Texas Daddy Whacking the Lies of Comfort Women

Tony Marano, the Propaganda Buster "Texas Daddy", is a truth-loving American writer / critic, who picks up the wrongs and speaks up to the world via YouTube. He points out contradictions in various propaganda and disproves them logically, with his Texas-Daddy-style jokes. He's been covering ranges of issues from Sea Shepherd, communist China, Texas legislation, to Korean comfort women.

Last week, Texas Daddy uploaded "Comfort Women the truth be told". There he shows a piece of the first degree evidence from the US military back in 1944, and asserts bluntly:

"The Koreans who set up memorial statues or plaques dedicated to these comfort women, claiming they were forced into sexual slavery by Japanese army - YOU ARE A LIAR, THAT DID NOT HAPPEN!!"

The below is the same video with Japanese subtitles: 字幕　[テキサス親父]　慰安婦は売春婦！証拠はコレだ！と親父ブチギレの巻！

What he shows as evidence is the Japanese Prisoner of War Information Report No.49 by the US Army written in August 1944 - one year before the end of WWII. The report is based on the information obtained from the interrogation of 20 Korean "comfort girls" captured in August 1944 in Burma. 

(Note: In 1942, Korean girls were recruited for comfort service for Japanese soldiers. These girls, mostly in their 20s, moved with their Japanese "house master" to Burma, and carried out their duties. In August 1944, with the fall of Myitkyina, Japanese soldiers were fleeing with these girls, but were separated. The girls were captured by the US Army, who interrogated them and wrote the Report No.49. The report shows how the Japanese recruited these "comfort girls", the conditions under which they lived and worked, their relations with the Japanese soldiers, etc.)

In the report, it says:

"A 'comfort girl' is nothing more than a prostitute or 'professional camp follower' attached to the Japanese Army for the benefit of the soldiers."

"They lived in near-luxury in Burma in comparison to other places. They lived well because their food and material was not heavily rationed and they had plenty of money with which to purchase desired articles. They were able to buy cloth, shoes, cigaretes, and cosmetics to supplement the many gifts given to them by soldiers who had received 'comfort bags' from home."

"While in Burma, they amused themselves by participating in sports events with both officers and men, and attended picnics, entertainments, and social dinners. They had a phonograph, and in the towns they were allowed to go shopping."

"In an average month, a girl would gross about 1,500 yen (half of which she turned over to the master)".

This means, a comfort girl earned 750 yen a month. To give you an idea of how humongous this salary was, a Japanese Imperial Army sergeant at the time was paid 30 yen a month.

The report goes on: "The girls complained that even with the schedule (morning to evening shifts for different ranks of soldiers), congestion (at the comfort house) was so great that they could not care for all guests, thus causing ill feeling among many of the soldiers."

Texas Daddy correctly questions: Can the sex slaves buy whatever they want? Can the sex slaves go partying and shopping ? Do the sex slaves feel sorry for soldiers who were not served by them?  

Hell NO! They were no way sex slaves. They were extremely well-paid and well-cared prostitutes.

Remember, this report was written by the US army during the war - when Japan was an enemy. US could easily used "sexual slavery" as propaganda against Japan, yet they didn't, since it was simply not true.

Highly ignorant of the historical fact, and strongly pressured by Korean groups, city of Glendale, California, just recently has approved the establishment of a comfort woman monument in its public park. This is not only disgraceful for Japanese, but also for the residents of the city and the entire Americans who love peace and truth.

Not only Japanese, but also the world needs to know the facts on the comfort women issues, and stop the Korean lies. One's sense of justice and empathy should not be fooled by fabrications - in doing so, he will only be called a fool himself.

Restoration Set in Motion - LDP's Landslide Victory

Prime Minister Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), along with its coalition party, has won the majority in the upper house of parliament on July 21st election, securing a total of 135 seats in the 242-member chamber. Having secured the majority both in the upper and lower houses of the Diet, Mr. Abe can now move forward his plans to restore Japan, effectively and swiftly.

Immediately after the appointment as the prime minister in December 2012, Mr. Abe launched "Abenomics", a three-part plan of monetary loosening, fiscal stimulus and pro-growth reforms. The plan aims at boosting prices and ending long-term deflation, to achieve robust growth. 

In the first quarter of 2013, Japan's economy has already grown at 3.5%, and a survey conducted by Nikkei Newspaper in April has indicated 74% of people positively appreciating the Abenomics. Many in the survey have said that "Depreciation of yen is contributing to economic recovery", "The speed and ability in implementation is clearly different from the previous administration (i.e. DPJ)". The Economist back in May also wrote about Abenomics with high hope ("Abe's master plan").   

