Responding to the comfort women supporter - US Army Report No.49 and Professor Yoshimi

I've got the first comment from a comfort woman supporter on my blog posting on Texas Daddy video (US Army Report No.49), which was nice because I could learn further and analyze, but as I started to write my response, it got longer and longer... So I've decided to put it as a new posting. I'm still half way or less in my response, but I will put partly here.

First, part of the comment from the supporter:

"What you have here is one document about comfort women in one specific part of the Japanese empire at the time. It does not in any way represent the experiences of all of Japan's comfort women during WWII. 

In fact, it says in this document that "[These 20 comfort women in Burma] lived in near-luxury in Burma in comparison to other places." Meaning that in other places in the Japanese empire, comfort women fared a lot worse. (This document also says that these Korean comfort women were recruited by means of deception and that they did not like their "work".)

In fact, three-quarters of comfort women died during the war. They died due to harsh conditions and (mis)treatment, rampant sexually transmitted diseases, and battlefield losses. Even the ones who survived were left infertile from STD's and traumatized for life.

Are you even aware of the Japanese govt's official position on the comfort women issue?

Until 1992, the Japanese govt had denied that Japanese military had any involvement with comfort women. But in Jan. 1992, a Japanese researcher named Yoshimi discovered documents implicating the Japanese military in setting up and running the comfort women system and published the documents in a major newspaper. The very next day, the Japanese govt admitted responsibility..."

 
Then, part of my response:
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Thank you for your comment, and I’m sorry for the late response. I appreciate much that you write in detail, but you seem to present commonly-held misconception on the comfort women issue, which I’d like to point out along with my comment. Since it will be long, I will just write partly, and continue writing in my blog.

First, the Japanese Prisoner of War Information Report No.49 dated Oct 1, 1944, is the official document of the US Army written based on the interrogation of 20 Korean comfort women who had been serving the Japanese Army in Burma up until the day they were captured by the US Army. This is the valid, first- or second-degree historical evidence to reveal the actual conditions of the comfort women from that period. The credibility of such document is thus significant.

You mention that “in other places in the Japanese empire, comfort women fared a lot worse”, and “three-quarters of comfort women died during the war. They died due to harsh conditions and mistreatment, rampant sexually transmitted diseases…”, but what is your historical evidence to claim these? Discussion of history must be based on analysis of valid evidence, and not assumption or belief.

As you correctly point out, the Report says that many women were recruited based on deception: “The inducement used by these agents was plenty of money, an opportunity to pay off the family debts, easy work, and the prospect of a new life in a new land, Singapore. On the basis of these false representations many girls enlisted for overseas duty and were rewarded with an advance of a few hundred yen” (p.1).

But note that they were “rewarded with an advance of a few hundred yen”. This was a huge amount, considering that the monthly salary of a first class solider was 10 yen, and the sergeant 30 yen. The Report says that “the contract they signed bound them to Army regulations and to war for the "house master " for a period of from six months to a year depending on the family debt for which they were advanced” (p.1), and “girls who had paid their debt could return home” (p.3). Again, the income these women received was humongous (about 25-75 times that of a soldier), thus some of them did go home. It looks to me that this was rather a fair business deal, not slavery.

The Report also mentions:

“The girls were allowed the prerogative of refusing a customer. This was often done if the person were too drunk” (p.1);

“The health of these girls were good… They were well trained in looking after both themselves and customers in the matter of hygiene. A regular Japanese Army doctor visited the houses once a week and any girl found diseased was given treatment, secluded, and eventually sent to a hospital” (p.4);

“There were numerous instances of proposals of marriage (from soldiers) and in certain cases marriages actually took place” (p.4).

Nowhere in the Report has it mentioned that women died due to mistreatment, as you claim. Quite the opposite. The Report says that 800 comfort women were sent to Burma, and it’s sensible to assume that these women operated under the same management and treatment. You mention that this is just one document about comfort women in one specific part of the Japanese empire. However, the Army operates in a highly disciplined manner, with the same rules wherever it goes. Why would the Army pay humongous salary and take good care of comfort women in Burma, and “abuse, mistreat and kill” comfort women in other countries? It does not make sense.

