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Abe’s aide suggests nullifying Kono Statement with a new one

Abe’s aide suggests nullifying Kono Statement with a new one

Posted October. 08, 2014 04:22,   

한국어

“Now, its role is over.”

Koichi Hagiuda, a member of the Japanese ruling Liberal Democratic Party and special advisor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said on a program about the Kono Statement on Monday. He said, “The government publicly says it will not revise the Kono Statement but its meaning will eventually disappear with the release of a new statement.” The Kono Statement is a statement in which the then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono admitted and apologized in 1993 for forcing comfort women during World War II.

The leadership of the Abe administration is recently moving towards nullifying the Kono Statement and the prime minister, who is supposed to refrain from it, is taking the initiative. “The incorrect report by the Asahi Shimbun (on the testimony on the forced sex slavery of comfort women) had a big impact and dealt a blow to the Japan-Korea relationship. I hope it could do its best to recover Japan’s reputation, which was tainted by the report,” Prime Minister Abe said at a meeting of the House of Representatives Budget Committee on Monday, following his claim last Friday that it is true that the world is making a groundless claim that Japan enslaved women for sex on the national level.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, who was once considered dovish, is no exception. Regarding the posting on the website of the foreign ministry that says, “It was a cruel behavior crushing women’s dignity to make many women including teenagers comfort women and force them to follow the military,” the minister said in the House of Representatives on Monday, “We’ll internally review whether to delete it or add a footnote to it.”

The International Intelligence Review Committee under the ruling party`s Diplomatic and Economic Alliance Headquarters adopted a resolution on Sept. 19, which says, “The Asahi Shimbun’s apology denied the fact that comfort women were forced and also sexual abused.”

As the controversy shows signs of escalation, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga tried to calm the situation. As for Hagiuda’s comment on Monday, he said, “It is completely his personal opinion and the Abe administration has no intention to revise the Kono Statement.”

As for a new statement to be released next year to mark the 70th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in the war, he added, “(The government) has said to announce a future-oriented statement. The content will be determined by experts’ meeting in the near future.”

The Sankei Shimbun said on Tuesday, however, quoted the prime minister’s confidants implying the intention of the Abe administration, “The Diet needs to take an action to revise the statement.” The newspaper said, “Prime Minister Abe says he will not revise the Kono Statement but this is because he is concerned about being stigmatized as a ‘dangerous history revisionist’ by the international community including the U.S. He is expecting an active discussion within the party (on revising the Kono Statement).”