Apology demanded over WWII sex slave comments http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/03/03/1862309.htm By Shane McLeod Posted Sat Mar 3, 2007 10:41pm AEDT There are calls in South Korea for Japan's Prime Minister to apologise for questioning whether women were forced to become sex slaves by Japan's army during World War II. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been quoted as saying there was no evidence that women were coerced into serving Japan's military as prostitutes during World War II. Historians say up to 200,000 women were forced to work as virtual sex slaves in military-run brothels during the war, with many of them suffering horrendous injuries and psychological trauma. A group of South Korean MPs has described Mr Abe's reported comments as "outrageous" and is calling on him to apologise. South Korea's Foreign Ministry has issued a statement saying it "strongly regrets" the comments.
Japanese PM renews 'comfort women' apology Posted Tue Mar 27, 2007 6:35am AEST Shinzo Abe Mr Abe triggered an uproar earlier this month when he said there was no evidence Japan directly coerced comfort women. (File photo) (ABC TV) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is seeking to end an uproar over his remarks on World War II sex slaves, has apologised again to the so-called "comfort women". Mr Abe has repeatedly said he stands by Japan's landmark 1993 apology to the thousands of former sex slaves, while saying he felt no need to make a fresh statement. But questioned in Parliament by a leftist lawmaker on whether he was apologising himself, Mr Abe said he was. "I am apologising now as the Prime Minister," he said, according to his spokesman Hiroshi Suzuki. "This has been stated in the Kono statement." In 1993, a statement by then-chief government spokesman Yohei Kono apologised to former comfort women and acknowledged that Japan was involved directly or indirectly in causing their suffering. Historians say up to 200,000 young women, mostly from Korea but also from China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan, were forced to serve as sex slaves in Japanese army brothels. Uproar over comments Mr Abe earlier this month triggered an uproar when he said there was no evidence Japan directly coerced comfort women. He later elaborated by saying he was talking of coercion in the "strict" sense, such as kidnapping women. In his remarks today, Mr Abe repeated that the military was involved in coercion in the broad sense, but said he was not casting blame on all troops. "There was a case in which the military shut down a comfort station after learning about its existence," he was quoted by Jiji Press as saying. Mr Abe, whose grandfather was a cabinet minister during World War II, is known for his conservative views on history. He was a founding member of a group of lawmakers who called for Japan to water down the 1993 statement. But since taking office, he has repeatedly said he will abide by the Kono apology. Despite Mr Abe's latest remarks, one of his aides repeated conservative views on the issue. "I understand myself that there was no direct involvement of the military" in the recruitment of comfort women, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hakubun Shimomura told reporters. Conservatives have argued that the military did not participate directly in the recruitment of comfort women, saying it was the work of pimps or other middlemen. Move by US Congress The row over comfort women comes amid a push in the US Congress to pass a resolution that would demand Japan make an unambiguous apology to former sex slaves and offer direct compensation. Japan has lobbied aggressively against the Bill, which is seen as more likely to pass since the Democrats took power from President George W Bush's Republicans in January. Mr Abe's Government has been stung by harsh criticism in the US media on comfort women. Most recently, The Washington Post said in an editorial on Saturday that Mr Abe's remarks had weakened his moral authority in pressing North Korea over its past abductions of Japanese nationals. But Mr Abe, who has built his career on the abduction row, rejected any link between that matter and the comfort women remarks. "They are totally separate issues," he told reporters. "The abduction issue concerns the ongoing infringement on human rights. The comfort women issue is not a matter which is continuing." Mr Abe has refused to fund a breakthrough deal on freezing North Korea's nuclear program due to the abductions dispute. North Korea has returned five Japanese civilians kidnapped in the 1970s and 1980s, but Japan says more are alive and kept under wraps.
Japan shuns pressure for fresh 'comfort women' apology Posted Wed Jun 27, 2007 7:31pm AEST The Japanese Government has brushed aside growing pressure from US lawmakers for a fresh apology for Japan's wartime sexual enslavement of an estimated 200,000 women. "Our government stance has been clarified on many occasions, including (during) our Prime Minister's visit to the United States in April," chief Cabinet secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said. "I don't think we want to add more than that." By an overwhelming 39 votes to two, the United States' House of Representatives foreign affairs committee passed a resolution calling for an "unambiguous" apology from Japan for the mass coercion of "comfort women" into army brothels. The vote was met with warm applause in a committee room packed with people, including surviving Korean comfort women. The resolution now goes to a vote in the full House, which could come as early as mid-July. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sparked controversy in March by saying there was no evidence the imperial army directly coerced thousands of women into brothels across Asia during World War II. He has since stressed he stands by Japan's landmark 1993 apology to the women and expressed his sympathy for the women during his US visit in April. Asked about the impact the lawmakers' moves could have on bilateral ties, Mr Abe said: "I am convinced that the Japan-US relations are unshakeable as an indispensable alliance." - AFP
