By EMILY M. MURASE
The following statement was issued May 16 by Emily Murase, executive director of the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women.
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Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto
The San Francisco Department on the Status of Women joins other organizations in condemnation of the May 13 assertion by Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto that the system of sex slavery imposed by the Japanese military in Asia during World War II was “necessary” to provide relief to soldiers.
This statement is very damaging. To justify the exploitation and suffering experienced by the women, some just girls, who were forced into prostitution by the Japanese military during World War II is a flagrant denial of basic human rights. Sex slavery is never “necessary.”
Here in San Francisco, we are a human rights city where a landmark 1998 Women’s Human Rights Ordinance recognizes the right of women to be free from violence. We are part of an international movement to eradicate gender-based violence.
In March, department staff led a delegation of women leaders from around the San Francisco Bay Area to participate in the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women meetings based on this year’s theme of addressing violence against women. Sexual violence as an instrument of war was a major discussion topic.
San Francisco’s commitment to fight violence against women is clear: just two months ago, Mayor Edwin Lee, District Attorney George Gascon, Susan Swan of V-Day, Marily Mondejar of the Filipina Women’s Network, and President of the Commission on the Status of Women Julie Soo hosted over 2,000 participants at the One Billion Rising dance action to end violence against women at San Francisco Civic Center, part of Eve Ensler’s global campaign against gender-based violence, including many events in Japan.
San Francisco’s sister-city relationship with Osaka, the third-largest city in Japan, is the nation’s oldest, dating back to 1957 under then-Mayor George Christopher. A long line of San Francisco mayors have invested in this important relationship. The recent statement by Mayor Hashimoto is counter to our values and it is our duty as a sister city to condemn his remarks.
As a city, we continue our efforts to engage in people-to-people citizen diplomacy and to connect with non-governmental organizations in Osaka and San Francisco that are holding leaders accountable in the fight against gender violence.
I am joined by other leading organizations in the Japanese American community such as the U.S.-Japan Council, which asserted, “Statements that are demeaning to women or that are historically inaccurate are inappropriate and harm the relationship between Japan and its allies.”
In addition, the San Francisco-Osaka Sister City Association released the following: “Statements that justify controversial wartime abuses and devastating violence against women are damaging to international relations, and contrary to the mission of the association.”
As the head of the Department on the Status of Women, and a board member of the San Francisco-Osaka Sister City Association, I stand together with women’s groups in Japan and around the world to urge Mayor Hashimoto to take immediate steps to repair the damage resulting from his inflammatory statement, and to publicly recognize the tremendous human suffering and human rights violations of the wartime sex slavery system against women.
14 Comments
The wedding ring is a sign of slavery. All Roman slaves wore such a ring. Women promote marriage as a necessary institution of slavery.
insight into the minds of Japanese people and how they perceive their history of war crimes. sad
What a crazy woman Emily Murase is!
時代が慰安婦を必要としていなかった？
ならば、彼女たちは自主的に売春婦になったということ？
She can’t understand Japanese word.
She must try to understand Japanese culture and word.
She is a lack of knowledge or recognition about this problem.
This article made many Japanese people angry.
He should not go to San Francisco.
橋本は「おそらく慰安婦が必要だったのでしょう」と”推測”したのですよ。
（He said “Probably something needed comfort women(慰安婦).”
He don’t speak English.
How much money did Emily get ?
That is definitely made up.
