Japanese PM Stirs Up Trouble with 'Comfort Women' Remark

[dipropylene]

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda stirred up a long-simmering dispute between his country and Korea with comments Tuesday about a Korean statue in honor of the so-called comfort women forced into sexual slavery during World War II.

The Sankei Shimbun on Tuesday reported that Noda at a session of the Diet told lawmakers that wording on the statue saying "comfort woman forced into sexual slavery" is "far from accurate." His comment came in response to a question by lawmaker Eriko Yamatani from the conservative Liberal Democratic Party.

The statue was set up in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, and the legend reads, "This peace monument reflects people's genuine desire to learn from history and remember the past on the occasion of the 1,000th weekly protest against Japan's atrocities by comfort woman forced into sexual slavery."

Noda also stressed that he asked President Lee Myung-bak during a bilateral summit in December to remove the statue.

The Korean government and civic groups here want Japan to offer a sincere apology and compensation for forcing women into sexual slavery for its troops during the occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945. But the Japanese government maintains that the women were not forced into sexual slavery but volunteered to make money, and that all compensation was settled under a 1965 treaty that normalized relations between the two countries.


source: The Chosun Ilbo

Comments

[nnejck.livejournal.com]

Wow, this issue seems like it's never going to be resolved. :/

Japan needs to stop being so defensive and just own up to all of their war atrocities.

[sai12.livejournal.com]

:/ Japan leave it alone, it isn't like they set it up in your country.

Although I don't know how to deal with this whole topic. I guess it's like the world today still....there are women who choose to become prostitutes for whatever reason. And there are women who are stolen and or forced into it. Its just sad all over.

[beatification.livejournal.com]

Revolting. I can write an essay but that's really it.

[allthingsgood.livejournal.com]

just fucking apologize and move on so that we never have to read news like this again. that and "nanjing massacre" didn't occur bullshit.

[miki-831.livejournal.com]

I am actually writing a research paper on this topic now, and this is just mind blowing. I have no idea how Japanese representatives are saying that it didn't happen when between 100,000 and 200,000 women were forced into prostitution. It obviously happened, stop making yourself look like an ignorant jerk.

[eishastan.livejournal.com]

I don't get why he has to ask to remove the statue! is a fucking peace symbol.. oh wait also a reminder and a blow to their pride.
If he is not going to give an apology he could at least shut his mouth.

I feel bad for this women, and now this asshole comes along and calls them prostitutes...

[yami-no-hoshi.livejournal.com]

there goes any hope that his government would apologize :( ughhhhh this makes me so angry, what happened and what continues to happen to these women is so unjust.

[jetaime-pyon.livejournal.com]

ugh fcking japan has been committing terrible shit to korean women since forever please read this too, if it interests anyone. it is called eulmi incident:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Myeongseong#The_Eulmi_Incident

[jetaime-pyon.livejournal.com]

a warning for anyone with weak heart/stomach tho =/

[katzsong.livejournal.com]

whoa, someone is still stuck in denial phase. Guess the truth was so harsh, so someone has to make a false memory to cover that >.>

[akaich0u.livejournal.com]

And this is why Korea still hates Japan. Does this guy have no shame? Fucking terrible and downright embarrassing that Japan has someone like this in power.

[peachywink.livejournal.com]

Dear Japan,
I love many things about you as country but one thing has bothered me for many years about you. If you choose to continue to be deuchbags and be unapologetic and deny that these well documented events of WW2, actually happened you should STFU and keep that sh!t to yourself. Everytime you cry "Oh Korea is being mean to us", NO ONE CARES BECAUSE YOU DESERVE IT. Until you have the decency to at least admit what you did I have no sympathy for you.
sincerly,
peachy

[love-etcetera.livejournal.com]

I have no words for this.

For shame, Japan. Once again.

[falling-empress.livejournal.com]

if the korean women who were comfort women say it was forced, then it was forced. it is downright fucking rape.

japan apologized to the PI didn't they? or was that america only? either way, fucking apologize as you should.