Well, you would also be a conspiracy theorist to suggest that US is behind this without evidence…

Per your comment… the US is sabotaging it’s own efforts to re-pivot (to counter China’s influence) in Asia by pitting it’s two closest allies in East Asia against each other and anyone who question or does not agree with you… is a fool or tool, who lacks the mental capacity to connect the “dots”

Rather than responding to kension86, with an insult, you could have provided sources (regardless of how questionable it maybe to others…). It would have done your credibility a service…

Oh, you’re a Holocaust denier! Well that *is* a surprise, given that you seemed so intelligent up to now.

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts, I sincerely appreciate it.

I have my own suspicions/theories on some back door dealings to keep things in a continuous cycle of mistrust in East Asia (From the onset of the Japan’s surrender in WW2), but have not gone as far as to paint a picture with connected dots (I simply lack the hard facts).

I do share your sentiment that untied East Asia (or a more co-operative East Asia) would be for the better.

However, we are going to have to agree to disagree on the socio-political points.

Thanks again for sharing.

I’ll do that, I am always open to reading/hearing/debating different perspectives.

Cheers.

Nice straw man there.

I agree, ALL countries should have their dirty washing aired. But that isn’t what you are saying. You are saying that its mean and not nice to pick on Japan! And are instead just trying to deflect the issue.

Perhaps if Japan took the lead, and had open discussion about it, other countries would be also willing to have the same open discussions. If Japan opens the discussion, you think it makes them look weak, but the irony is, if they openly discussed it, they would be the ones to actually be strong.

You’re right though, Japan shouldn’t be singled out, but this website is a Japan based news source, so of course their focus is going to be on Japan.

You might notice that below I replied to a comment saying I support exhibits that display ALL, and not just Japan. But, nah, you’d rather just attack me and misrepresent my arguments because you think I hate Japan.

The fact is, I love Japan, I think its a nation with the possibility to be an amazing world leader. But part of that, is also taking the bruises from its past on the chin.

Forest2014, you haven’t understood anything I said. I am suggesting that other nations do the same. I agree the Kono statement admitted it, but as they say, “actions speak louder than words”, and 22 years on, as the world looks on, the current right wing Government is doing everything in their power to backpedal on that statement.

Including forcing themselves into the office of an author of a history book demanding he change the information in the book.

While yes, the Kono statement admitted certain things, the recent actions, including people in power like Toru Hashimoto making public statements going directly AGAINST the Kono statement, makes it clear that either 1 of two things is happening:

1) The Kono statement is not to be trusted and it was not a true statement at the time.

OR

2) The current Government and other people in positions in power do not agree with it, and wish to revise it.

So which is it? Were the comfort women coerced, like the Kono statement admitted? OR, was the Kono statement a lie and secretly Japan still denies the use of prostitutes whether forced or not.

Totally agree 0nix 3ph, brilliantly put.

See my comments elsewhere.

There are too many “Country X does/did it too, so …… ” / “Japan is better/worse than Country X because…..” type comments on this JT board. The fact is, we live in Japan, and in my case my Japanese new-born son lives in Japan. I don’t much care if Country X is or was worse than Japan by some arbitrary degree of comparison (you’d have to define what “Japan” and “country X” actually meant in the first place anyway), No, I want the best for me and my son here!

So let’s get our own house in order, let’s man up and be open about these things and sort them out head on (instead of the wingnut “call the waaahmbulance, they are insulting the honour of Japan mummy!” crybaby view.) Then, as 0nix 3ph says, other countries might come on board following Japan’s lead, a real debate about women’s rights and equality might ensue (imagine that, Japan taking the lead, taking responsibility, putting things right internationally, not following the yanks and europeans….)

But no, this is unlikely in the current climate. So whilst “Japan” desperately attempts to show it isn’t a laughing stock at State level by defending laughing stock points of view, the women themselves, who don’t really care about all this pompous, peacocking (i.e. alpha male) honour of this or that nation state, are totally ignored. Real women I might add…., real flesh and blood human beings, able to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune and stuff. There is no honour in that. Or if this is the “bushido honour” of Japan as defined by the rightwing, it is a disgrace and I want no part of it for me and my son.

But they weren’t coerced, and they were just unfortunate prostitutes at a difficult time I hear them say…… Sheeeeesh, they have no idea have they…… Yep, all free agents, all made the choice to do this by themselves, all able to leave at any time, all able to refuse this or that man whenever they wanted, even the ones recruited in nefarious circumstances by “non-Japanese” agents could report this to the Japanese military and were obviously then free to go, the Japanese military totally in the dark about all these shenanigans and underhand dealings (its a wonder they managed to keep hold of korea so long !), all these women only giving their testimonies now because they sniff some cash in it (once a lying prostitute, always a lying prostitute eh?)

Japan does not need these people, they are not the true patriots. They only want control and to restrict plural debate. Ergo, they only want a “Japan” which won’t be able to punch its weight on the international stage.

“Where are you from Steve? Have you ever thought of Japanese and Japanese americans living in California Glandale,、NJ, They have their kids suffering from buing actually burried on the streets.”

I know plenty of Japanese Americans, I have plenty of friends who are of Japanese heritage from California, and not one of them, ever, has been bullied over things that Japan did during the war.

Do you know why? Because they are AMERICAN. They aren’t Japanese… Even if your little right-wing brain thinks of them as Japanese, and the Zainichi Koreans as Korean (even though they have lived in Japan for generations) doesn’t make it so.

BTW, What do you know about Zainichi Korean?
and how could you possibly think them Japanese when they donot think themselves Japanese, nor want to be Japanese? Look into mirror if you want to find how strawman looks like.