Comments on: Eyes wide shut: The media and the Abe-Bush press conference

By: es

es — Thu, 10 May 2007 04:30:22 +0000

Bender
Many Japanese more care what really happened than weather look bad or not. That’s often cause them lack of explanation. In fact, many Japanese carry this kind of philosophy truth reveals itself. I guess that’s total useless for measure that national strategy of damaging image of Japan campaign by Chinese and Korean governments. They worked Mike Honda to bring up the “comfort women” issue major political issue is part of program. Their strategy this time involves human rights sensitive (but fairly damn) westerns to bash Japan. If proper intelligent person hear style mike Honda is making argument, they would wonder if his way of argument sound proper: he only brought up ex-prostitutes’ testimony. No material evidence at all. Mike argues that this woman says there this so Japan must be bad and apologize. As Ampontan said Mike Honda pushed 15 min political stardom. I guess your arguments pointing similar sense, useless arguing weather there was coercive act by Japanese military or not. I want to add it’s useless arguing historical facts by those people’s purpose of history to use as cards to damage others. Their ultimate target is not in historical fact but to carry negative campaign and damage of international reputation of Japan. Anti Japan is their big business and political tools. They only focused on how bad Japan looks instead of facts. They are simplistic like westerners whose human rights sensitivity is reflecting only on sex slavery committed by Japan though there are so many on going humans rights violation around the world “NOW”. This kind of anti Chinese or Korean doesn’t exist in Japan. Probably anti Japan in Japan could be source of business. Journalism in Japan is most likely anti Japan instead of anti authority of many other countries’ journalism. NYT might be anti Bush but not anti USA while Asahi Shimbun is both anti Abe and Japan. Onishi might say Abe got political popularity for being hard on North Korea. People just want to get back kidnapped. I guess their damaging Japan campaign is part successful as you recognize “Japan looks bad” any way. And Japan is not seriously taking measure for that. Japan needs to takes some action for that. But one thing quite sure is that bashing Japan won’t make china and Korea’s image any better at all. Also, a person like Ampontan whose interests is fairness and facts is quite effective counter for manipulating business.

By: bender

bender — Wed, 09 May 2007 20:49:02 +0000

Thanks,Infimum and Topcat.

What’s wrong with the Japanese government? It seems much better to point out GI misbehavior to make Mike Honda look like one big hypocrite than argue whether there was any “coercion”- I’m not saying that Japanese arguments about “coercion” is meritless, but it is quite vulnerable to misinterpretations.

By: ampontan

ampontan — Wed, 09 May 2007 03:35:11 +0000

INFIMUM COMMENT

This is an Infimum comment that the software thought was spam for some reason. I reproduce it below:
—————————————–

Basically, the image of American GIs in Japan is giving out Hershey’s chocolates to children, at least that is what I thought.

Japan Center of Asian Historical Records have relevant reports on such rapes. You can search the archive with the key word “進駐軍ノ不法行為” in their homepage.
http://www.jacar.go.jp/index.html

Also, the grand-daughter of the founder of Mitsubishi built an orphanage called Elizabeth Sanders Home for mixed children. They eventually built a school called St. Stephen’s School for them. The school still exists today.
http://www.stephen-oiso.ed.jp/index.html

By: Topcat

Topcat — Wed, 09 May 2007 01:00:43 +0000

Bender

As to censorship during the occupation period that prohibited Japanese media from reporting crimes done by US soldiers, the following book would be most helpful.
閉ざされた言語空間――占領軍の検閲と戦後日本
http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E9%96%89%E3%81%95%E3%82%8C%E3%81%9F%E8%A8%80%E8%AA%9E%E7%A9%BA%E9%96%93%E2%80%95%E5%8D%A0%E9%A0%98%E8%BB%8D%E3%81%AE%E6%A4%9C%E9%96%B2%E3%81%A8%E6%88%A6%E5%BE%8C%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC-%E6%B1%9F%E8%97%A4-%E6%B7%B3/dp/4167366088/ref=sr_1_2/250-6938677-4069060?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178627559&sr=1-2

By: Topcat

Topcat — Tue, 08 May 2007 16:47:37 +0000

Bender,

You are right, I should have given something credible.

I have to make a correction first:
2,536 murders (not 9,000 sorry!)
29,768 rapes
for 7 years from 1945 to 1952
(both numbers are officially reported and recorded ones as crimes, actual numbers are estimated much larger)

I should have written –

Japanese lawmakers and many Japanese journalists/ historians/ non-fiction writers say that about 2,500 murders and about 30,000 rapes were done by US soldiers during the occupation period.

