The following is a continuation of the previous chapter.
This chapter contains essential facts that most Japanese people, including myself, have never heard before.
It is also an essential fact for the international community.
In particular, it is a fact that the German people, especially the leftist members of the Diet in Berlin's Mitte district, need to know.
(Emphasis in the text is mine, except for the headline.
A Large Defense Team of Over 100 People
Abiru
At the press conference, Mr. Uemura criticized Mr. Sakurai, saying that he had written a text not based on facts through sloppy reporting.
Sakurai
In criticizing Mr. Uemura's article, there is no need to interview him directly. As long as you write a report with your signature on it or comment on it with your real name, you will be subject to any evaluation or criticism that comes your way once it is published.
Abiru
Mr. Uemura has also filed a lawsuit against Mr. Tsutomu Nishioka.
Like Mr. Sakurai, he claims that the "fabrication" of the article constitutes defamation.
Despite similar cases, Mr. Nishioka was sued in Tokyo, and Ms. Sakurai was sued in Sapporo.
What were their intentions?
Sakurai
In deciding on the trial location, the proximity to the evidence and the defendant's place are significant factors.
I also live in Tokyo, my publisher is in Tokyo, and Mr. Uemura has a lawyer who lives in Tokyo.
It is not surprising that the Sapporo District Court initially agreed to transfer the case to the Tokyo District Court.
However, although we were not told exactly how many people were involved, it finally decided that the case would be transferred to Sapporo, partly because Mr. Uemura's side collected signatures in Sapporo.
It told me that one of the reasons Mr. Uemura's side was so anxious to go to Sapporo was that he was not that rich, and it would be difficult for him to cover his travel expenses.
However, Mr. Uemura has been traveling to Tokyo and Korea to give lectures and hold meetings.
Abiru.
Mr. Sakurai visited Sapporo twice, in April 2016 and March 2018, for the first oral argument and in-person questioning, respectively.
Sakurai.
At the Sapporo District Court, there was a line of supporters seeking tickets to watch Mr. Uemura.
When we entered the courtroom, it already filled most of the seats with Mr. Uemura's supporters. In contrast to the defendant's chair, where there were only about five lawyers, the plaintiff's seat was occupied by a large team of more than 30 lawyers.
And before and after the trial, Mr. Uemura held a rally with his lawyers and supporters.
I suppose there was an aspect of the judiciary being used as part of a political movement.
Abiru
Mr. Uemura's defense team had a total of over 100 people.
In a regular trial, this number of people would not be necessary at all. Still, they must have been prepared for intimidating the judge, Mr. Sakurai, and her supporters.
The Identity of the Mastermind
Sakurai
Not only Mr. Uemura, but there have been several cases in which people who have been involved in anti-Japanese campaign activities on issues such as comfort women have brought matters to court against academics and speechwriters who have criticized them.
Yoshiaki Yoshimi, a professor emeritus at Chuo University, lost a lawsuit against Fumiki Sakuranai, a former member of the House of Representatives of the Japan Restoration Association; he pointed out that the Yoshimi's writings are 'fabricated.'
Abiru
Mr. Yoshimi is still insisting on the "comfort women = sex slaves" theory that has already collapsed, isn't he?
Sakurai
Another lawyer, Kenichi Takagi, sued Mr. Tsutomu Nishioka for defamation and lost the case.
Abiru
Speaking of Mr. Takagi, he recruited former comfort women to become plaintiffs in a compensation lawsuit in South Korea with Social Democratic Party leader Fukushima Mizuho and others and served as their lawyer.
Mr. Uemura also said that he had been visiting Kenichi Takagi's office since he was young.
Sakurai.
I can't help but wonder if a network is being created to file lawsuits and shut down any counter-arguments.
Abiru
Incidentally, I happened to hear Kenichi Takagi's name twice in my overseas reporting.
The first time was when I visited Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, in 1996.
I covered a private organization promoting a project to register former comfort women to demand compensation from the Japanese government.
The organization is called the Central Council of Former Military Auxiliaries, which is made up of "military auxiliaries" who served as miscellaneous personnel in the military during the Japanese military regime. Still, for some reason, the office had a collection of slogans by Japanese supporters that read "Anti-Emperor System" and "No to UN Peacekeeping Operations.
I remember wondering why such slogans were being displayed.
