Japan Finds No Evidence of WWII Sex Slavery - Japan's Cabinet Says No Evidence Of Coercion

[NNN0LHI]

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2956344

By CARL FREIRE

TOKYO Mar 16, 2007 (AP)— The Japanese government has found no evidence that the military or the government forced women to work in World War II military brothels, the Cabinet said in a statement to a lawmaker Friday.

The declaration coincided with moves by conservative lawmakers to investigate the issue and soften a 1993 government apology for pressing thousands of woman to work as prostitutes for Japanese soldiers in Asia.

"The government has not come across anything recorded in the materials it has found that directly shows so-called 'coercion' on the part of the military or constituted authorities," the statement read. snip

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stirred criticism in Asia and the United States earlier this month when he said there was no evidence the women were forced into prostitution, despite testimony by victims that they were kidnapped and turned into sexual slaves.

[Botany]

1. So all those Korean women boarded ships and went to Japan by ..

.... their own free will?

[papau]

5. It was a whore's dream - Japan gave them their greatest wish - they

should thank all the those that gang raped them -

[atreides1]

2. Big Surprise????

Letting the Japanese government investigate this, is like letting the Republicans conduct oversight hearings on the Bush administration!

I guess the Japanese should have been allowed to investigate themselves about war crimes and human experiments that they conducted during WWII also?

[Esra Star]

3. And all their whaling is for scientific purposes only.

They figure Bush is right, if you're going to tell lies, make sure they're big lies.

[NewJeffCT]

4. I'm sure this announcement will play really well in China

:sarcasm:

[ChicagoRonin]

6. Bad, bad, bad

As someone who is half-Japanese and half-Korean (though a US citizen), I can't think of any recent decision by the Japanese government that angers me more. When in Japan, I have to listen to the pathetic (and creepy) references some Japanese call the "special relationship" of Japan's history to Korea (in other words, their occupation of it). While in South Korea, I have endured reminders that they believe that the "Japanese are the most terrible race in the entire world" (spoken to me by the head minister of a Methodist Church in Seoul founded by my own great-grandfather). It's so sad. They're never going to be able to reconcile the past with morons like Abe around.

[TankLV]

7. Japan finds no evidence of ANY rapes at Nanking.

Women were just eager to greet their "liberators" with more than just flowers and candy...

[ftr23532]

8. ugh

It's actions like that that serve as another reminder that Japan's political system http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x283039">has been dominated by the same forces far-Right that led it during WWII.