Abe's delusion
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seems to be under some delusions when it comes to the issue of former sex slaves to the Japanese Imperial Army. Speaking to reporters during a Middle East tour that commenced following his Washington visit, Abe expressed optimism that he has calmed a dispute over the sexual slavery issue.
Explaining that his feelings about "comfort women," a euphemism used to refer to women forced into sexual slavery for the Japanese Army during World War II, had been wrongly conveyed, he said he delivered his message in a straightforward manner. He added that he thinks that congressional leaders understood his explanation.
Well, what is one to make of the following statements that were made to a group of U.S. Congressmen?: "As a person and as a prime minister, I feel sympathy from the bottom of my heart to former comfort women, who experienced hardships," and "I feel deeply sorry that they were forced to be placed in such extremely painful situations." These statements do not construe an unequivocal apology to the estimated 200,000 women who were forced into sexual slavery. They amount to no more than words of sympathy and empathy. It fact, it is just gobbledygook as far as the former sex slaves are concerned.
The exchange between Abe and President George Bush on the matter was something of a farce. "I, as prime minister of Japan, express my apologies, and also express my apologies for the fact that they were placed in that sort of circumstance," said Abe, to which President George W. Bush responded by saying that he accepts the apologies. To who is Abe is apologizing and why is Bush the one accepting the apologies?
Abe's statement was meant to further clarify the remarks he had made earlier on Capitol Hill. However, for the former sex slaves watching the news, it must have seemed like a bad comedy: Abe "expressing" apologies but still refusing to take government responsibility for the egregious human rights violations, and Bush "accepting" the apologies on behalf of who knows whom.
If what Abe indeed did was to actually apologize to the former sex slaves, the next step he should take is to acknowledge the Japanese government's role in the operation of the military brothels once and for all, and make it official by passing the apology and the acknowledgement of the government role through the Diet. Otherwise, his shifting positions are bound to make whatever further apologies he makes ring hollow.
Also, Abe should refer to the victims as sex slaves instead of employing the euphemism. Words have subtle nuances and the phrase "comfort women" glosses over the atrocities that were committed in the name of providing "comfort" to Japanese soldiers.