The Economist, however, like many other Western media, is not strong on objective understanding of the historical issues surrounding Japan. In the same article, it mentions:

"The danger abroad is that he (Mr. Abe) takes too hard a line, confusing national pride with a destructive and backward-looking nationalism. He belongs to a minority that has come to see Japan's post-war tutelage under America as a humiliation."

The article mentions of Mr. Abe "stirring up ill will with China and South Korea" by allowing his deputy to visit Yasukuni shrine, by risking regional rivalry by making revisions in the constitution, etc. This kind of view somewhat resembles the reaction of Chinese and South Korean TVs today, who label Mr. Abe as risky right-wing who want to go back to "imperialism".

I can comment on each point above, but with the text getting longer, I will just mention the constitution issue here. 

The current constitution of Japan was made by Americans in one week immediately after the end of WWII, and came into effect in 1947. Its article 9  states that Japan forever renounces war, and land, sea, and air forces will never be maintained. The communists and leftists in Japan adamantly believe that, without this constitution, Japan will be again a "dangerous" country, thus strongly refusing its revision. (China and Korea hold the same line).

But isn't that kind of absurd? Japan has been the most peaceful and stable democracy in the entire world since the war, and having its national military force would not suddenly change that position. 

Second, having the proper military force is only normal for a sovereign state - it can defend the country, deter conflicts, and maintain international peace. Any countries have it. Why should only American soldiers bleed to protect Japan when something happens, while Japan doesn't do anything by holding the article 9 ? Communists and leftists would say "we should solve problems only by talking", but that is unfortunately too naive. Having a proper military force can greatly change the political negotiation and action. 

Third, with China vigorously strengthening its military power and exercising it in an undemocratic manner and North Korea shooting ballistic missiles once in a while in the neighborhood, being defenseless can be fatal and irresponsible as a state. 

A journalist from Asahi newspaper was saying earlier on TV, "If Japan changes its constitution, it will be laughed at by other countries since it's the international norm not to change the constitution".  That's not true. So many countries have changed their constitution so many times: after the WWII, US revised its constitution 6 times, France 27 times, and Germany 58 times. If the constitution doesn't fit the current reality, then obviously, it should be changed - this is especially so when the constitution is imposed by somebody else.

Japan's Contribution to Korea

When you hear the word “colonization”, of course, it is bad, you’d say. You’d associate it with exploitation of local people and resources to the benefit of the colonizer. Even killings, as in the infamous case of Belgian-colonized Congo where one fifth of the population died under the colonizer. Then the loss of dignity – every nation should enjoy its sovereign autonomy.

However, not all colonizers had the same objectives nor did the same things.

Alleyne Ireland, a British administrative scholar, examined Japanese colonial administration in Korea, and published a book titled "The New Korea", in 1926. (Japan annexed Korea in 1910 not to allow Russian invasion, and governed the country until 1945. Korea had been a dependency of China over 500 years up to 1897 when Japan defeated China in the Japanese-Sino war and demanded its independence).

In his 300-page book, covering all aspects from government structures and judicial system, to education, health and economic development, Alleyne describes in detail how Japan transformed Korea, and says as follows:

“Whether or not Korea has on the whole been well governed can be determined only from a study of the available data. From such a study, which has occupied me for more than three years, … I have formed the opinion that Korea is today infinitely better governed than it ever was under its own native rulers, that it is better governed than most self-governing countries, that it is as well governed as any of the British, American, French, Dutch, and Portuguese dependencies which I have visited, and is better governed than most of them, having in view as well the cultural and economic development of the people as the technique of administration.” (p.17)

He also describes the situations in Korea before the Japanese annexation:

“It is true that at the time Japan annexed Korea, in 1910, the actual conditions of life in the Peninsula were extremely bad. This was not due, however, to any lack of inherent intelligence and ability in the Korean race, but to the stupidity and corruption which for five hundred years had, almost continuously, characterized the government of the Korean dynasty, and to the existence during that period of a royal court which maintained throughout Korea a system of licensed cruelty and corruption.

Such was the misrule under which the Koreans had suffered for generation after generation that all incentive to industry, thrift, and social progress had been destroyed, because none of the common people had been allowed to enjoy the fruits of their own efforts.” (p.vi)

Alleyne’s book clearly gives an objective and accurate view on the issue: One, he was British, and two, he lived in the time when it happened and saw it with his own eyes.