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Seoul: Surviving sex slave victims will receive $90,000

26 Comments

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Nice. While it's hard to set an amount that these women should receive for being raped, this is a good amount to let them live in some comfort for the remainder of their lives.

It's nice to see this situation finally coming to some sort of resolution.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Japan did the right thing. Hats off to the Japanese government.

4 ( +9 / -5 )

cruzian1Aug. 26, 2016 - 07:26AM JST

Japan did the right thing. Hats off to the Japanese government.

Pity that it took them 70 years to man up and still have all the deniers in the government.

Hats off? me thinks not.

-2 ( +10 / -12 )

Issue here being image damage control. The olympics and only that I believe would be reason enough for this incredible about turn. Well better late than never!

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Maybe some of the other countries where the Imperial Army of Japan forced women into sex slavery should erect statues outside their Japanese embassies. Then they would get some money too.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Why is it that this $90,000 payment is limited to surviving comfort women from South Korea only?

This should extend to surviving comfort women from countries such as Taiwan, the Philippines, the Netherlands, China, North Korea and yes, even those from Japan (it is estimated that 40% of the comfort women were Japanese, 20% Koreans).

5 ( +8 / -3 )

I hope they get paid out quickly now. I think that they have waited far to long.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

This should extend to surviving comfort women from countries such as Taiwan, the Philippines, the Netherlands, China, North Korea and yes, even those from Japan (it is estimated that 40% of the comfort women were Japanese, 20% Koreans).

Hopefully that's to come next.

But let's face it - the squeaky wheel gets the grease. The Koreans have been the most vocal about it.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I think timing has to do with Olympics too. Has Germany ever paid to concentration camp survivors or descendants? There could be no end to all this payment for past crime mess. Somebody probably owes me.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

There could be no end to all this payment for past crime mess. Somebody probably owes me.

Which is an entirely separate issue, that has no bearing on this one.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Why is it that this $90,000 payment is limited to surviving comfort women from South Korea only? This should extend to surviving comfort women from countries such as Taiwan, the Philippines, the Netherlands, China, North Korea and yes, even those from Japan (it is estimated that 40% of the comfort women were Japanese, 20% Koreans).

Because there was a fund that made payments to women in other countries more than a decade ago. Some Koreans also accepted compensation from this fund. The women getting money now were coerced by their handlers into refusing the earlier offer of compensation.

The earlier fund operated from 1994 to 2007 and paid out 45 million dollars to women in a number of countries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Women%27s_Fund

The web site for this Asian Women's Fund is still up for anyone who would like to educate themselves about this issue. It is not a government propaganda site.

http://www.awf.or.jp/e2/foundation.html

North Korea did not exist until 1948 and as far as I know has never sought compensation. Again, as far as I know, no Japanese women have come forth and asked for compensation and it would be very difficult to do so since even left wing accounts make no claim that they were coerced. All accounts by reputable scholars describe the Japanese women as already working in civilian brothels before they shifted to military brothels.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

I think timing has to do with Olympics too. Has Germany ever paid to concentration camp survivors or descendants? There could be no end to all this payment for past crime mess. Somebody probably owes me.

Germany has paid billions, Buster. Billions! No one owes you anything. You're from the White Suburbs and maybe deserve a kick in the butt.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

...even left wing accounts make no claim that they were coerced. All accounts by reputable scholars describe the Japanese women as already working in civilian brothels before they shifted to military brothels.

A Japanese woman going by the pseudonym Suzuko Shirota (城田すず子) wrote a book titled "マリヤの賛歌" (Mary's hymn) in 1971 about her experience as a comfort woman after being sold into prostitution by her father. She is little known in Japan and the book she wrote is out of print now, and has never been translated to English. A Christian Church Tateyama (Chiba Prefecture) has an alter honoring her memory.

Here is an article about her: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2007-07/06/content_911759.htm

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Actually, the ex-sex slaves are vehemently against this payment because they believe it comes without any apologies...

I say take what you can and move on with the past, there are more important issues in the present!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

It's not like Japan hasn't offered past compensation and atonement in regards to the comfort women issue, but at least the J government is doing something again.

