Joint Statement by Associations of History Scholars and Educators in Japan on the "Comfort Women" Issue
Triggered by the retraction of articles in the Asahi Shimbun in August 2014, certain politicians and sections of the media have made statements which intend to cast doubt on the wartime issue of the "comfort women" and facts regarding their forced recruitment by the Imperial Japanese Army. In light of such injurious statements, associations of history scholars and educators throughout Japan have come together to jointly issue this statement, and to point out the following three problems with these unjust points of view.
Firstly, the Kono Statement, in which the Japanese government officially acknowledged the involvement of the Imperial Japanese Army in the establishment and operations of military brothels, including the forced recruitment of women, is not based on the retracted Asahi articles; nor does it rely on the testimony of Seiji Yoshida, a former member of a semi-governmental organization for wartime mobilization, which was cited in the articles. Accordingly, the retractions do not undermine the historical basis of the Kono Statement. The existence of forcibly recruited "comfort women" has been verified by many historical records and extensive research. It should be understood that forced recruitment of "comfort women" was not limited to cases of straightforward kidnapping (confirmed in Semarang, Indonesia and the Shanxi Province in China and testified to by many in the Korean Peninsula), but also included cases of recruitment against the will of the individual (widely confirmed, particularly in the Korean Peninsula).
Secondly, those who were made "comfort women" fell victim to unspeakable violence as sex slaves. As recent historical studies have shown, victims were subjected not only to forced recruitment, but also to conditions of sexual slavery which violated their basic human rights. Furthermore, the "comfort women" system was based on structures of institutionalized discrimination between the colonizer and the colonized that was a fundamental part of everyday, imperialist-Japanese rule. Therefore, even if there had been something such as a contract for sex trafficking, ignoring the systems of inequality and injustice which formed the backdrop to these arrangements, and thereby disregarding the political and social context of the time is to miss the full picture.
Thirdly, due to coverage by sections of the mass media which has intentionally overemphasized the "misreporting" of the issue, some academics engaged in the "comfort women" issue, as well as their affiliated organizations, have been unfairly attacked with threats calling for their resignation or the cancellation of their lectures. This is a violation of academic freedom and must be emphatically rejected.
By continuing to take the irresponsible stance of denying the facts of wartime sexual slavery in the Japanese military, certain politicians and sections of the media are essentially conveying to the rest of the world that Japan does not respect human rights. This kind of attitude tramples further upon the dignity of the victims, who have already born terrible hardships. Thus, what is required now is-- as declared in the Kono Statement--an attitude that seeks, through historical research and education, to remember the issues and never repeat past mistakes.
We renew our demand for all concerned politicians and media outlets to squarely face up to the damage that Japan inflicted in the past, as well as to the victims.
前回「おそらく(ケリー国務省)長官は日本軍が人身売買を行ったとは言わなかったのだろう」と書いたが、どうやら間違っていたようである。ケリー長官は「trafficking of women for sexual purposes by the Japanese military(日本軍による性目的の人身売買)」と言っているから、日本軍による人身売買というのが彼の認識なのだろう。アメリカ政府の認識と断言していいかは分らないが、その公算も小さくないのではないか。
QUESTION: (Via interpreter) Thank you. This morning, President Park and Minister Yun, both of them have talked about – and I have a question whether Japan was mentioned many times during the conversation with President Park and Minister Yun. We have a very souring opinion of the public, especially from last week. There is no negotiation or talk with Japan without the apology on the wartimes slavery, and 60 percent of the people in the opinion said that there is no dialogue with Japan. And also during the summit meeting between Korea and Japan it should be mentioned.
And also the public opinion getting soured and so on, and also there was a mentioning that was a wartime atrocity. And also, do you think that mentioning was appropriate and also wartime sex slavery was the same meaning as the wartime atrocity? And that was my first question.
Secondly, about the defense guideline between Japan and Korea, there was a respect for the state sovereignty. Although it was not mentioned there, does it mean that if there is a military action that can affect Korea, does it mean that the prior consent should be made by Korea? And there was an – that was an interpretation. However, there was no direct mentioning of that interpretation, but in Korea 70 percent of the public opinion says that, that there is no consent for the military action to be made in Korea. So that is a question for me. So what is your view on that? FOREIGN MINISTER YUN: (Via interpreter) Was the question for Secretary Kerry only? SECRETARY KERRY: I thought it was for Foreign Minister Yun. (Laughter.) Is the question for Foreign Minister Yun or for me? QUESTION: (Via interpreter) The question was for Secretary Kerry.
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, yes, we did discuss – of course, we discussed the issue of Japan. And we are very mindful of the critical role that all of us play in this region – Japan, South Korea, the United States. That’s why we’ve hosted trilateral meetings both to improve the coordination among close allies, our close allies, but also to ease the tension between them. Constructive relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea, our most important allies in East Asia, are critical to being able to promote peace and prosperity in the region. Only three countries – our three countries – share quite as much as we share in common: democracy, a commitment to human rights, free markets. And when we work together there’s a great deal that we’re able to achieve. And we have stated many times that we believe that strong and constructive relations between the countries in the region are in everybody’s interest, so we are – we continue to emphasize the importance of approaching historical legacy issues in a manner that can promote healing and reconciliation. And we’re interested in seeing the parties be able to do that. We understand there will be a meeting before long, a bilateral meeting, and we hope that Japan and the Republic of Korea will be able to find a mutually accepted solution through that kind of meeting.
