“Comfort Women Were Necessary”, Says Hashimoto Toru

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“Comfort Women Were Necessary”, Says Hashimoto Toru

by Beth on Wednesday, May 15, 2013

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Will Hashimoto’s remarks signal the end of his political career?

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Osaka mayor and co-leader of the Japan Restoration Party, Hashimoto Toru, is well-known for his controversial remarks.

While his extreme views have given him brief celebrity with the more extreme elements of Japanese society, it seem that his recent remarks have seen him fall from grace, even in the eyes of his fellow Restoration Party members.

Do you think these remarks signal the end of Hashimoto’s career? Or will they just add to his notoriety and cater to right-wing sentiments?

From Yahoo! Japan:
Restoration Party Leader Hashimoto Toru’s Endorsement Of Comfort Women System And Encouragement Of US Troops Stationed In Okinawa To Use Sex Industry Criticized By Both Ruling LDP And Opposition Parties.

On May 13, Hashimoto Toru (Osaka Mayor), Co-Leader of the Japan Restoration Party, said that “The comfort women system was necessary” when asked about the issue of forced military prostitution under the former Japanese military. Hashimoto further stated that he encourages the use of the sex industry in Okinawa by troops stationed there.

While Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s remarks over Japan’s comprehension of its history have caused diplomatic friction with both China and South Korea, there has been criticism from both the ruling party and the parties in opposition over Hashimoto’s remarks, which approve the existence of the comfort women.

On the morning of May 13, Hashimoto stated to a group of reporters at Osaka City Hall that “Anyone can understand why the comfort women system was necessary if you think about how you can help those groups of warriors, those groups of over-stimulated men, when they have had to run for their lives as bullets are flying through the air as though they were drops of rain in a storm”.

“[Comfort women] were necessary at the time in order to support military discipline.”

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The same evening, Hashimoto restated to a group of reporters that “[The comfort women] were necessary at the time in order to support military discipline.” Moreover, when he visited the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma (Ginowan, Okinawa) during Golden Week, it was revealed that he told the US Base Commander, “I want [the troops] to make more use of the sex industry here”. When asked about why this was, Hashimoto said, “Well, because in Japan we have places where the troops can legally release their sexual energy”.

With regard to this, Ozawa Sakihito, Restoration Party committee chairperson, said that Hashimoto had also mentioned that Japan ought to take on board the realities of Japanese invasion tactics, clarifying on Hashimoto’s behalf that “It’s important to listen to what he said as a whole”. Still, a senior official of the Restoration Party criticized his remarks, saying “They were problematic remarks that verge on historical taboos”. Another senior member moved to limit the damage of Hashimoto’s statements, saying “These are not remarks that represent the thoughts of the party”.

Senior officials in the LDP were critical, saying that “It’s out of the question. These remarks will probably prove fatal to his career”. Kaieda Banri, president of the Democratic Party emphasized that the “comfort women system was unnecessary”, and Ichida Tadayoshi, secretary general of the Japanese Communist Party said that “His remarks horrified me. He isn’t competent to be the mayor of Osaka or the party leader”.

 

[SecretMessages]

Hashimoto Gets Bashed On Twitter For Comfort Women Remarks

by Beth on Friday, May 17, 2013

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Hashimoto Toru was recently in hot-water over his remarks about comfort women as being “necessary”, while also encouraging US troops to patronise the sex industry in Okinawa.

The Huffington Post reports that Hashimoto had admitted his remarks might have “lacked international sensitivity”, but many Japanese were extremely offended by Hashimoto’s opinions.

2ch netizens uncovered floods of angry tweets sent to Hashimoto’s Twitter account, showing that his remarks have offended his fellow country-people just as much as they offended the international community, if not more so.

From Itai News:
[Trending on Twitter] “Hashimoto Toru, Make Your Own Daughter A Sex Worker!”

 

[SecretMessages]

US slams Japanese mayor's sex-slave comments

State Department says comments by mayor that sex slaves were "necessary" during World War II were "outrageous".

Last Modified: 17 May 2013 20:41

Hashimoto (left) said Japan's military brothels were "necessary" to provide respite for soldiers [EPA]

The United States condemned as "outrageous and offensive" comments by the mayor of the Japanese city of Osaka who said this week that Japan's military brothels during World War Two were "necessary" to provide respite for soldiers.

The remarks by Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto drew strong criticism from China and South Korea, two nations sensitive to what they see as any attempt to excuse Japanese abuses before and during the war.

Historians estimate that as many as 200,000 sex slaves, known as comfort women, were forced into submission in the Imperial Japanese Army's brothels during the war.

"Mayor Hashimoto's comments were outrageous and offensive," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Thursday.

"What happened in that era to these women who were trafficked for sexual purposes is deplorable and clearly a grave human rights violation of enormous proportions," she said, adding that Washington hoped Japan would work with its neighbours to address the mistakes of the past.

'We feel great heartache'

The Japanese government has sought to distance itself from Hashimoto's comments.

"The government's stance is, as we have said before, that we feel great heartache when we think about the indescribable suffering of those who experienced this," Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said, although he declined to comment directly on Hashimoto's remarks.

The comments made on Monday raised anger in neighbouring countries that bore the brunt of Japan's wartime aggression, and that have long complained that Japan has failed to make amends for wartime atrocities.

In South Korea's capital Seoul, the foreign ministry expressed disappointment over what it called a senior Japanese official's serious lack of historical understanding and respect for women's rights.

China's foreign ministry criticised the mayor's comments and saw them as further evidence of a rightward drift in Japanese politics under prime minister Shinzo Abe.

"We are appalled and indignant about the Japanese politician's comments boldly challenging humanity and historical justice," Hong Lei, the ministry's spokesman, said at a daily media briefing earlier this week.

Source: Reuters