In fact, the soldiers who violated the military rule and forced Dutch women to become comfort women in Indonesia were severely punished by the Japanese Army Headquarters once found, and the comfort station was immediately closed. This clearly demonstrates that the Japanese Army did not tolerate abduction / mistreatment of women.

You mention that, in 1992, professor Yoshimi “discovered documents implicating the Japanese military in setting up and running the comfort women system and published the documents in a major newspaper”.

Here, we need to make the point of argument clear: Yes, the Japanese military established and managed the comfort women system, mainly to prevent rapes in the local communities in the battle field. It was very important for Japanese military to respect the local community and not to cause anti-Japan sentiment because the goal of the war was to achieve peaceful and prosperous Greater East Asia, getting rid of the Western colonial powers from the region. That is why Japanese military recruited their own prostitutes, brought them to the battlefield, and managed the comfort stations in a disciplined manner.

In fact, the armies in other countries, such as the US, France, Germany, Italy, etc, tacitly or openly managed comfort stations in the battle field (http://note.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/detail/n203527). The tragedy is where such system was not established, as in the case of Korean army in the Vietnam war. The Korean soldiers abducted or raped a large number of Vietnamese women, leaving behind 5,000 – 30,000 Lai Dai Han, mixed-blood children. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lai_%C4%90%E1%BA%A1i_H%C3%A0n.

Thus, the point of argument is not whether the Japanese army managed the comfort stations or not, but whether the Japanese army “forced” women into prostitution or not, and the answer is NO.

In fact, the document that professor Yoshimi discovered in 1992 was the Japanese government’s order to ban and punish the crooked dealers who engaged in human trafficking / abduction of women (such trafficking had been traditionally a social problem in Korea and the police was clamping down on them under the Japanese administration). However, Asahi, the infamous anti-Japan pro-Korea newspaper, published a distorted article about it, widely claiming “Japanese involvement in comfort women system” to make the comfort women issue and amplify it. (This is how Asahi newspaper has been “making” historical issues, misleading the public. Beware if you are reading it!).

In June this year, professor Yoshimi was invited as a speaker at a symposium on comfort women organized by VAWWRAC. In the Q&A session, many questions were raised for him. I will introduce a few below: (Source: Seiron, Oct 2013, by Otaka Miki) 

Participant: “Is there anybody who witnessed the abduction of these women by the Japanese army?”

Prof. Yoshimi: “If we understand abduction as taking by force, there is a case of a village in China. There is also a case of a Dutch woman abducted in Indonesia…” [Prof. Yoshimi never mentioned of Korean women. Why doesn’t he if so many Koreans were abducted?] 

Participant: “At that time, 80% of the police in Korea were Koreans. How was abduction of Korean women possible?”

Prof. Yoshimi: “Er… If the recruiters were Koreans, their responsibility must have been pursued…” [He is not answering the question]

Participant: “How much income were the comfort women receiving?”

Prof. Yoshimi: “I don’t know. I think the soldiers were paying money, but the brokers were managing it, and some of it would go to comfort women, but some fees were subtracted….” [His answer is not clear, but he admits that the ones who managed the comfort stations were not the Japanese army but the brokers]

I will discuss Kono statement, etc, etc, in my blog next time.

In fact, the Japanese government has been the major source of creating the problem, because of their irresponsible statements without knowing the historical facts. I will write more.

Again, thank you for commenting on my blog, and thank you for reading.

 
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Japan, Wake up from MacArthur’s Curse! (Preface 1)

Mr. Mera Koichi, a former professor at the University of Southern California and now the Director of the Study Group of Japan's Rebirth - Southern California, published the following book:

"マッカーサーの呪いから目覚めよ　日本人!"

 (Japan, wake up from MacArthur's Curse!)

The book is co-authored by Mr. Inoue Yasuo and Mr. Imamori Sadao, and was published in December 2012.

The book is introduced in Amazon as follows:

"Douglas MacArthur put a curse of brainwashing on Japan in order to make it “a country that will never be able to rise against the US”. Through NHK’s radio program “Truth Box”, the General Headquarters (GHQ) implanted a sense of guilt in Japanese, and even today, the leftist journalism presses forward the masochistic view of history. However, Japan was never a “nation of aggression”. The Greater East Asia War was a war for “self-existence and self-defense” guaranteed under the international law. Japanese, be proud of the historical significance of having stood up against the Western powers! The book gives numerous stunning truths about the history."

