US recognises 'comfort women' memorial

The issue of 'comfort women', women abducted from Korea and enslaved by Imperial Japan, has long complicated Japan-South Korea relations, and now a decision by the US city San Francisco to accept a memorial to the women has prompted accusations of 'Japan-bashing' from the island nation.

A decision by San Francisco to recognise a memorial to women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military in World War II has strained ties with its sister city, Osaka.
The statue is part of a long-running effort by activists to shed light on a very dark chapter in the history of the conflict.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called for South Korea to remove similar statues, while South Korean President Moon Jae-in has cast doubt on a 2015 agreement intended to settle the traumatic legacy between the two countries.
Al Jazeera’s Rob Reynolds reports.

[bobk]

If Japan is truly innocent in this, why would they care so much about the statue? Can't they just think of it as a joke? The fervent denial and protest make me incline to believe that something horrible did happen to these women and the Japanese would rather no one knows about it. Also, if their stories are not true, why are so many prominent Japanese-Americans (such as Mike Honda) supporting the statue?

[bauuwse]

I wasnt wanting to see hate comments toward innocent ordinary japanese people but the comment section makes ME write a hate comment.
You shamless people. These women were pulled out of their homes when they were just kids. They were caged like animals and went through more than 20 men a day. At the end of war soldiers slaughtered them and burried them to reduce cargo. This isnt just about japan. This is what all humand should remember about.

For those who think china and korea is picking on japan then you are wrong.
Trump met a surviving victim on his visit to korea. Merkel spoke of how japan should face their own history. UN agreed that comfort women are terrible part of human history and proper apology should be said. Prime minister of austrailia spoke of this mater as well. So what the whole WORLD is against japan?

This isnt politics. Its plain history. Why is it so hard to find a simple comment like "im japanese. I feel sorry for what happed during the war. We will remember and make sure this never happens."
Why. Just why.

[Megumi_Bandicoot]

I'm still upset that Emperor Hirohito wasn't punished for Japan's atrocities in WWII.

[kathleensmitholdwhitewoman]

My father who foughy in the Phillipines hated Japenese for their cruelty and could never even image forgiveness. Something must have happened very wrong cause otherwise my dad was a sweetheart.

[kuriharatake]

Chinese and Korean Propaganda.
but US Military used Korean comfort women.
The meaning to erect a statue in the United States is right.

[bluebear]

Since the Comfort Women statue in the Philippines was removed and possibly stolen (although I feel like it was destroyed because the government wants to have a stable relationship with Japan) maybe we can build a new one in America as well, in an area where there are a lot of Filipinos reside and can pay tribute to the once young women who are still fighting until this day.

[sgirtler]

This women wants apologies not the money!

[にゃんこ-oz]

Study what the South Korean army did to Vietnam.

[bnfcj]

From February 12, 1966 to March 17, 1966, during the Vietnam War in Tay Son District, Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam, killing, robbery, rape, torture, and destruction of land and private property of unarmed Vietnamese civilians were committed by South Korean Forces alone.

The massacre was carried out by South Korean troops alone for three weeks, and between 1, 004 and 1, 200 unarmed Vietnamese civilians, mostly women, children, the elderly and infants were massacred.
🇯🇵🇻🇳🇺🇸🇯🇵

[LieuC]

So we can't lament anymore? Lest we forget? Japan bashes itself, punching at brick walls, way below its weight, when it chooses not simply, on a Governmental level, to ignore, pass over in silence, mayhap negotiate should need arise, such things as may well deserve to exist on a human and polis-community level. Then it looks on its hands, like an Angel Dust warrior, and says, "Someone's been bashing at me!". The particular piece in question has an artistic significance that goes beyond any question of why it is there, what is more.

[zkejodbd]

Sung Girtler  If you say "This women wants apologies not the money!", Korean and other nations' ex-war prostitutes at first must return back so big amount of money that was donated from the Japan's private organization from their humanity and human sympaty .At least as of 2007 that amount of money was 565m yen ($4.7m) was raised in donations from the Japanese people, and given to 285 comfort women from Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines, each of whom received about 2m yen ($16, 700) 770m yen ($6.5m) in taxpayers' money was provided to pay for medical fees for these women, and for 79 other women from the Netherlands 370 million yen ($3.1m) was spent building medical facilities and old peoples' homes in Indonesia, rather than compensating individuals there, and the rest was used for the fund's running costs and other smaller projects.Furthermore since 2008 till 2016 more additional huge amount of money was passed through S.Korea's government and other nations' governments form Japan' private organizations. Japan doesn't know whethet those all amount of money was surely passed to all ex-war prostitutes or not. It's the responsibility of S.Korea's government and other nations' government, never the responsibility of Japan at all.  But even S. Korea and other nations' governments have never returned back money to Japan even now. Which nation is reasonable, logical  and right?

[minitwitter]

Who made lots of profit by comfort women? Korean women did. Due to high salary, Korean women rushed to the applications of comfort women on their own will. The competition rate was 30-40. They always rush towards the money. Who abducted or kidnapped women and children? Korean brokers did. Who sold their own daughters for their debts? Korean parents did. They were so poor at that time indeed. Who packed women and children into drum cans and sent them to the battle fields of Korean War? Korean brokers did. They always make money by human trafficking. Nothing is changed even now. Who is arrested for illegal prostitution now? Korean women are. 90% of illegal whores are Koreans now in Los Angeles.

[PrinceChris]

just say sorry and pay up wtf not that hard.

[TPerm-hjsf]

Losers need to be punished. That is why it was not ok that Japanese were not punished for the extreme atrocities they have caused.
Japanese empire lost the war, and the losers of the war really should be erased from the face of the planet.

[yellowmaggotsjapoon]

Poor ladies …😢
Who's responsible❓😡

[younggypaik]

Great reporting, Aljazeera!! Thumbs Down to Japan!!

[Embargoman]

Make it in front of Charlie Hebdo, and have Charlie Hebdo make fun of them so Paris could relate to be a sister city to a Japanese city.

[天安門]

This statue was built in memory of two 14-year-old middle school girls who were killed in the "U.S. military armored vehicle run-over incident" that occurred on June 13, 2002 in Yangju County, Gyeonggi Province.
😅😅😅

[iganduyan]

when will the french apologize for the napoleonic wars?

[武鈴木-jg]

statue of Kopino and Lai Dai Han must be needed.or this statue is just a Fake or Propaganda.