Editorial: Japanese nationalists attempt to revise history on 'comfort women'
By The Times Editorial Board
DECEMBER 11, 2014
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-revisionism-20141212-story.html
Among the many horrors of World War II was the Japanese military's peculiar system of sexual slavery, in which women (mostly Korean) were kidnapped or otherwise conscripted to provide sex for Japanese troops as they invaded their way around Asia and the Pacific. Now, some right-wing nationalists in Japan are trying to persuade the world that it never happened.
This is nonsense. The historical record is clear about the "comfort women," as are the memories of the women themselves who were forced into a system of sexual slavery. But the truth is apparently not an obstacle for Japan's nationalists, who are in the midst of a campaign to obliterate memory of Japan's atrocities and its war-mongering role in Asia in the 1930s and early 1940s.
***** Omitted below *****
My Rebuttal:
Don’t you have doubts the testimonies by the ex-comfort women are lies?
There is no clear historical record about Japanese military's peculiar system of sexual slavery with the exception of the testimonies by the ex-comfort women.
Your article is based on many misunderstanding, and is not pleasant for reading.
It is true that Japan had apologized for the colonial occupation and comfort women many times so far, but the apology was not depending on the solid facts, but on the sensitivity peculiar to Japanese.
The word “colonial occupation” is not accurate. It should be called “merger.”
Japan performed huge investment in Korea which was in extreme poverty, and improved educational and living environment drastically. It was definitely different from a cruel colonial plundering. Even now it is appreciated from Taiwan which was merged in the same way.
The comfort women were actually common prostitutes in those days, not sex slaves, and were not took forcibly by the Japanese military officials.
There might be coercion by Korean pimps, but there is no evidence of the forcible taking by the Japanese military. It would be impossible to judge from comfort women’s viewpoint whether the culprits were Japanese military or Korean pimps. The women’s testimonies were full of lies and misunderstanding.
The comfort women disputes were began with a venomous criticism by the Asahi Simbun, Japanese left wing newspaper. Many factual misconceptions were included in it.
Korean government might consider the article of the Asahi Shimbun was a chance to take indemnification from Japan, and pressing Japan for apology. Japanese politicians had surrendered to the Korean demand according to Japanese peculiar sense of value to get along well with a neighboring country. They did not conduct detailed inspection of the accusation and thought that they could pacify Korean with money.
However, there had been no end to the Korean demand. The majority of Japanese was disgusted with lie and greed of Korean, and is beginning to think that there should be breaking off the diplomatic relations. The consensus that there is no merit for Japan to get along well with Korea has been almost established now.
If you Americans have a plenty of time for denouncing Japan, you should reflect on yourself about the massacre of the Native Americans and the extortion of the whole American land, the enslavement and ill-treatment of African people, the Massacre of Japanese citizens with Atomic bombs, and the massacre of the Vietnam people without clear cause.
By The Times Editorial Board
DECEMBER 11, 2014
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-revisionism-20141212-story.html
Among the many horrors of World War II was the Japanese military's peculiar system of sexual slavery, in which women (mostly Korean) were kidnapped or otherwise conscripted to provide sex for Japanese troops as they invaded their way around Asia and the Pacific. Now, some right-wing nationalists in Japan are trying to persuade the world that it never happened.
This is nonsense. The historical record is clear about the "comfort women," as are the memories of the women themselves who were forced into a system of sexual slavery. But the truth is apparently not an obstacle for Japan's nationalists, who are in the midst of a campaign to obliterate memory of Japan's atrocities and its war-mongering role in Asia in the 1930s and early 1940s.
***** Omitted below *****
My Rebuttal:
Don’t you have doubts the testimonies by the ex-comfort women are lies?
There is no clear historical record about Japanese military's peculiar system of sexual slavery with the exception of the testimonies by the ex-comfort women.
Your article is based on many misunderstanding, and is not pleasant for reading.
It is true that Japan had apologized for the colonial occupation and comfort women many times so far, but the apology was not depending on the solid facts, but on the sensitivity peculiar to Japanese.
The word “colonial occupation” is not accurate. It should be called “merger.”
Japan performed huge investment in Korea which was in extreme poverty, and improved educational and living environment drastically. It was definitely different from a cruel colonial plundering. Even now it is appreciated from Taiwan which was merged in the same way.
The comfort women were actually common prostitutes in those days, not sex slaves, and were not took forcibly by the Japanese military officials.
There might be coercion by Korean pimps, but there is no evidence of the forcible taking by the Japanese military. It would be impossible to judge from comfort women’s viewpoint whether the culprits were Japanese military or Korean pimps. The women’s testimonies were full of lies and misunderstanding.
The comfort women disputes were began with a venomous criticism by the Asahi Simbun, Japanese left wing newspaper. Many factual misconceptions were included in it.
Korean government might consider the article of the Asahi Shimbun was a chance to take indemnification from Japan, and pressing Japan for apology. Japanese politicians had surrendered to the Korean demand according to Japanese peculiar sense of value to get along well with a neighboring country. They did not conduct detailed inspection of the accusation and thought that they could pacify Korean with money.
However, there had been no end to the Korean demand. The majority of Japanese was disgusted with lie and greed of Korean, and is beginning to think that there should be breaking off the diplomatic relations. The consensus that there is no merit for Japan to get along well with Korea has been almost established now.
If you Americans have a plenty of time for denouncing Japan, you should reflect on yourself about the massacre of the Native Americans and the extortion of the whole American land, the enslavement and ill-treatment of African people, the Massacre of Japanese citizens with Atomic bombs, and the massacre of the Vietnam people without clear cause.