Since this book is quite significant in providing objective analysis on that part of the history based on the vast research of the first-degree historical documentation, I would like to translate and introduce parts of the book in this blog. (It will take some time since the book is about 300 pages, but I believe it's totally worth it. Please be patient!)

First of all, the Preface...  Japanese text follows.

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pp.12-13

Preface

While the United States of America is called the racial melting pot, Los Angeles, where we live, would be more appropriately called the mosaic society. In the north east of the city spreads the China town, and to the west from the city center spreads the Korea town. In the south east live many Latinos. At the foot of the northern hills extends the high-end residential area. Living in such an environment, we are always made conscious of international affairs.

However, according to the experience of the author who has taught at the business school at the University of Southern California which has an extremely high proportion of foreign students, the deciding factor for an issue has always been the content of debate, and not the nationality or race. A student gives an opinion on a particular issue. Another student gives a different view on the opinion. All the students give their views confidently. This is the normal process of a class. All the students, be it from India, China, Taiwan, Korea, or Peru, speak up boldly with confidence. What matters is the persuasiveness of an argument, and no matter who speaks, weak persuasion cannot convince people. This is the American society and American universities, and can even be considered the international standard.

However, if you look at the international relations of Japan, it is completely different. President Lee Myung-bak has a dialogue with President Obama on equal footing; he demands, he refuses. Yet, Japanese Prime Minister often ends talks without discussing what he wants. Later in the briefing by the government, it is explained that the main objective of the meeting was to build a relationship of trust, and thus no substantial discussion was held.

It is, however, not possible to build a relationship of trust without discussing matters in detail. Mutual trust is established through debating concrete matters, and not through mere greeting. In short, it is often the case that Japanese politicians act like a “borrowed cat” in the stage of international politics, and give great disappointment for those who expect them to behave like President Putin who acts confidently on a level with President Obama. Especially, many Japanese residents in the US and Japanese Americans feel even more angry, and get stressed without being able to vent the feeling anywhere. 

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Truth Uncovered: THE NEW KOREA - When Korea Became Dramatically Prosperous

"THE NEW KOREA: 朝鮮が劇的に豊かになった時代 (When Korea Became Dramatically Prosperous)" has been recently published in Japan by Sakuranohana Publications Inc.

The New Korea by Alleyne Ireland  [700 pages in English and Japanese]

The book was originally written by British Scholar Alleyne Ireland in 1926 to examine, with the vast amount of data, the Japanese administration in Korea (Chosen) in the early 20th century (note: Korea became the protectorate of Japan after the Japanese-Russo war in 1905, then it was annexed by Japan in 1910 till 1945). 

Alleyne was a leading authority on colonial administration and was appointed the head commissioner by the University of Chicago to study colonial administration in the Far East, and spent three years in the region studying the British, French, Dutch and Japanese systems. The book covers ranges of issues from the reform of the central and local governments, justice and police system, to development of economy, education, health and sanitation. (I found parts of English text introduced in the Korean blog).

The newly published book include the original English text and the Japanese translation, as well as supplementary chapters on the history of Korea and many photos of then Korea before and after the annexation, and appendixes. 

We often hear from Koreans that "Japan invaded and destroyed us, and committed so much atrocities", but reading the book, you immediately see that that is not true. In fact, the very opposite.

In the preface, Alleyne says the cause of centuries of Korean suffering was due to the Korean dynasty:

"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." 

Left - Front view of Seoul Namdaemun, 1892. Even Namdaemun, the symbol of the capital,
had an aura of dilapidation; Right - Japanese administration completely changed the Namdaemun area by constructing roads, running trams, and building many tall buildings.

In the chapter on economic development, Alleyne praises the revolutionary progress that Japan brought to Korea:

"The Japanese administration in Korea has done more to advance the interests of Korea than any other government has done to advance the interests of any country in the world... That Korean agricultural exports should have increased in little more than a decade by more than a thousand per cent; industrial exports by more than three thousand per cent, fishery exports by nearly three thousand per cent...would, if Korea were a self-governing country instead of a Japanese colonial dependency, be hailed throughout the Western world as an astounding example of national progress."

