Frog in a Well: East Asia History Roundup

Jonathan Dresner has a roundup of East Asia history news from around the web that includes the Shinzo Abe “comfort women” debacle and apology (see also the controversy over the approaching anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre) as well as the Taiwan textbook flap. Textbooks are a hot topic in Korea too where recent revisions are reigniting the China-Korea history row. North of Beijing, the reconstruction and renovation of the Great Wall continues but sadly those whom the wall once tried to keep out are in danger of losing their native language. The United States gets a mention too with the recent anniversary of Nixon’s visit and the opening of CIA files regarding two agents held in China for over twenty years following a botched operation. Lots of other good things about Japan and Korea. Worth checking out.

March 26th, 2007

Japanese PM publicly apologizes for dismissing sex slavery claims

Earlier this month, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, seeking to shore up his crumbling base domestically, ripped open old wounds by publicly questioning the accounts of thousands of women forced to work as sex slaves by the Japanese army during World War II. Abe suggested that “no historical proof exisisted” that these women had been coerced into service as these women claimed, despite a 1993 Japanese goverment study and official report that found the women’s stories credible.

Today BBC reports (via HNN):

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has apologized in parliament for the country’s use of women as sex slaves during World War II.

The apology comes after Mr Abe was criticized by Asian neighbors for previous comments casting doubt on whether the women were coerced.

Mr Abe told parliament: “I apologies here and now as prime minister.”

This appears to be part of a concerted bid to reduce the fall-out of earlier comments, a BBC correspondent says.

Mr Abe said, during a debate in parliament’s upper house, that he stood by an official 1993 statement in which Japan acknowledged the imperial army set up and ran brothels for its troops during the war.

“As I frequently say, I

March 26th, 2007

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