nigelboy's past comments

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  nigelboyMay. 17, 2013 - 07:15AM JST

  No offense but SK President didn't mention "Japan" as part of the collective effort on her latest speech in U.S. in regards to dealing with her northern neighbor so the Japanese government acted solo.

  Posted in: S Korea, U.S., China differ over visit by Abe's envoy to N Korea

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  nigelboyMay. 17, 2013 - 07:12AM JST

  This P.C. stuff is getting a wee bit ridiculous. How many have actually been court marshalled for the violation of Executive Order 13387?

  Posted in: Hashimoto says he lacked sensitivity to U.S. perception of prostitution

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  nigelboyMay. 17, 2013 - 07:01AM JST

  The Fund was run by a third party funded by the government without any official government acknowledgement of complicity.

  Under the joint administration of MOFA and the PM's office.

  Not a "wiki" link.....lol!

  No. Looks like there are forces within certain nations that they wanted to continue this to get more money. What the article doesn't mention that the organization in Korea threatened ex-comfort women to not take the funds. Of the 7 that took the funds, they were promptly banned from the said organization. In addition, the NGO group that specifically brought these funds to the Korean organization lobbied the Korean government for their permant ban to enter to Korea.

  Posted in: Hashimoto offers to meet 'comfort women' to apologize

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  nigelboyMay. 17, 2013 - 06:22AM JST

  Yes indeed, that's the crux of the debate isn't it? Japan says these women were volunteers. Korean women says they aren't. Japan says they are sorry that these women suffered through the war, so here's a few dollars, now please go away. Korean women says not good enough, we don't want your worthless sympathy, we just want you to recognize what you did to us and make it official. Japan says no way, you whores are liars. Round and round it goes.

  I believe that the interrogation report by the Allieds I linked to pretty much states they were recruited byprivate operators. Whether or not they were "volunteers" or how many they are, we will never know but it's clearly apparent that the system itself did not have IJA recruit them unlike the Korean government recruitment of their comfort women for U.N., U.S., and their own soldiers during the Korean War.

  Posted in: Hashimoto offers to meet 'comfort women' to apologize

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  nigelboyMay. 17, 2013 - 06:12AM JST

  Japan forced any of these women.

  This is again, the central issue of the matter. When you refer to "Japan", what do you mean? I ask this because "forced" or "coerced" argument has evolved where "Japan" is now referred to "Korean citizens who were Japanese at that time" to "Economic hardships under Japan". If you specifically mean the Imperial Japanese Army, the answer is no based on lack of evidence to support this.

  As to Hashimoto, he refers to "意を反して”　on many occasions for it simply means "against her will".

  Posted in: Hashimoto offers to meet 'comfort women' to apologize

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  nigelboyMay. 17, 2013 - 05:45AM JST

  Nigel, Hashimoto also backed that apology, not because he felt that Japan owed them the apology for forcing them as sex slaves, but because he felt sorry that the women had to go through suffering of war. In other words, Japan still refuses to recognize that they forced the women, and the women want an unequivocal recognition from Japan that they were forced sex slaves, not a sympathy trip to divert international criticism off of Japan's back.

  You're not going to get that simply because the evidence or the lack of it indicates that most of these women became comfort women because of economic hardships or forced by private individuals. This, in essence, is the heart of the debate.

  The problem with the orgnization like the ones in Korea today are that they should of stopped being so irrational during 2002 when monies and apologies were made where at that time, the general population within Japan were very sympathetic towards them. Now, there are pretty much fed up with their ongoing memorial building overseas campign, statutes in front of the Japanese Embassy, and the ever changing testimonies of the Korean comfort women.

  Posted in: Hashimoto offers to meet 'comfort women' to apologize

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  nigelboyMay. 17, 2013 - 04:44AM JST

  Upgrayeddy, read the treaty itself, nowhere does it say specifically, "comfort women".

  It doesn't have to.

  ....The High Contracting Parties confirm that the problems concerning property, rights, and interests of the two High Contracting Parties and their peoples (including juridical persons) and** the claims between the High Contracting Parties and between their peoples, including those stipulated in Article IV(a) of the Peace Treaty with Japan signed at the city of San Francisco on September 8, 1951, have been settled completely and finally**.....

