Japanese mayor says that WWII 'comfort women' were necessary

[Lea]

Don't know if this has already been posted before...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/14/japanese-mayor-comfort-women

An outspoken nationalist mayor has said the Japanese military's "comfort women" regime of forced prostitution of Asian women before and during the second world war was necessary to maintain discipline in the ranks and provide rest for soldiers who risked their lives in battle.

Fucking outrageous I say. He should be locked up with sexual offenders so that he can "comfort" them!

 

[Dandred]

That story is nothing compered to this one...... http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2013/05/120_135776.html

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the cockpit of a T-4 training jet at an airbase in Miyagi gives a thumbs up, Tuesday. The number on the fuselage of the aircraft — 731— has triggered protests from Korea, China and imperial Japan’s other victims, who have taken offense because it coincides with that of Unit 731, which conducted biological and chemical warfare experiments using people from countries Japan occupied. / AFP-Yonhap

The Japanese Prime Minister decides to sit in a fighter plane with the "731" on the side, the number of the Japanese army's biological and chemical warfare until in the second world war!

Imagine Merkel wearing an SS uniform and giving out striped pajamas and you have an idea what this means to Japan's neighours.

 

[Spymaster]

That story is nothing compered to this one...... http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2013/05/120_135776.html

That looks more like a fuck-up than a deliberate attempt to cause offence.

The mayor referred to in the OP is a stupid fucking wanker who needs a slap though.

 

[Dandred]

That looks more like a fuck-up than a deliberate attempt to cause offence.

The mayor referred to in the OP is a stupid fucking wanker who needs a slap though.

No, that wasn't a fuck up. He deliberately chose to sit for that photo opportunity. If it was a fuck up like you say, I'm sure there would have been a hastily made apology.

Japan have been ratcheting up the tension around here for ages now......

 

[8ball]

The mayor referred to in the OP is a stupid fucking wanker who needs a slap though.

Let's say he's right and these women were needed for discipline to be maintained, I'm not convinced that makes it any better.

"We needed to commit these acts of barbarism or our efforts to commit other acts of barbarism would have gone right tits up..."

 

[Spymaster]

No, that wasn't a fuck up. He deliberately chose to sit for that photo opportunity. If it was a fuck up like you say, I'm sure there would have been a hastily made apology.

Japan have been ratcheting up the tension around here for ages now......

But was the aircraft number 731 chosen deliberately or was it an unfortunate coincidence?

 

[JimW]

But was the aircraft number 731 chosen deliberately or was it an unfortunate coincidence?

I think even in the best-case cock up scenario, it shows how this historical detail that leaps out immediately to Chinese and other Asian people isn't even on the radar of the Japanese PM's minders, which is not so good either.
Must say that the arsehole mayor seems to be a bit par for the course, however obnoxious. Someone seems to pop up saying this sort of shit or justifying the slave labour every couple of years.

 

[Dandred]

But was the aircraft number 731 chosen deliberately or was it an unfortunate coincidence?

Amazing coincidence given the context of Japan's recent denial of second world war crimes!


And again, if it was an unfortunate coincidence, has there been an apology?

 

[dylanredefined]

That looks more like a fuck-up than a deliberate attempt to cause offence.

The mayor referred to in the OP is a stupid fucking wanker who needs a slap though.

Probably some air force bloke thought it would be funny.
Japaneses politicians should just be from banned talking about the war. They seem unable to say anything apart from offending people.

 

[Spymaster]

I think even in the best-case cock up scenario, it shows how this historical detail that leaps out immediately to Chinese and other Asian people isn't even on the radar of the Japanese PM's minders, which is not so good either.

Oh for sure. As you say the best case scenario is still pretty shite. I'm just not convinced it's been done on purpose.