Now with respect to the powerful and important part of reconciliation that comes from the events of World War II, particularly the trafficking of women for sexual purposes by the Japanese military during that war, we have said many times that that was a terrible, egregious violation of human rights. And the apologies that have been extended by previous Prime Minister Murayama and former Chief Cabinet Secretary Kono marked a very important step forward, a chapter really, in Japan trying to improve relations with its neighbors. We take note of Japanese leaders’ repeated statements that the position of the Abe government is to uphold the Kono and the Murayama statements. The United States has continually encouraged Japan to approach this and other issues arising from the past in a manner that is conducive to building stronger relations with its neighbors. And we urge both Japan and the Republic of Korea to handle these sensitive historical issues, as I said, with restraint, and continue to engage in a direct dialogue towards a mutually acceptable resolution that promotes healing while facilitating a future-oriented relationship. And that is our policy and that is our goal.
Liberal 3名、Labor 2名、無所属(Independent) 2名の構成で、市長がキャスティングボートを持つため、我々反対派にとっては票数では不利な状況になっています。Liberalでも連邦政府レベルは日豪との友好を優先、ストラスフィールド市レベルは中韓の政治力に配慮せざるを得ないということで、慰安婦像問題についてはねじれた関係になっています。(トニー・アボット首相は昨年5月訪日時、朝日新聞のインタビューの中で慰安婦は過去の問題と切り捨てています。)
스트라 위안부 소녀상 건립 위한 대대적 홍보활동 송석준 한인회장 “소녀상 건립 투쟁 마지막 단계 접어들어” 송석준 시드니 한인회장이 위안부 소녀상 건립 홍보 캠페인을 7주간 대대적으로 실시할 예정이라며 소녀상 건립에 대한 강한 의지를 표명했다.
지난 8일과 13일 스트라스필드 지역에서 위안부 소녀상 건립과 관련된 단체 미팅을 개최한 송 회장은 "위안부 소녀상 건립투쟁이 마지막 단계에 접어들었고 아주 중요한 시기를 맞았다"며 “소녀상 건립운동을 최종 성공으로 이끌기 위해 전력을 다하자”고 강조했다.
송 회장은 위안부 소녀상을 스트라스필드 지역에 건립하는 목표를 달성하기 위해 스트라스필드시청에 소녀상 건립 지지 이메일 보내기 운동을 전개하고 홍보 책자와 청원서를 준비해 한중연대와 함께 스트라스필드 광장에서 7주간 대대적 홍보 활동을 벌일 것이라고 밝혔다.
송 회장은 위안부 소녀상 건립은 중국인 단체들과 그리스, 아르메니아 등 여러 소수 민족 단체의 지지를 받고 있다며 많은 상징적 의미를 갖게 될 위안부 소녀상 건립에 교민들의 적극적인 지지와 동참을 호소했다.
송 회장은 “스트라스필드시청이 일본 정부의 강력한 로비로 위축됐지만 옥상두 시의원을 비롯한 여러 시의원들의 지지와 도움으로 소녀상 건립 의제를 지켜냈다”며 “줄리안 바카리 현 스트라스필드 시장도 호주 내 여성인권 문제와 결부해 위안부 소녀상 건립을 지지하는 입장”이라고 밝혔다.
송 회장은 지역 언론매체 기고를 통해 위안부 소녀상 건립에 대한 지지 여론을 확산시키겠다며 스트라스필드 시의회에서 위안부 소녀상 안건이 통과돼 최종 결실을 볼 수 있도록 교민들이 힘을 모아줄 것을 당부했다.
[단독] 위안부 할머니 53명 노벨평화상 추진 국내 법조·외교 여성단체…추모 추천 방안 구체 논의 국내 법조·외교계 여성단체 관계자들이 일본군 위안부 할머니들을 노벨평화상 후보로 추천하는 방안을 추진 중인 것으로 확인됐다. 28일 여성평화외교포럼(상임대표 이현숙)과 한국여성변호사회(여성변회)는 일본군 위안부 생존자인 이용수(87) 할머니 등 53명을 노벨평화상 후보로 추천하기 위한 방안을 논의 중인 것으로 알려졌다. 여평외교와 여성변회는 위안부 생존자 할머니들이 여성에 대한 폭력반대와 전쟁범죄에 대한 반성을 촉구하는 등 여성인권과 지역평화를 위해 헌신하고 있는 점을 인정해야 한다는 취지에서 노벨평화상 후보로 추천하려는 것으로 전해졌다. 또한 노벨평화상 후보 추천을 통해 위안부 문제의 해결 없이는 한·일 역사갈등도 해결할 수 없고 동북아 평화 유지도 쉽지 않다는 메시지를 전 세계에 전달할 수 있다는 것이다. 여평외교는 신낙균 전 문화관광부 장관과 이현숙 전 대한적십자사 부총재, 이삼열 전 한국유네스코 사무총장 등이 모인 민간 단체로 동북아 평화를 위한 국내교류 프로그램을 개최하는 등 공공외교 역량 강화와 여성인권을 위해 노력하고 있다. 여성변회는 회원 수만 4000여명에 이르는 국내 최대의 여성 법조인 단체로 가정폭력, 아동학대, 성범죄 피해자 지원 등 다양한 영역에서 활동하고 있다. 한편 여평외교와 여성변회 등은 27일 ‘일본의 과거사 반성과 책임촉구·한미일 군사협력 우려 전달’이라는 제목의 서한을 미국 의회와 주한 미국대사관에 전달했다. 이들은 서한에서 “일본 정부가 과거사를 참회하고, 위안부 문제를 해결할 수 있도록 미국 의회가 일본을 압박해달라”고 촉구했다.
"I was disappointed with the prime minister's failure to address issues about history and issues about the plight of the comfort women as well.... The 70th anniversary of the conclusion of the war in August... that's our next opportunity and I think around the world, people will be addressing the issue."