  The better question yet, which you still avoid, is why the Korean government counterparts for 17 years leading up to this agreement did not mention anything regarding even the "existintence" of comfort women in their tens and thousands of pages of meeting minutes?

  Posted in: Hashimoto offers to meet 'comfort women' to apologize

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  nigelboyMay. 17, 2013 - 03:32AM JST

  In addition, lets not forget that in the 1940s (even in the West) the lot of a woman was pretty much "servant of husband" ... imagine then how far along "women's rights" had progressed in the Asian countries in question here. I place women's rights in quotes because I doubt that the concept had even been considered. I suspect that many many Asian women in the 1940s who never went anywhere near a "comfort station" were still living lives that would today be judged as borderline slavery. Its not making an excuse to recognize that the exploitation of women (sexual or otherwise) was a lot more acceptable in that era.

  Hindingout,

  As to your subsquent paragraph, your point is clearly displayed by the U.S. report on "comfort women" in Burma in regards to how even the West viewed such operations. It's no wonder that the "comfort women" policies were extended by the Korean government themselves during the Korean war for the benefit of U.S. and U.N. soldiers stationed there.

  A "comfort girl" is NOTHING MORE THAN A PROSTITUTE or "professional camp follower" attached to the Japanese Army for the benefit of the soldiers

  http://www.exordio.com/1939-1945/codex/Documentos/report-49-USA-orig.html

  As Hashimoto stated in his interview this morning, the question of debating whether or not such policy is right or wrong in today's terms is irrelevant for it's obviously wrong in today's standards. This is why he qualified his initial Q&A with "at that time" (（当時） But of course, the media ignored this altogether.

  Posted in: Hashimoto offers to meet 'comfort women' to apologize

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  nigelboyMay. 17, 2013 - 02:50AM JST

  He clearly admitted that the Japanese military had participated in the sexual exploitation of women. He stated that he deplored that behavior in principle, and said the Japan bears the responsibility to apologize for that behavior

  Hidingout,

  Your comment in #1 is clearly spelled out by Hashimoto in his press conference as well as subsequent interview in this mornings morning talk show "Tokudane" on Fuji TV. But of course, the media will basically omit the pertinent parts to spin it and this is no exception especially Hashimoto who has in the past went head to head with the media especially Asahi.

  But he knew beforehand that this was going to happen and based on the recent TV program, he welcomes this attention for it will no doubt give him the more of the platform like today's show where there will be no "editing" or "spinning". In this sense, I'm glad that the meeting on the 24th with the ex-comfort women is going to be "public" rather than "private".

  Posted in: Hashimoto offers to meet 'comfort women' to apologize

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  nigelboyMay. 17, 2013 - 01:52AM JST

  zichi, the 1965 treaty between Korea and Japan did not cover the Comfort Women compensation.

  Of course, the anti-Japan crowd never question the logical reasons behind "why" it was not covered by the Korean counterparts.

  Posted in: Hashimoto offers to meet 'comfort women' to apologize

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  nigelboyMay. 17, 2013 - 01:37AM JST

  In 1965, the Japanese government awarded $364 million to the Korean government for all war damages, including the injury done to comfort women.

  Thanks zichi for the summary.

  The normalization agreement you indicated above took over 17 years of negotiation between the Japanese and the Korean counterparts with tens and thousands of recorded minutes of the negotiations. Now, for the life of me, I still cannot understand why the Korean counterparts NEVER mentioned the issue of comfort women in those tens and thousands of documented negotiations. Perhaps you could englighten us for the reasons.

  Posted in: Hashimoto offers to meet 'comfort women' to apologize

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  nigelboyMay. 17, 2013 - 12:27AM JST

  Heck, zichi coming out like he did to prove how wrong you are says a lot. You going to deny that too?

  Smith,

  I don't know what you are reading but I see nothing in zichi post that proves anything. He/she is merely repeating the "accusations" much like the said organization without any proof.