衆議院議事録
http://www.shugiin.go.jp/itdb_kaigiroku.nsf/html/kaigiroku/000216620070221002.htm
”実は、その調査をしていて、早急に、ペロシ米下院議長、マイク・ホンダ議員に翻訳して差し上げてもらいたいような資料が出てきました。

　資料二を見ていただきたいと思うんですけれども、これは官報号外、昭和二十八年二月二十七日に載った第十五回国会の社会党の藤原道子議員の質問の議事録です。

　二ページ目の上段に線が引いてありますけれども、そこにはこのように書かれてあります。「米軍の暴行事件は、昨年十二月まで独立後」独立後ですよ、「八カ月間におきまして千八百七十八件を数え、なお泣き寝入りになつておりまする件数は厖大な数であろうと想像されております。」

　次に、三段目の線のところを見ていただきたいと思いますけれども、またこうも述べておられます。

　私は、米軍の日本進駐に対し、この尊い母に代つて青年の純潔と健康と堕落から青年を守つた米軍をこそ、信頼し、期待していたのであります。併しこの期待はみごとに裏切られました。基地附近の百鬼夜行の有様は、学童の勉学する所まで荒らされ、幼児さえ米兵の行為の真似をして遊ぶ状態は、ひとり日本の母を悲しませるのみならず、遠く我が子の上を思うアメリカの妻が、母たちが、若しこの実情を知りましたならば、その歎きと、当局に対する不信と憤りは、どのような結果を招くでありましようか。それとも、アメリカの婦人尊重、正義人道とは、アメリカ国内だけであつて、ヨーロッパではそれは紳士道を守るが、アジアの国々においては、その国内法を無視し、何をしてもよい、軍紀も何も通用しないことになつているのでございましようか。

　アメリカの若き兵士の妻、母の立場をもおもんぱかった格調高い日本女性議員の訴えは、読んでいて心を打つものがあると思うんですね。私は、戦後失われたものの一つに、正当な抗議をしなくてはならないときにしてこなかったことがあると思うんです。”

産経新聞阿比留記者のブログ
http://abirur.iza.ne.jp/blog/entry/130519
”(2)アメリカ
　アメリカ軍が日本に進駐したとき、最初の1か月、それも神奈川県下だけで2900件の強姦事件が発生した。7年の占領期間中には2536件の殺人と3万件の強姦事件を起こした。事態を憂慮したGHQは、ついに東京都に慰安所の設置を要求した。これはうわさや誇張ではなくれっきとした事実である。”

ＳＡＰＩＯ　2007年４月11日号　
封印されていた占領下の米兵「日本人婦女子凌辱事件」ファイル／水間政憲
http://skygarden.shogakukan.co.jp/skygarden/owa/solrenew_magcode?
sha=1&neoc=2300204107&keitai=0
ジャーナリストの水間政憲氏が国立公文書館から探し出したというファイル。ファイルは377ページに及ぶ「進駐軍ノ不法行為」(内務省警保局外事課)という手書きの原本。没収され米国に持ち去られていたものを、1973年に日本に返還された資料。
＊国立公文書館
http://www.archives.go.jp/

By: infimum

infimum — Tue, 08 May 2007 15:29:57 +0000

Basically, the image of American GIs in Japan is giving out Hershey’s chocolates to children, at least that is what I thought.

By: Topcat

Topcat — Tue, 08 May 2007 14:12:05 +0000

Bender

You are right, I should have given something credible.

I should have written –

Japanese lawmakers and many Japanese journalists/ historians/ non-fiction writers say that about 2,500 murders and about 30,000 rapes were done by US soldiers during the occupation period.

　次に、三段目の線のところを見ていただきたいと思いますけれども、またこうも述べておられます。

By: bender

bender — Tue, 08 May 2007 07:34:41 +0000

Topcat,

That US soldier raping allegation I’ve heard before, but you need to at least give something credible to back up such serious allegations- same as you would want to require such for the comfort women issue. Basically, the image of American GIs in Japan is giving out Hershey’s chocolates to children, at least that is what I thought.

Es,

I think it’s better argue whether Korean women were the prevalent constituent in the brothels or not, and if so, it does look bad on Japan.

By: Topcat

Topcat — Mon, 07 May 2007 08:03:49 +0000

“idea that a government setting up brothels for soldiers is inhumane and disgusting”

Brothels were run by private owners (civilians), not by Japanese government. Those private prostitution house owners were following military camps and doing their business. Their business was “for soldiers only” and Japanese military sent doctors to those houses to prevent venereal deseases.
It is this system that you can say was set up by Japanese military.

Japanese military thought that a system of this kind was necessary in order to –
(1) protect local women from rapes
(2) prevent venereal deseases
(3) protect leak of military information

US soldiers of GHQ in Japan after WWII caused 25,000 rapes and 9,000 murders before/after comfort houses were set up. GHQ comfort houses were shut down because of spread of venereal deseases.

You cannot tell easily what is inhumane and what is not.

By: es

es — Mon, 07 May 2007 02:51:49 +0000

Bender

And I also kind of feel that the arguments inside Japan is also isolated and often self-serving, because the criticism outside of Japan (not in Korea, but like US and the UK) seems to focus on not whether the comfort women were kidnapped out of their homes, but idea that a government setting up brothels for soldiers is inhumane and disgusting. So the argument about “coercion” is not going to work, and Japanese leaders and commentators should be aware of this.

If US or the UK (i guess you assume they are neutral) focuesd on inhumane conditions of women in brothel, I wonder why Mike Honda or any journalist from Uk or Us wouldn’t take the issues that after defeating Japan, GHQ set up brothels for US soldiers.