BY ANDREW PARK (11)
Just a few weeks ago, on November 1st, Korean President Park Keun Hye, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Li KeQiang met for the Trilateral Summit in Korea. The 3 leaders of each country met for their discussion on Trade Agreements, North Korean problems as well as WWII History. This WWII history included talks considering the “Comfort Women” or also known as “Wianbu” or “Ianfu”. During the Kono Statement in 1993, the Japanese Government accepted the facts that these “Comfort Women” have been taken forcefully and the government has been involved in the comfort stations. However, after the Kono statements in 1993, the Japanese government have refused to and have not yet apologized officially for the physical and mental pain that the ‘Comfort Women” have suffered. Through this summit, the Japanese government ought to apologize to all the “comfort women” who have suffered, as it is morally right for a government to take responsibility of their history
The idea of ‘Comfort Women’ aroused during World War 2 when the Japanese army enslaved women from colonized territories and took them to battlefields. These women were sexually harassed by the ‘comfort’ for the Japanese army. Women not only from Korea, but women also from the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia have suffered from the appalling sexual slavery. The women who have been abused number up to approximately 150,000 to even 400,000 women. Although the current Japanese government is very much not related to these horrific war crimes against these women, they are still responsible for the apology that the comfort women require. The past is what shapes our future. If the Japanese government disregards all facts about their intervention in the comfort women problem and refuses to apologize for it, they are ignoring the history and ignoring the pain that the women have suffered through out the past 50 years. These women have been suffering not only physical but also mentally as they were enslaved even at the ages of 16 years old. They have been ignored, laughed at and even abused in their respective home countries for their enforced sexual slavery. If the Japanese government does not liquidate the war crimes of World War II, it will not only worsen International relations, they will be caught up by their guilt of the past.
Korean Historian Shin Chaeho once said “There is not future to a nation that forgets their history”. What establish us as a nation is a nation’s past actions, whether or not they were done by ourselves or not. If the Japanese government remains stern on their viewpoints and neglecting the intervention on sexual slavery of the women during World War II, they are unable to progress from the past. For the people that have suffered from the terrible war crimes and for the future of the nation, the Japanese government ought to apologize to all “Comfort Women”.
Just a few weeks ago, on November 1st, Korean President Park Keun Hye, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Li KeQiang met for the Trilateral Summit in Korea. The 3 leaders of each country met for their discussion on Trade Agreements, North Korean problems as well as WWII History. This WWII history included talks considering the “Comfort Women” or also known as “Wianbu” or “Ianfu”. During the Kono Statement in 1993, the Japanese Government accepted the facts that these “Comfort Women” have been taken forcefully and the government has been involved in the comfort stations. However, after the Kono statements in 1993, the Japanese government have refused to and have not yet apologized officially for the physical and mental pain that the ‘Comfort Women” have suffered. Through this summit, the Japanese government ought to apologize to all the “comfort women” who have suffered, as it is morally right for a government to take responsibility of their history
The idea of ‘Comfort Women’ aroused during World War 2 when the Japanese army enslaved women from colonized territories and took them to battlefields. These women were sexually harassed by the ‘comfort’ for the Japanese army. Women not only from Korea, but women also from the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia have suffered from the appalling sexual slavery. The women who have been abused number up to approximately 150,000 to even 400,000 women. Although the current Japanese government is very much not related to these horrific war crimes against these women, they are still responsible for the apology that the comfort women require. The past is what shapes our future. If the Japanese government disregards all facts about their intervention in the comfort women problem and refuses to apologize for it, they are ignoring the history and ignoring the pain that the women have suffered through out the past 50 years. These women have been suffering not only physical but also mentally as they were enslaved even at the ages of 16 years old. They have been ignored, laughed at and even abused in their respective home countries for their enforced sexual slavery. If the Japanese government does not liquidate the war crimes of World War II, it will not only worsen International relations, they will be caught up by their guilt of the past.
Korean Historian Shin Chaeho once said “There is not future to a nation that forgets their history”. What establish us as a nation is a nation’s past actions, whether or not they were done by ourselves or not. If the Japanese government remains stern on their viewpoints and neglecting the intervention on sexual slavery of the women during World War II, they are unable to progress from the past. For the people that have suffered from the terrible war crimes and for the future of the nation, the Japanese government ought to apologize to all “Comfort Women”.