I think it's horrible that PM Shinzo Abe is denying that comfort women ever existed. Sure, there are plenty of ultra-nationalists who would argue the same thing. And granted that is exactly who he is at heart, I don't think he should be saying things like:
"The fact is, there is no evidence to prove there was coercion.That largely changes what constitutes the definition of coercion, and we have to take it from there."
He's basically painting this and all the other women who have sacrificed their dignity to speak out against a war crime as liars. Come on, man, we already officially apologized for this in 1993. You can't take that back. Shit happened during the war, and you're never going to get along with our neighbors if you don't face up to it.
Let's not forget that Abe is the grandson of the conservative post-war ex-war criminal ex-prime minister Nobusuke Kishi, and how that lineage influences his perspectives on politics.
Comments