Then the chairman said, "We started this under the direction of Kenichi Takagi, a lawyer in Tokyo. He showed me a letter in Mr. Takagi's handwriting and told me, "It urged me to proceed quickly.
Sakurai
Is this the second time?
Abiru
I went to Russia in 1999.
When I talked to the president of the Sakhalin Korean Association about the demands made of Japan about the project to return the remaining Koreans who had been kept there after the war, he told me, "Mr. Takagi, who runs a large law firm in Tokyo, said to me that I should demand more compensation from Japan.
After our interview in Indonesia, we called Mr. Takagi for comment.
He said, "Sankei is outrageous. I'm thinking of suing them."
I told him that I had met the former president of the Military Auxiliary Association in Indonesia.
Then he changed his attitude entirely and started to get impatient (laughs).
Did he yearn for a star reporter?
Sakurai
I want to ask Mr. Abiru, who is also a newspaper reporter, why Mr. Uemura wrote the fake article in the first place.
Abiru
I'm going to say this on the assumption that only he knows.
Mr. Uemura's mother-in-law, Yang Sun-im, was an activist who demanded compensation from the Japanese government for the comfort women.
Some people think that he may have written the fake article for his family's benefit.
However, he said in an interview that he had been covering comfort women even before his marriage.
When I interviewed him, I felt that he might not be interested in the comfort women issue itself.
It's just a speculation, but I think he thought that if he wrote an article exposing the Japanese military's crimes, it would fit the tone of the Asahi Shimbun and increase the value of the scoop and be evaluated within the company.
I think he got involved in fabrication with such a simple idea.
In other words, he may have wanted to become a star reporter.
Sakurai
In 1991, the Asahi Shimbun was running a massive campaign on the comfort women issue.
The man behind the campaign was none other than Mr. Kiyoyasu Kitabatake, Mr. Uemura's boss at the time.
He was also the one who initiated the significant serialization of "Women's Pacific War.
Initially, it collected stories from readers to find "bad things" about the Japanese military. Still, there were many reports on Russian and Chinese soldiers' brutality and no bad stories about the Japanese army.
I think what emerged was a false report that the Japanese military had taken Korean women.
Abiru
If you think about it that way, perhaps Mr. Uemura was just a pawn.
This article continues.
This chapter contains essential facts that most Japanese people, including myself, have never heard before.
It is also an essential fact for the international community.
In particular, it is a fact that the German people, especially the leftist members of the Diet in Berlin's Mitte district, need to know.
(Emphasis in the text is mine, except for the headline.
A Large Defense Team of Over 100 People
Abiru
At the press conference, Mr. Uemura criticized Mr. Sakurai, saying that he had written a text not based on facts through sloppy reporting.
Sakurai
In criticizing Mr. Uemura's article, there is no need to interview him directly. As long as you write a report with your signature on it or comment on it with your real name, you will be subject to any evaluation or criticism that comes your way once it is published.
Abiru
Mr. Uemura has also filed a lawsuit against Mr. Tsutomu Nishioka.
Like Mr. Sakurai, he claims that the "fabrication" of the article constitutes defamation.
Despite similar cases, Mr. Nishioka was sued in Tokyo, and Ms. Sakurai was sued in Sapporo.
What were their intentions?
Sakurai
In deciding on the trial location, the proximity to the evidence and the defendant's place are significant factors.
I also live in Tokyo, my publisher is in Tokyo, and Mr. Uemura has a lawyer who lives in Tokyo.
It is not surprising that the Sapporo District Court initially agreed to transfer the case to the Tokyo District Court.
However, although we were not told exactly how many people were involved, it finally decided that the case would be transferred to Sapporo, partly because Mr. Uemura's side collected signatures in Sapporo.
It told me that one of the reasons Mr. Uemura's side was so anxious to go to Sapporo was that he was not that rich, and it would be difficult for him to cover his travel expenses.
However, Mr. Uemura has been traveling to Tokyo and Korea to give lectures and hold meetings.
Abiru.
Mr. Sakurai visited Sapporo twice, in April 2016 and March 2018, for the first oral argument and in-person questioning, respectively.
Sakurai.
At the Sapporo District Court, there was a line of supporters seeking tickets to watch Mr. Uemura.
When we entered the courtroom, it already filled most of the seats with Mr. Uemura's supporters. In contrast to the defendant's chair, where there were only about five lawyers, the plaintiff's seat was occupied by a large team of more than 30 lawyers.
