May 26, 2015
Sixteen groups of historians in Japan on May 25 jointly issued a statement criticizing some politicians and news media for trying to deny that there was forcible recruitment of the so-called wartime “comfort women”.
The statement points out that a number of historical records and studies have proven the existence of comfort women who were forcibly taken away to work as forced prostitutes for Japanese soldiers. It adds that the victimized women were treated as sex slaves and exposed to indescribable acts of abuse. The statement argues that if the politicians and media keep refusing to accept the historical facts related to the comfort woman issue, their attitude would serve as a message to the international community that Japan has a flagrant disregard for human rights.
The publication of the statement came after six months of careful consideration by the Historical Science Society of Japan, the Japanese Society of Historical Studies, the Association of Historical Science, the History Educationalist Conference in Japan, and several other groups. Currently, the number of groups endorsing the statement stands at 16 and is expected to increase.
Representatives of these groups held a press conference on the same day at the Diet building. Historical Science Society of Japan Chair Kubo Toru said, “Our statement represents a common view widely shared by historians. The comfort women deniers should pay attention to what the statement says.”
Past related articles:
> New evidence of forcible recruiting of comfort women found [April 7, 2014]
> Don’t falsify historical facts: Shii at press conf. on comfort women issue [March 15, 2014]
The statement points out that a number of historical records and studies have proven the existence of comfort women who were forcibly taken away to work as forced prostitutes for Japanese soldiers. It adds that the victimized women were treated as sex slaves and exposed to indescribable acts of abuse. The statement argues that if the politicians and media keep refusing to accept the historical facts related to the comfort woman issue, their attitude would serve as a message to the international community that Japan has a flagrant disregard for human rights.
The publication of the statement came after six months of careful consideration by the Historical Science Society of Japan, the Japanese Society of Historical Studies, the Association of Historical Science, the History Educationalist Conference in Japan, and several other groups. Currently, the number of groups endorsing the statement stands at 16 and is expected to increase.
Representatives of these groups held a press conference on the same day at the Diet building. Historical Science Society of Japan Chair Kubo Toru said, “Our statement represents a common view widely shared by historians. The comfort women deniers should pay attention to what the statement says.”
Past related articles:
> New evidence of forcible recruiting of comfort women found [April 7, 2014]
> Don’t falsify historical facts: Shii at press conf. on comfort women issue [March 15, 2014]
