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catman
Joined: 18 Jul 2004
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 Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2015 8:33 pm Post subject: Japan Apologizes to Korean ‘Comfort Women’ |
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fter decades of back and forth over seemingly unresolvable issues between Japan and South Korea, the two governments have reached what is being called an “irreversible” solution to the issue concerning Japan’s colonial-era sexual enslavement of Korean women.
Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and his South Korean counterpart, Yun Byung-se, made the announcement following their closed door meeting Monday.
Yun said that if Japan maintains its side of the agreement, Korea will consider the issue “finally and irreversibly” resolved.
Along with a handwritten apology from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the agreement provides that Japan will contribute 1 billion yen ($8.3 million) towards a foundation to support the surviving victims.
“Prime Minister Abe expresses anew his most sincere apologies and remorse to all the women who underwent immeasurable and painful experiences and suffered incurable physical and psychological wounds as comfort women,” Kishida said.
“The issue of comfort women, with an involvement of the Japanese military authorities at that time, was a grave affront to the honor and dignity of large numbers of women, and the government of Japan is painfully aware of responsibilities from this perspective.”
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The Cosmic Hum
Joined: 09 May 2003
Location: Sonic Space
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| Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2015 8:46 pm Post subject: Re: Japan Apologizes to Korean ‘Comfort Women’ |
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| catman wrote: |
| Quote: |
fter decades of back and forth over seemingly unresolvable issues between Japan and South Korea, the two governments have reached what is being called an “irreversible” solution to the issue concerning Japan’s colonial-era sexual enslavement of Korean women.
Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and his South Korean counterpart, Yun Byung-se, made the announcement following their closed door meeting Monday.
Yun said that if Japan maintains its side of the agreement, Korea will consider the issue “finally and irreversibly” resolved.
Along with a handwritten apology from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the agreement provides that Japan will contribute 1 billion yen ($8.3 million) towards a foundation to support the surviving victims.
“Prime Minister Abe expresses anew his most sincere apologies and remorse to all the women who underwent immeasurable and painful experiences and suffered incurable physical and psychological wounds as comfort women,” Kishida said.
“The issue of comfort women, with an involvement of the Japanese military authorities at that time, was a grave affront to the honor and dignity of large numbers of women, and the government of Japan is painfully aware of responsibilities from this perspective.”
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Impressive. |
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sirius black
Joined: 04 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2015 9:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Japan should have taken a page out of the Germany play book. Make a full apology, early on, compensate and move on. Germany has benefited from that. Japan still remained hated in Asia as a result of not doing so. |
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goat
Joined: 23 Feb 2010
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| Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2015 10:34 pm Post subject: |
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| sirius black wrote: |
| Japan should have taken a page out of the Germany play book. Make a full apology, early on, compensate and move on. Germany has benefited from that. Japan still remained hated in Asia as a result of not doing so. |
Japan apologized and paid out in 1965. Fully! |
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Brooks
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
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| Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2015 10:43 pm Post subject: |
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Maybe Korea wants an apology like Willy Brant did in Poland when he got down on his knees.
Anything else would be less than sincere.
But it does not help when Abe's wife just visited Yasukuni Shrine this week again for the third time this year.
The Japanese want that statue removed from in front of their embassy.
Also the statue is in California and maybe other US states, like in Virginia or Maryland. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2015 6:08 pm Post subject: |
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| goat wrote: |
| sirius black wrote: |
| Japan should have taken a page out of the Germany play book. Make a full apology, early on, compensate and move on. Germany has benefited from that. Japan still remained hated in Asia as a result of not doing so. |
Japan apologized and paid out in 1965. Fully! |
And then goes back to the shrines and issues half-apologies again and again. Like a rapist who got caught, said he's sorry, and 6 months later is watching rape porn and not really apologizing for what he did. |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2015 6:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
And then goes back to the shrines and issues half-apologies again and again. Like a rapist who got caught, said he's sorry, and 6 months later is watching rape porn and not really apologizing for what he did. |
When Southerners honor fallen Confederate soldiers, you seem inclined to sympathize with them. When the Japanese honor their fallen soldiers, why are you not likewise inclined? Why do you view one as evidently understandable and excusable, and the other as analogous to "watching rape porn?" I feel like I see an inconsistency here. |
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Titus2
Joined: 06 Sep 2015
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| Posted: Wed Dec 30, 2015 9:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Ancestor worship is their religion. They're going to do what they want. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2015 7:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Fox wrote: |
| Steelrails wrote: |
And then goes back to the shrines and issues half-apologies again and again. Like a rapist who got caught, said he's sorry, and 6 months later is watching rape porn and not really apologizing for what he did. |
When Southerners honor fallen Confederate soldiers, you seem inclined to sympathize with them. When the Japanese honor their fallen soldiers, why are you not likewise inclined? Why do you view one as evidently understandable and excusable, and the other as analogous to "watching rape porn?" I feel like I see an inconsistency here. |
Well, for starters most Confederate generals and soldiers were not war criminals (with the notable exception of Bedford Forrest) and partisans like Bloody Bill Anderson, William Quantrill, and the James Brothers. I don't agree with any monuments to Bedford Forrest given the Ft. Pillow massacre, and the rest were all guerrillas. I really despise the Jesse James worship. The only acknowledgment that should be given to Forrest is his brilliant use of cavalry tactics. Most of these were in Kansas-Missouri or farther west and were related to the guerrilla conflicts that had already existed.
By and large the Civil War was comparatively low on atrocities compared to other wars, particularly in the early years. Destruction of property, rape, massacres of civilians, all were at a minimum. The most shocking thing was probably the 1862 sacking of Fredericksburg by Union soldiers and that was pretty mild as far as wartime sackings go. Some looting and smashing, but generally things weren't put to the torch. When Confederate troops occupied northern cities, it was standard practice to leave receipts for any property they seized (albeit for worthless Confederate money), and the only buildings that were torched were directly related to the war effort. Things did get more severe in 1864-65, but that was primarily on the Union side and still the deaths of civilians were kept to a minimum. Destruction of property was largely a military measure and did not include things like mass rape and mass execution.
The one war criminal that was tried and convicted for the Confederacy was the commandant at Andersonville, Henry Wirz. At one level, someone had to answer for the conditions there, however the conditions were also linked to a breakdown in the prisoner exchange system between North and South and the general collapse of the Confederate economy. All things considered, the results were somewhat inevitable. It should be noted that at the time, Lee's own army was facing constant hunger, bordering on starvation. In fact, at the time of his surrender, Lee asked Grant for rations to feed his soldiers, as his men had eaten virtually nothing for days and poorly over the winter.
All in all, the record of Confederate soldiers, regarding war crimes, is pretty good. While the Confederate government did maintain the practice of slavery and impress people into slavery, those were generally done within the confines of pre-existing law- a morally repugnant law that the Confederacy deserves blame for, but it was legal and recognized. It should be also noted that many of the actions regarding slaves and the Confederate armies were the result of orders from the civilian Confederate government, not the armed forces.
I have no problem with Germans or Japanese honoring and saluting professional military soldiers who did their duty during the war. Men like Rommel or Yamamoto fought hard, but clean. Same with Lee or Jackson. You can have mixed feelings about men like Yamashita or Kuchler or von Leeb.
I think the Confederate equivalent would be the Governor of Tennessee apologizing for slavery, and then going to Bedford Forrest's grave and throwing a big ceremony. |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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