The State We're In, 16 October 2010. Yi Okseon, now in her 80s, is still waiting for the Japanese government to accept full responsibility for forcing her and at least 200,000 other women into sexual slavery during World War II. While a former Imperial soldier admits to using the 'comfort stations'. A Japanese historian talks about his struggle to set the record straight in his home country. And Swedish statistician Dr Hans Rosling challenges your mind-set to match his data-set.
Lead photo: Former South Korean 'comfort women' and supporters hold a press conference in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, following the unanimous adoption of a resolution by the US House condemning Japan's historical wrongdoing, July 2007.
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Still waiting
When Yi Okseon was 15, she was kidnapped by the Japanese army and sent to China to become a sex slave, or 'comfort woman'. She tells Jonathan why, after over six decades, she still wants a full apology from the Japanese government. Yi Okseon endured three years as a 'comfort woman', sometimes servicing over fifty Japanese soldiers a day. She talks about the only thing which kept her alive: the thought of telling her story publicly.
Note: we say in our interview with Yi Okseon that there are only 86 former 'comfort women' known to be living. In fact, there are now 85, as one has passed away since we recorded our interview with her.
Link: Korean government e-Museum dedicated to the history of 'comfort women'
Fighting to make history
In 2007, Japanese historian Hirofumi Hayashi uncovered official documents confirming that the Japanese government was directly involved in forcing women across Asia into sexual slavery. But political pressures have now nearly eclipsed the strides that he and a handful of others have made in setting the public record straight in Japan.
Link: Hayashi Hirofumi's website - Modern History and Japan's War Responsibility
A soldier’s admission
Yasuji Kaneko was a soldier in the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. While stationed in China, he went to comfort stations. In a somewhat testy conversation with host Jonathan Groubert, he explains why he’s gone public with what he did, even though he still doesn’t think he committed rape.
Sexy statistics
Jonathan interviews Swedish researcher, Dr Hans Rosling, the head of Gapminder.org. Rosling shows movers and shakers around the globe his "fact-based" view of the world and challenges them to "make their mindset match his dataset". One of his surprising findings: that linking human rights to economic development is a dead-end. He tells Jonathan why.
Click on image for slideshow
- Yi Okseon, next to a photo of herself in her 20s
- Yi Okseon protesting at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul
- Japanese historian Hirofumi Hayashi
- Yasuji Kaneko was a soldier in the Japanese Imperial Army during WWII. While stationed in China, he went to comfort stations
- Dr Hans Rosling, head of Gapminder.org
I hope that the Japanese government can find the humility and grace to apologize for this disgrace in its past. As a person who has lived in the beautiful country of Nippon (Japan to a gaijin like me), I have seen many things to admire in the country and the culture. It is time for them to face and try to to atone for this huge flaw in their history instead of hiding their faces from it, which is not admirable at all.
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