But, as always, there will forever be a need to demonize Japan forever by certain elements, so despite what Japan does, these elements will never be happy or satisfied.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Amazing there are no posters who questions dubious testimonies which have gone through changes poorly by poster victims. Amazing no Japanese offcials had been given any serious chances to question face to face about those dubious changes and dubious parts in the testimonies.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

I have the feeling that even though it is a good thing that had to be done, Koreans will still reproach Japan with the "you did not apologize enough" or "you did not bend on your knees while apologizing" or whatever in a dozen years. It seems that it is never enough.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

bullfighter: "Again, as far as I know, no Japanese women have come forth and asked for compensation and it would be very difficult to do so since even left wing accounts make no claim that they were coerced. All accounts by reputable scholars describe the Japanese women as already working in civilian brothels before they shifted to military brothels."

There is at least one famous account of a Japanese woman, touched on by Sensato a few comments before this one. I and others have pointed this out before -- not surprised you chose the 'selective memory' option when reading said comments. If you think no others were coerced and/or raped I'd say you're quite gullible and even more willing to swallow the government white-washing and revision than most here.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

A Japanese woman going by the pseudonym Suzuko Shirota (城田すず子) wrote a book titled "マリヤの賛歌" (Mary's hymn) in 1971 about her experience as a comfort woman after being sold into prostitution by her father.

Haven't read the book but certainly know of her. Strictly speaking, she was indentured by her father, not coerced by the Japanese government. Seems curious that there would be one and only one such claim from Japanese women given that in the early stages the "comfort women" system relied entirely on Japanese women.

Germany has paid billions, Buster. Billions! No one owes you anything.

Japan has also paid billions and in the case of China still paying.

Moreover, Germany has not paid anything to and not apologized to most of the people it roughed up. Most German payments and apologies are "for what the Nazis did" and are Holocaust related. Not much of anything to any of the countries they invaded.

Actually, the ex-sex slaves are vehemently against this payment because they believe it comes without any apologies...

Whether they are vehemently against the payment on their own initiative is open to question. These old women have been under the "care" of activists for many years. When Korean women started taking money from the fund that was set up in 1994, the activist groups had a real problem. If all the self-styled comfort women took the money, the raison d'etre for the activist groups would disappear. They desperately needed hold outs to keep their cause alive.

But, as always, there will forever be a need to demonize Japan forever by certain elements, so despite what Japan does, these elements will never be happy or satisfied.

Indeed.

Amazing there are no posters who questions dubious testimonies which have gone through changes poorly by poster victims.

The Korean-American anthropologist C. Sarah Soh has shown that the surviving "comfort women" have changed their stories over time and that their stories are full of contradictions. (Her book is entitled The Comfort Women: Sexual Violence and Postcolonial Memory in Korea and Japan and was published in 2008.)

I have the feeling that even though it is a good thing that had to be done, Koreans will still reproach Japan with the "you did not apologize enough" or "you did not bend on your knees while apologizing" or whatever in a dozen years. It seems that it is never enough.

Indeed. In 1965 the ROK government signed off on damage claims against Japan but that has not stopped its politicians from playing the Japan card when it suits their political purposes. The contrast with the Philippines is very striking. The Philippines could make a very good case against Japan based on physical damage and sexual violence. It doesn't because these issues apparently don't work for Philippine politicians.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

The web site for this Asian Women's Fund is still up for anyone who would like to educate themselves about this issue. It is not a government propaganda site.

Yes it is up, and perhaps you should educate yourself. As you can see below the system came under direct scrutiny of Japanese authoroties even during the war.

http://www.awf.or.jp/e1/facts-04.html

Furthermore, the top page of "who were the comfort women," explicitly says they were taken and forced to provide services to IJA members.

Were the prostitutes amongst the comfort women? Sure, it would seem so, however to say all comfort women prostitutes is simply unfounded, even using the AWF as a reference.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Bullfighter: ". The Philippines could make a very good case against Japan based on physical damage and sexual violence. It doesn't because these issues apparently don't work for Philippine politicians."

Wrong, as you were wrong on this the other day and I gave you the link showing Philippinas demanding apologies from Japan and saying it's unfair Japan was doing this for South Korea.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

So $90000 after 70 years and all the emotional and psychological suffering most of these women went through??

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_women#Apologies_and_compensation

2 ( +3 / -1 )

CyGene,

There could be no end to all this payment for past crime mess.

You're not kidding!

The bill for Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan would bankrupt the U.S.A. several times over!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

that's a good gesture from japanese and especially korean goverments, the latter used to refuse any kind of reconciliations which was very childish. its time to move on and face the future challenges together.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Bones, whats your point? are you saying you don't think thats its enough? or is it too much?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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