 

[JimW]

Oh for sure. As you say the best case scenario is still pretty shite. I'm just not convinced it's been done on purpose.

if it was on purpose it seems too subtle and rubbish, so I tend to agree it's likely just a fuck-up.
ETA: As in I could see them making some oblique reference to their current ownership of any of the disputed islands, but not likely to make a reference to something truly appalling they don't even like to admit ever went on.

 

[goldenecitrone]

Isn't there some band called 911 who have reformed? Fancy a crack at the US market I reckon.

 

[trabuquera]

Japaneses politicians should just be from banned talking about the war. They seem unable to say anything apart from offending people.

Because when /if they DO make sensible, inoffensive, conciliatory comments about the war, it's NOT NEWS for the internatioanl media, does not get reported, and hence rest of world forms the opinion that all Japanese politicians are crazed nationalists who defend rape, atrocity and genocide. It's a self-propagating cycle really.

However, Toru Hashimoto really is a crazed nationalist who defends rape and atrocity, and the other main light in his party, Shintaro Ishihara, is a known wingnut who is all about Japanese supremacy ... inlcuding a memorable period during the 90s when he adamantly denied that the bad behaviour otherwise called "the rape of Nanking" had ever happened. At all.

so. ultranationalists, eh? what are you going to do about them. But one thing you definitely shouldn't is to judge all Japanese (or even all Japanese politicans) by the actions of these two. It would be like assuming that urban takes its 'line' from Nigel Farage.

 

[Dandred]

if it was on purpose it seems too subtle and rubbish, so I tend to agree it's likely just a fuck-up.

You mean like visiting the Yasukuni Shrine? http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/04/23/japa-a23.html

 

[JimW]

Because when /if they DO make sensible, inoffensive, conciliatory comments about the war, it's NOT NEWS for the internatioanl media, does not get reported, and hence rest of world forms the opinion that all Japanese politicians are crazed nationalists who defend rape, atrocity and genocide. It's a self-propagating cycle really.

However, Toru Hashimoto really is a crazed nationalist who defends rape and atrocity, and the other main light in his party, Shintaro Ishihara, is a known wingnut who is all about Japanese supremacy ... inlcuding a memorable period during the 90s when he adamantly denied that the bad behaviour otherwise called "the rape of Nanking" had ever happened. At all.

so. ultranationalists, eh? what are you going to do about them. But one thing you definitely shouldn't is to judge all Japanese (or even all Japanese politicans) by the actions of these two. It would be like assuming that urban takes its 'line' from Nigel Farage.

Isn't there this thing with them being local politicians that they can make these sort of remarks knowing they have a domestic audience who enjoy them or aren't bothered enough to make it an anti vote, but rarely have to meet anyone in international forums etc where there would be consequences.

 

[JimW]

You mean like visiting the Yasukuni Shrine? http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/04/23/japa-a23.html

I know about that of course. Clearly a different case. The defences for visiting the shrine are that these are their war dead, whether that washes abroad or not. No-one has any defence they want to associate with in public for Unit 731.

 

[Dandred]

I know about that of course. Clearly a different case. The defences for visiting the shrine are that these are their war dead, whether that washes abroad or not. No-one has any defence they want to associate with in public for Unit 731.

So an amazingly bad PR stunt...

Two weeks ago most of the ruling Japanese parliament went to the shrine. If it's all just coincidence, wow.

 

[JimW]

So an amazingly bad PR stunt...

Two weeks ago most of the ruling Japanese parliament went to the shrine. If it's all just coincidence, wow.

Not saying impossible, just be really surprised if they were the ones to bring up Unit 731. Prank by some airman I could buy as more likely.

 

[elbows]

Its not surprising and is even more worrying because of Hashimoto's role in a new nationalist party.

