Growing up as a kid I would hear stories from my grandmother about the times in WW2 When the Japanese soldiers would line up women to Rape them. And brutal first hand accounts of insane behavior like using their swords to stick up the bottoms of babies in the villages and swirling them around. Lots of horrid stuff, I don't really want to get into.

... when I hear politicians drumming up nationlistic rehtoric, it makes me wonder if the Japanese people ever really learned their lesson.

Its like Ghandi said, an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

I'm Japanese.
Please know there are many people in Japan who are against Hashimoto's remark. I also can't agree with his remark.

But please also know this news article fail to express Hashimoto's true intentions. He said in news conference that there are various countries other than Japan have "comfort women" system in W.W.2. age. Hashimoto said "comfort women" is unforgivable now. But in that age "comfort women" are needed by military and this is unforgitable idea now, he said. He said "Why is only Jpan criticized?" In W.W.2., Vietnam war or the Korean War
there are "comfort women". And he said we Japanese should apologize to comfort women.

Those who want to know Hashimoto's intension, please see his news conference text and his twitter acount.
http://synodos.jp/politics/389...
https://twitter.com/t_ishin

However these texts are Japanese. I can't tlanslate to English, because my English is poor. Please remember we Japanese are against wars as a country which throws away wars in our constitution.

I am glad that the Japanese do not agree with this man's beliefs.

But I do think this article reflected Hashimoto's true intentions. You and Hashimoto are arguing that because the Japanese used comfort women a long time ago and that other countries have used the system too, it is wrong to only criticize Japan.

This is absolutely unacceptable because, first off, two wrongs don't make a right. Before crying out to the public and telling them, "But he did it too." if you seriously repent your crimes, you should stop caring about others committing the same crimes and start apologizing sincerely about your crimes. Also, just because something happened in the past doesn't make it acceptable now. A crime in the medival age for example is still a crime. True, as a civilization matures, there are growing number of activities that have become unacceptable. But, I assure you, raping or forced prostitution has never been acceptable.

You said that many Japanese people do not agree with this fellow. You asked us, foreigners, to reevaluate his remarks by understanding his true intentions. I ask you to stop making excuses. This man is a high official in your government. He represents your people. If you believe that he is a false representation of the Japanese people, you should focus all your energy to change his belief by your participation in politics. After all, he does represent you. So stop asking us to understand him. Stop defending him. If you don't agree with him don't tell us that... Tell him that.

Take a lesson from your WW2 Ally and see what they've done since the war. The world isn't stupid. We know what Japan did. Stop kidding yourself and take responsibility.

Jeez, I despair, fascists in power still after all our experiences with The Japanese, Nazis, Francoites and Italians. There's even one running an English football club. And we've got fascist-lite UKIPITES running amok. As Ellison said,
“The world is turning into a cesspool of imbeciles.”

How about an apology and an addition that keeping these women as sex slaves was wrong.

There is plenty of evidence for the sex slaves, as per 1st hand accounts of survivors. I expect these denials are from the same quaters as the denials of japanese atrocities against civillian populations in occupied territories, most chiefly the Nan jing massacre.

this man is crazy, even by the standard of a politician. the japanese government might have apologized,but they are never serious about it.this comment is just so against human rights and so disrespectful to women

There are some Misunderstanding
Leftists at okinawa are trying to remove USMC camp from okinawa island, but Hashimoto recognise it is necessary of the camp(for Japan& Taiwan). Leftist brame USMC troop's sexual crime in okinawa so he request USMC commander to aprove troops to use commercial sexual service in okinawa
Regarding Fasist's Era's Japan Army he say "For avoid troops sexual crime,it was necessary Japanese Prostitute commercial sexual service" He never say "SEX SLAVE was necessary"
And he is sorry to Duch Ladys who forced Sex slevery by stupid/shameless Japanese troops , about that Japan's War Crime.

There is not any misunderstanding.

Take your vile fascist garbage elsewhere. You are sub-human.

誤解がありません。

他の場所であなたの下劣なファシストゴミを取る。あなたは、サブ人間である。

Why？　If Japanese 　Govt　Deliverd　Japanese Commercial Prostitute to Duch Indonesia, then the stupid Japanese troops need not caputure Duch Ladys as Sex Slaves. Actually troops are sometimes low level, so commanders and officers should provide enough food & domestic commercial prostitute to troops for avoiding troop's war crime. That is basic matter of logistics. Do not you think so? We regret our fatal logistics mistake
But regarding Abe definitely he is a fascist BTW Pls move your capital to south ASAP Now DPRK artirally force take your capital as their hostage. That is why US cannot bombing DPRK's Nuke reactors. Your country give Nuke Terolists advantages. 　

I wonder would Mr. Hashimoto be complaining if the Americans had lowered themselves to forcibly taking Japanese comfort women in the Japanese territories they occupied. Or does he have the intelligence to realize that his remarks implicitly advocate the general principle that soldiers have the right to forcibly make use of comfort women in war, Japanese or otherwise?

my point is why the f..k did you wage a war in the first place......! i don't give a f... for communist chinese but why did you s...m bags start a war !!

How about his mother, wife, sisters and daughters doing the same job as these sex slaves? Disgusting Japanese mentality.

Anyone who has ever visited Yokusuni leaves in a cold fury that the Japanese can still attempt to whitewash the crimes committed by the militarist government. There is no doubt that Japan committed war crimes. Now, Japan continues to spread lies, to the fury of the Chinese who were their first and principal victims. Despite this, Japan still expects their security to be guaranteed by the US and by extension NATO- the UK should by vigorous in condemning this latest provocation, and forcing this odious man from office, since he is clearly unfit to hold it.