Alleyne recognizes many of the then Japanese administrators in Korea as kind and sincerely wanting to bring about development for the good of Korean people:

"... the credit is due chiefly to the humane and conciliatory attitude of Governor-General Saito toward the Korean people, and to the wise measures which, for more than six years, have been the fruit of an unstinting employment of his unusual energy and of his still more unusual administrative talents."

"... Vice-Governor-General Ariyoshi, one of Japan's most expert and highly regarded civil administrators, a man whom, from my own observation, I know to be a tireless worker and sympathetic toward the Korean people."

Furthermore, Alleyne calls the Resident-General Ito Hirobumi "a sincere friend and well-wisher of Korea".  The Resident-General Ito was assassinated by a Korean nationalist An Jung-geun (安重根) in 1909, who is today praised by Koreans as a national hero (you might have seen his face on the enlarged banner held up by Koreans at a soccer game - texas daddy explains.)

Prince Ito Hirobumi, the First Resident-General of Korea and the first Prime Minister of Japan (center), wearing the traditional Korean attire Hanbok, and his wife (front row, second left). Hoping for Korea's independence, Prince Ito respected Korean culture and tried to blend in with the Korean society. He was assassinated by a Korean nationalist.

Then Alleyne says that Korean sentiment was getting less anti-Japanese, recognizing the prosperity that Japan brought to Koreans:

"Discussing Korean affairs with a good many people - Korean, Japanese, and foreign, official and non-official - I found almost unanimous agreement on two points: one, that native sentiment had, in recent years, shown a continuing tendency to become less anti-Japanese; the other, that the remarkable increase in the country's prosperity had been accompanied by a striking improvement in the living conditions of the Korean people at large."

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It is highly unfortunate that none of these is taught in Korea today. Instead, Korea has turned into the most anti-Japan country in the world, firmly believing that they are the victims of cruelty and misrule by the Japanese government, due to decades of the country's anti-Japan education policy. However, this is not so.

In the concluding remarks, the Sakuranohana Publications Inc. states as follows:

"...Koreans and Japanese are neighbors. It is necessary to get along with each other. To do so, the Koreans must first gain the courage and confidence to directly confront their own history. The information that Alleyne Ireland wrote down in his book is historical truth. An Englishman, and an expert of public administration, no less, has analyzed and recorded that Korea modernized due to Japan and that the Korean people became much more well-off due to the annexation. It is time for Koreans to calm down and stop their unwarranted accusations. As Korea has become a praiseworthy nation, its people should begin to tolerate Japan, no matter how much unacceptable the country at first seem."

"Such is how a mature country would act. At least, that the 'unacceptable' Japan brought the once destitute Korea out of poverty and improved it to the great country it is today is a historical fact acknowledged by historians and experts of public administration the world over. By realizing the reality of the history of Korea and Japan, both parties can acknowledge, respect, and develop together, hand in hand. It is time people of both countries choose the path of cooperation."

"To the people in Korea, we hope that you will be willing to lend an ear to the historical records and analyses of an Englishman with a perspective of an unbiased outsider. The Japanese must understand history as well, and instead of irresponsibly showing pity and apologizing with a facade of righteousness, must learn and reveal the truth of their country's past." 

Mayor Hashimoto, San Francisco, then Milpitas

Osaka City Mayor Hashimoto's comments on comfort women in May this year shocked many including Osaka's sister city San Francisco.

To refresh your memory, here are some points Mayor Hashimoto said on May 13:

1. We need to give consideration for comfort women.
2. During WWII, armies around the world had the system of comfort stations. Why should only Japan be condemned?
3. Korea calls Japan "the country of rape", but the claim lacks evidence.
4. Soldiers need a comfort women system.
5. I suggested the commander at Futenma US Air Station (for the US army) to utilize the adult entertainment industry (to address the concern of continuing assault on local women by some US soldiers). 

On May 27, Mayor Hashimoto had a press conference for foreign journalists to clarify his comments. In response, the Board of Supervisors of the City of San Francisco sent him a resolution of condemnation. Feeling that the condemnation was based on misunderstanding, Mayor Hashimoto has sent a 7-page letter back to the City on August 13, to clarify his true intent and to request the City to publicly rescind the resolution.