Anyway he gave a crap non-apology today, where the only thing he admitted being wrong about was lacking awareness of international sensitivities. And even this seems to have been response to another 'army sex' gaffe, where he appealed to the US military to make use of the 'legal sex industry' in Japan for the US troops stationed at that huge base in Japan. When it came to the stuff about the World War Two women, he says Japan should apologise to them but he is still clinging to the bit that questions whether they were really coerced into it or not.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/...l-sensitivity_n_3285372.html?utm_hp_ref=world

"If there is one big mistake I made, that might have been my lack of understanding of culture behind the U.S. sex industry – if you mention adult entertainment in the U.S., everyone thinks of prostitution," Hashimoto said during a live TV talk show from Osaka, in western Japan. "I admit that my international sensitivity was quite poor when I had to operate beyond national borders."

Hashimoto said Monday that on a recent visit to the southern island of Okinawa he suggested to the U.S. commander there that the troops make use of the legal sex industry.
More than half of about 50,000 U.S. troops based in Japan under a bilateral security pact are on Okinawa, where base-related crime has long triggered anti-U.S. military sentiment.
U.S. officials rejected his proposal. "That goes without saying," Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said Tuesday in Washington.
In a tweet Wednesday, Rep. Mike Honda, a California Democrat who has urged Japan to take responsibility for wartime sex slavery, called Hashimoto's remarks that comfort women were necessary "contemptible and repulsive," and demanded Japan's government "apologize for this atrocity."
Hashimoto said Thursday that his comments were not intended to justify or whitewash Japan's use of prostitution for its wartime military and that Japan should apologize to the women whether or not they were forced into it.

By the way Toru Hashimoto is one of the World Economic Forums 'young global leaders' (class of 2009 from what I've discovered).
http://www.weforum.org/young-global-leaders/toru-hashimoto

 

[Dandred]

Not saying impossible, just be really surprised if they were the ones to bring up Unit 731. Prank by some airman I could buy as more likely.

And if it was Cameron sitting in the plane with F-82 on the side, would it just be a joke or a coincidence?

 

[JimW]

And if it was Cameron sitting in the plane with F-82 on the side it would just be a joke or a coincidence?

As I said above, my take is the embarrassing thing here is that his minders missed it because they don't think about that history.

 

[Spymaster]

And if it was Cameron sitting in the plane with F-82 on the side, would it just be a joke or a coincidence?

F-82?

 

[JimW]

F-82?

Falklands I presume.

 

[Spymaster]

Falklands I presume.

Ah, cheers.

 

[JimW]

Ah, cheers.

Not sure that's even in the same ball-park offence-wise if I had it right. Maybe concentration camp reference in front of some South African farmers or famine jokes in Ireland to get close.

 

[Dandred]

As I said above, my take is the embarrassing thing here is that his minders missed it because they don't think about that history.

You really think it's all just an ignorant faux pas? Not intentional?

Either you are ignorant as to how world politic is done, or you are just naive.

 

[JimW]

You really think it's all just an ignorant faux pas? Not intentional?

Either you are ignorant as to how world politic is done, or you are just naive.

Not as ignorant as someone who thinks even the most right-wing Japanese administration would knowingly reference Unit 731 in an international forum.

 

[sleaterkinney]

No, that wasn't a fuck up. He deliberately chose to sit for that photo opportunity. If it was a fuck up like you say, I'm sure there would have been a hastily made apology.

Japan have been ratcheting up the tension around here for ages now......

What is he going to apologise for?. Sitting in the wrong plane?

 

[Spymaster]

And if it was Cameron sitting in the plane with F-82 on the side, would it just be a joke or a coincidence?

If you are referring to the Falklands and he was sitting in the cockpit of a genuinely numbered military jet, I reckon someone would have to try really hard to take offence unless the photoshoot was specifically aimed at Argentina.

But you're talking apples and oranges anyway. Unit 731 was a criminal outfit, Argentina was correctly hoofed-off British territory as a response to the colonialist aggression by their fascist dictatorship.

 

[JimW]

Put it another way, you don't score even cheap points by crowing about your own war crimes. As I say, having a subtle laugh at still occupying disputed territory I could buy, but not this.