  Posted in: Hashimoto offers to meet 'comfort women' to apologize

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  nigelboyMay. 17, 2013 - 12:18AM JST

  Since the testimonies of those women change every time they open their mouth, he may use that opportunity for his gain.

  True. This is also the same organization that Seoul University professor investigated and found only two out of 40 surviving comfort women were indeed "forced" but by private individuals.

  It use to be that the Japanese public, in general, had sympathies for these Korean women which launched with the establishment of Asian Women Fund (under Ministry of Foreign Affairs( in mid 90's) which raised $6 million from donated funds and another $5 million from the government budget (welfare and medical expenses) but of course, the said organization pressured these ex-comfort women to not take this fund citing some unknown reason that this was "not official" despite half of the money being actually from the government budget itself.

  http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%A5%B3%E6%80%A7%E3%81%AE%E3%81%9F%E3%82%81%E3%81%AE%E3%82%A2%E3%82%B8%E3%82%A2%E5%B9%B3%E5%92%8C%E5%9B%BD%E6%B0%91%E5%9F%BA%E9%87%91

  An apology letter from Prime Minister Koizumi in 2001

  http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/area/taisen/letter.html

  Both Abe and Hashimoto are correct in that there are no evidence to support the argument that the government at that time had a policy of forcing these women against their will to become what they are. Even in the rare incident like that of the Dutch women which they cite indicate that the Colonel who discovered this operation, immediately ordered the termination. Despite the complete lack of evidence, the Japanese government still compensated and gave apologies (Former PM Murayama and Koizumi).

  Posted in: Hashimoto offers to meet 'comfort women' to apologize

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  nigelboyMay. 16, 2013 - 07:14AM JST

  I don't assume anything, but then in Europe they have a hell of alot more reason to distrust each other than the countries here do with Japan.

  Another assumption. Why don't you just dispense the German/Europe comparisons.

  What we're seeing here is a birth of another issue they created much like the Naval ensign of Japan which they had no problem up until 2009, but surfaced during the recent Olympics.

  Posted in: S Korean media slam Abe's 731 jet photo

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  nigelboyMay. 16, 2013 - 06:36AM JST

  You know people in Korea or China, or any other Asian country that suffered under Japanese oppression during WWII might have forgiven Japan if the Japanese had taken the same route as the German Gov. did after WWII.

  It's just Korea and China. Again, don't assume Germany gets along with their neighbors or they are free from baggage from WWII.

  Posted in: S Korean media slam Abe's 731 jet photo

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  nigelboyMay. 15, 2013 - 11:45PM JST

  Having women provide services of their own free will is not the same as kidnapping and rape

  Never said it was.

  Hashimoto is condoning rape. Get it? Rape. Not paid sexual service.

  Now you're just being ridiculous.

  Posted in: Gov't - but not Ishihara - backs away from Hashimoto's comfort women comments

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  nigelboyMay. 15, 2013 - 10:27PM JST

  Is THAT why Abe's crying then? and people like Ossan talk about US defense kicking in? If they are a joke, what's the need to respond?

  He's not crying. It's simply a warning targeted to whomever that encroached.

  Posted in: Abe warns of possible military response to intruder subs

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  nigelboyMay. 15, 2013 - 08:50AM JST

  Now you want to quote Wikipedia? You are too funny.

  Read my post marked MAY. 14, 2013 - 10:48PM JST

  Posted in: Hashimoto says comfort women system necessary for wartime troops

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  nigelboyMay. 15, 2013 - 08:36AM JST

  Unit 731, in the name of 'scientific research' performed diabolical experiments on mostly Chinese prople that saw them being poisoned,frozen,beaten,operated on without anesthesia and a myriad of other atrocious ways that ended in death.

  Is that what was revealed in the thousands of pages of classified report?

  Posted in: China, S Korea criticize Hashimoto over comfort women comments

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  nigelboyMay. 15, 2013 - 08:13AM JST

  So what happened in Unit 731? I know the archived top secret materials were released to the public 5 years ago.

  Posted in: China, S Korea criticize Hashimoto over comfort women comments