Japan Press Weekly

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2014 January 22 - 28 TOP3 [HISTORY]

Public anger growing at NHK president’s remarks

Anger is increasing in and out of Japan over the NHK president’s remarks which justified the Imperial Japanese military’s sex slavery system during World War II.

Momii Katsuto, the new president of Japan’s public broadcaster NHK, told reporters on January 25 that the practice like Japan’s wartime “comfort women” system was “common to any country at war”.

Nishino Rumiko, a co-leader of the Violence Against Women in War Research Action Center (VAWW RAC), pointed out that Momii shares the same view as Osaka City Mayor Hashimoto Toru, who said in May 2013 that the sexual slavery system was “necessary” during the war. “Supposedly, they have a wish to justify Japan’s past war of aggression and its contempt for other Asian nations. It is insufficient for the chair to retract his remarks. He should resign immediately,” Nishino stressed.

A civic group of “NHK watchers” on January 27 submitted a written demand to the NHK Executive Board seeking Momii’s removal. Other civil organizations, such as the Japan Peace Committee, the Japan Asia Africa Latin America Solidarity Committee, and the New Japan Women’s Association, released statements demanding his resignation.

Foreign ministries of China and South Korea as well as overseas media such as the Korea Times and the Wall Street Journal also condemned the remarks made by the NHK chair.

In contrast, Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide expressed his view that Momii does not need to resign, saying, “He made the remark as an individual.”


Past related articles:
> Protests continue against Hashimoto’s remarks on ‘comfort women’ [May 15-19, 2013]
> Only Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany had ‘comfort women’ system: modern historian [May 17, 2013]
> ‘Comfort women’ trial questions Abe gov’t’s historical interpretation [January 17, 2014]