In his letter, Mayor Hashimoto first points out two misunderstandings by the City of San Francisco:

"Although the resolution states that I defended my previous remarks...that "US soldiers in Okinawa should use the island's 'adult entertainment industry' in order to reduce incidences of sexual assault on local women," this is completely incorrect. I rescinded and apologized for that remark during the press conference, since I myself judged that the statement was inappropriate. What I meant in that remark was to urge the commanders of the US military bases in Japan to tighten their official discipline among their soldiers".

"I cannot overemphasize that I have never condoned or justified, even in my statement of May 13, the use of 'comfort women'".

Expressing his deep sympathy for those who had to work as comfort women, he then goes on to explain his concern about the recent tendency of exaggeration of the "comfort women" issue:

"It is totally unacceptable that private recruiters recruited 'comfort women' at the request of the military... On the other hand, the condemnation of Japan in this regard often contains rootless and exaggerated claims. For example, it is frequently reported as if all or most 'comfort women' were abducted systematically by the Japanese authorities. That is simply a baseless statement."

"...your resolution assumes that scholars have already concluded that the Japanese government systematically got involved in forcible recruitment. There has not been any scholarly confirmation that Japan, based on the will of the state authority, abducted and trafficked 'comfort women'." 

"As ongoing research shows, diverse forms ... of recruitment of 'comfort women' existed, and as some historians suggest, their circumstances at the stations widely varied among individuals, which situation requires further historical investigation. Collectively calling all those women 'sex slaves', as stated in your resolution, may be an over-generalization..."

To give you an example of "diversity" of the situations, the US Army report No.49 written in 1944 records the working conditions of the 'comfort women' in detail, stating that these women were highly well-paid, lived semi-luxurious lives, amused themselves with social activities with soldiers, and were in good health. The report mentions that about 800 comfort women were sent to Burma with the Japanese army.

Mayor Hashimoto also points out unreliable reporting by the media on the issue:

"It is regrettable that most media reports consistently use imprecise terminology and rely on the unconfirmed data of the number of victims, thus leading many people in the world to believe the incorrect information as historical facts."

Then Mayor Hashimoto asserts that singling out Japan would make people blind to other past incidents and to contemporary problems of similar nature:

"The violation of the dignity of women by soldiers during wartime is a common problem in many parts of the world... Professor Mary Louise Roberts' research has uncovered the brutal deeds conducted by American soldiers during the Normandy landings. In addition, scholarly research demonstrates that American soldiers used comfort stations during the Korean War and the Vietnam War...  the South Korean army installed military-operated comfort stations for its own soldiers during the Korean War. Furthermore, sexual assaults by Korean military personnel during the Vietnam War resulted in many Vietnamese women giving birth to thousands of babies."

A mixed ancestry person born to a South Korean father and a Vietnamese mother (including the victims of Korean soldiers) during the Vietnam War is called Lai Dai Han in Vietnamese. The number of Lai Dai Han is estimated to be between 5,000 and 30,000. One should then wonder why we don't hear about the babies of comfort women and Japanese soldiers, especially when the number is claimed to be 200,000?

Mayor Hashimoto further points out the illegality of the comfort women claim by Koreans:

"Japan and South Korea have legally resolved any wartime and colonial disputes between them, including the issue of 'comfort women', through the mutually agreed-upon Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea...."

Following the Treaty in 1965, Japan excessively compensated Korea postwar reparation of US$ 800 million, which was 2.3 times the Korean national budget at the time. Furthermore, Japan renounced the right of assets from prewar period left in Korea, which amounted to US$ 5.3 billion, excluding military assets.

It is stated in the Treaty that "Post-war process is confirmed having been thoroughly and definitively settled. (the Article II-1 of the agreement)" Surprisingly, the Korean Government has left the Korean people uninformed
about this Treaty for decades. Coming back again and again to what was already settled in an international agreement between the two states - one only wonders about the credibility and sense of justice of Korea as a state.

After San Francisco, Milpitas City Council, CA, adopted a resolution on August 6, 2013, supporting the South Korean government's request for US officials to investigate claims that the Japanese government operated a system of sexual slavery in WWII. Before any more US cities make false accusations based on misled anti-Japan propaganda by Koreans, "the facts" must be spread. 

Though Mayor Hashimoto caused shock-wave in all directions, it should serve as the starting point of further investigation on the issue for those who simply believe in "200,000 sex slaves by Japanese army" myth.