And before and after the trial, Mr. Uemura held a rally with his lawyers and supporters.
I suppose there was an aspect of the judiciary being used as part of a political movement.
Abiru
Mr. Uemura's defense team had a total of over 100 people.
In a regular trial, this number of people would not be necessary at all. Still, they must have been prepared for intimidating the judge, Mr. Sakurai, and her supporters.
The Identity of the Mastermind
Sakurai
Not only Mr. Uemura, but there have been several cases in which people who have been involved in anti-Japanese campaign activities on issues such as comfort women have brought matters to court against academics and speechwriters who have criticized them.
Yoshiaki Yoshimi, a professor emeritus at Chuo University, lost a lawsuit against Fumiki Sakuranai, a former member of the House of Representatives of the Japan Restoration Association; he pointed out that the Yoshimi's writings are 'fabricated.'
Abiru
Mr. Yoshimi is still insisting on the "comfort women = sex slaves" theory that has already collapsed, isn't he?
Sakurai
Another lawyer, Kenichi Takagi, sued Mr. Tsutomu Nishioka for defamation and lost the case.
Abiru
Speaking of Mr. Takagi, he recruited former comfort women to become plaintiffs in a compensation lawsuit in South Korea with Social Democratic Party leader Fukushima Mizuho and others and served as their lawyer.
Mr. Uemura also said that he had been visiting Kenichi Takagi's office since he was young.
Sakurai.
I can't help but wonder if a network is being created to file lawsuits and shut down any counter-arguments.
Abiru
Incidentally, I happened to hear Kenichi Takagi's name twice in my overseas reporting.
The first time was when I visited Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, in 1996.
I covered a private organization promoting a project to register former comfort women to demand compensation from the Japanese government.
The organization is called the Central Council of Former Military Auxiliaries, which is made up of "military auxiliaries" who served as miscellaneous personnel in the military during the Japanese military regime. Still, for some reason, the office had a collection of slogans by Japanese supporters that read "Anti-Emperor System" and "No to UN Peacekeeping Operations.
I remember wondering why such slogans were being displayed.
Then the chairman said, "We started this under the direction of Kenichi Takagi, a lawyer in Tokyo. He showed me a letter in Mr. Takagi's handwriting and told me, "It urged me to proceed quickly.
Sakurai
Is this the second time?
Abiru
I went to Russia in 1999.
When I talked to the president of the Sakhalin Korean Association about the demands made of Japan about the project to return the remaining Koreans who had been kept there after the war, he told me, "Mr. Takagi, who runs a large law firm in Tokyo, said to me that I should demand more compensation from Japan.
After our interview in Indonesia, we called Mr. Takagi for comment.
He said, "Sankei is outrageous. I'm thinking of suing them."
I told him that I had met the former president of the Military Auxiliary Association in Indonesia.
Then he changed his attitude entirely and started to get impatient (laughs).
Did he yearn for a star reporter?
Sakurai
I want to ask Mr. Abiru, who is also a newspaper reporter, why Mr. Uemura wrote the fake article in the first place.
Abiru
I'm going to say this on the assumption that only he knows.
Mr. Uemura's mother-in-law, Yang Sun-im, was an activist who demanded compensation from the Japanese government for the comfort women.
Some people think that he may have written the fake article for his family's benefit.
However, he said in an interview that he had been covering comfort women even before his marriage.
When I interviewed him, I felt that he might not be interested in the comfort women issue itself.
It's just a speculation, but I think he thought that if he wrote an article exposing the Japanese military's crimes, it would fit the tone of the Asahi Shimbun and increase the value of the scoop and be evaluated within the company.
I think he got involved in fabrication with such a simple idea.
In other words, he may have wanted to become a star reporter.
Sakurai
In 1991, the Asahi Shimbun was running a massive campaign on the comfort women issue.
The man behind the campaign was none other than Mr. Kiyoyasu Kitabatake, Mr. Uemura's boss at the time.
He was also the one who initiated the significant serialization of "Women's Pacific War.
Initially, it collected stories from readers to find "bad things" about the Japanese military. Still, there were many reports on Russian and Chinese soldiers' brutality and no bad stories about the Japanese army.
I think what emerged was a false report that the Japanese military had taken Korean women.
Abiru
If you think about it that way, perhaps Mr. Uemura was just a pawn.
This article continues.
