war crimes. You're lumping them all to get out of the intended exclusion of "illegal", I think proper delineation is war crime, victims. The Treaty expressly excludes them.

Also courts rule on how international treaties are interpreted and enforced within its jurisdiction all the time all over the world. Go look it up.

Wow, how about a bone of decency, inner character, sense of justice? What is up with the churlish attitudes regarding Japan's dearth of remorse over victims of its well documented atrocities?

This isn't about money. It's about Japan owning up to its past atrocities instead of whitewashing, lying, and trying to use technicalities to continue in its obstinate and racist attitude of admission, remorse, and learning from its past mistakes. This kind of neo-fascist, black van conservatism is going to start WWIII.

Is this a joke? Japan is going to get rid of the pacifist Constitution so it can invade North Korea to retrieve abducted Japanese nationals when Japan abducted 5.4 million Koreans??? Nippon Ganbare.

Whats most interesting is how Japan doesn't protest when Dutch, and Australian women claim they were forced into sex slavery.

Well if the Japanese government says there's no evidence in it's own investigation of itself, I'm sure all the firsthand witnesses and survivors from almost every single Japanese occupied country numbering more than 15 countries are all lying??? Japan has a lot to own up to. This is despicable and atrocious.

Melonbar says : They don't make that much money in Japan. LOL. They've been selling out baseball stadiums in the US.

Ok, I didn't know who bts was but I did a bit of research. From Sept 5 to 16 they had 7 concerts in America and sold 128,000 tickets. From Nov 13 to 24 they had 4 concerts in Japan and sold ... 380,000 tickets, but don't let facts get in your way, "LOL."

That's impressive since BTS only had 1 concert at Kyocera dome between Nov 13 to 24. I didn't know Kyocera dome held 380000. Nippon Ganbare!

Boy this group or their office really managed to piss people off.

No not really the article fails to mention that the one very lonely looking guy protesting was the entirely ignored and that the concert held was sold out.

I hope this was a learning experience for Japan and that they will stop glorifying imagery that are hurtful to countries who suffered deaths of millions under the Japanese Empire.

They don't make that much money in Japan. LOL. They've been selling out baseball stadiums in the US.

Japan abducted 5.4 million Koreans into forced labor. They're mostly dead. Japan has nothing to lose except its decency in admitting what happened and compensating the few not yet dead survivors. Good grief.

Triggered bc Japan the ultimate victim narrative is called out compete with racist statements about "Koreans". Black van special!

It's funny how sensitive people here get when it comes to Japanese people killed. The cumulative deaths over bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were terrible and tragic. How about recognizing the terrible and tragic deaths of 6 to 10 million civilians murdered by Japan? Trying to cry foul over offended sensibilities while ignoring your own far graver offenses is hypocrisy.

Lol NYT, BBC, Guardian, CNN, and other media reporting this and highlighting Japanese denials of Japanese war atrocities all while BTS is still incidentally topping Japanese music charts,

Lol some of you are really showing your age and delusional bubble. BTS became popular in a very different route than other kpop groups. Japan is irrelevant. Even Kpop scene is irrelevant to these guys. Talk about pointless bellyaching. You must think Sony makes the best phones.

Lol what a sycophant.