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In Japan, Lawmakers to Ask Government to Deny War Crimes Against Women

In Japan, Lawmakers to Ask Government to Deny War Crimes Against Women

Posted March. 02, 2007 07:02,   

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The society for Japan`s Future and History Education within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a group of lawmakers, is saying that it will ask the Japanese government to announce that there was actually no such thing as forced recruitment of military sex slaves by Japan during World War 2.

The Yomiuri Shimbun said on March 1 that the group will urge the Japanese government to express the following opinion, “An individual could forcibly recruit comfort women against their will, but the Japanese authorities or military did not mobilize them.”

In 1993, then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono of Japan issued a statement expressing both recognition of Japan’s practice of forcibly recruiting comfort women, and an apology for their sexual enslavement.

Today, however, this group of Japanese lawmakers is arguing that, “Kono’s statement appeared to recognize sexual enslavement was conducted by the Japanese military and government. But the statement has no evidence.” And the group calls for deleting ‘military’ from the term ‘military enslavement.’

Regarding the U.S House of Representative’s resolution on comfort women, the Japanese group said the government should reject America’s resolution, saying, “It could undermine Japan’s image and bring a malicious criticism and misunderstanding of Japan.”



sya@donga.com