橋下氏慰安婦発言:記者団との一問一答（要旨）
毎日新聞 2013年05月14日 00時16分（最終更新 05月14日 13時07分）
http://mainichi.jp/select/news/20130514k0000m040097000c.html
日本維新の会の橋下徹共同代表＝２０１３年４月２２日、大西岳彦撮影
拡大写真
橋下氏と記者団の一問一答（要旨）は次の通り。
■１３日午前
–日本の植民地支配と侵略を謝罪した村山首相談話について。
「侵略」に学術上きちんとした定義がないことは安倍首相の言う通りだが、敗戦の結果として侵略だということは受け止めなければいけない。ただ、事実と違うことでわが国が不当に侮辱を受けていることに関しては主張しないといけない。
従軍慰安婦問題も、意に反してそういう職業に就いたということであれば配慮しなければいけないが、なぜ日本だけが取り上げられるのか。慰安婦制度は世界各国の軍が活用した。朝鮮戦争やベトナム戦争でもあった。銃弾が飛び交う中で命をかけて走っていく時に、精神的に高ぶっている集団に休息をさせてあげようと思ったら、慰安婦制度が必要なのは誰でも分かる。韓国とかの宣伝の効果でレイプ国家というふうに見られてしまっているのが一番問題だ。
■１３日午後
–従来より踏み込んだ発言だが。
聞かれなかったから言わなかっただけ。当時の状況で（慰安婦制度を）活用していたのは事実。自らの意思でそういう職業に就いた人もいたでしょうし。現代社会だって風俗業が職業としてある。
–慰安婦の意に反しても必要か。
意に反して慰安婦になったかどうかは別にして、軍の規律維持のために、慰安婦制度は当時は必要だった。
–今は。
認められない。慰安婦制度じゃなくても、風俗業は必要。普天間飛行場に行った時、「もっと風俗業を活用してほしい」と言ったら、米海兵隊司令官は凍り付いたように苦笑いして「米軍では禁止している」と。建前論ではだめだ。そういうものを真正面から活用してもらわないと、海兵隊の猛者の性的なエネルギーはきちんとコントロールできない。
–活用していないから事件が起きるのか。
活用したから（暴行）事件が収まるという因果関係にあるようなものではない。
–世界各国が活用したと言うが、どこか。
米軍も活用した。沖縄の占領時代も、日本人女性がそういう商売に携わっていたのは事実。いいか悪いかは別として、あったのは間違いない。なぜ世界で日本が非難されているか国民はもっと知っておかないといけない。軍や政府が国を挙げて慰安婦を暴行脅迫拉致したという証拠が出れば、日本国として反省しないといけないが、今のところはそういう証拠はないと政府が閣議決定している。
【2013.5.13】橋下徹 大阪市長 退庁時（P.M） ぶらさがり取材
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFLhFo-4xWk
5：00～5：10
「軍の規律を維持するために、その当時は必要だったんでしょうね。」
「今はそりゃ（慰安婦制度は）、認められないでしょう。」
＝「今はそれは当然認められないでしょう。」
こちらも見たほうがいいですよ。
マスメディアの捏造は怖いです。
少なくとも言った言わないの確認できる問題でだまされたくないですね。
私はつたない英語で真実を伝えます。
I will tell the truth in poor English.
EMILY M. MURASEは騙されています。
EMILY M. MURASE has been deceived.
EMILY M. MURASEは陰謀に利用された。
EMILY M. MURASE was used to conspiracy.
これは完全な陰謀です。
This is the perfect conspiracy.
選挙のための醜い陰謀です。
This is the ugly conspiracy for the election.
彼は必要と言っていない。
It did not say he needed.
彼は正当化もしていない。
He did not also justified.
彼は以下のように言いました。
He said as follows.
どの国も行った歴史的事実がある。
There is a historical fact that every country went.
しかしそれは許されない。
But it is not permitted.
全ての日本人は反省します。
All Japanese reflect on.
他の国も反省すべき。
Other countries also ought to reflect upon.
世界で協力しましょう。
Let’s cooperation in the world.
女性の人権のために。
For women’s rights.
Hashimoto mayor does not justify.
Do not hurt his honor.
Why you were deceived by the media?
Do you know?
Although it is discrimination unique to Japan …
Mass media caused the discrimination case. Hashimoto mayor was a discrimination victim.
Please do not be used for evil media.
I am in complete agreement with Murase. Hashimoto’s remarks are wrong and
cannot be justified.
Good God, who are all these losers defending Hashimoto?! And how did they find this article?!
I’m with you Murase.
Thank you Emily Murase for making this statement.
Statement by Toru Hashimoto,
at The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan
27 May 2013
Ideals and values on which I stand:
Today, I want to start by talking about my basic ideals as a politician and my values as a human being.
Nothing is more regrettable than a series of media reports on my remarks with regard to the issue of so-called “comfort women.” These reports have created an image of me, both as a politician and as a human being, which is totally contrary to my real ideals and values. This has happened because only a portion of each of my remarks has been reported, cut off from the whole context.
I attach the utmost importance to the universal values of human rights, freedom, equality and democracy, whose universality human beings have come to accept in the twenty-first century. As a constitutionalist, I also believe that the essential purpose of a nation’s constitution is to bind government powers with the rule of law and to secure freedom and rights of the people. Without such legal limitations imposed by the constitution, the government powers could become arbitrary and harmful to the people.
My administrative actions, first as Governor of Osaka Prefecture and then as Mayor of Osaka City, have been based on these ideals and values. The views on political issues that I have expressed in my career so far, including my view of the Japanese constitution, testify to my commitment to the ideals and values. I am determined to continue to embody these ideals and values in my political actions and statements.
As my ideals and values clearly include respect for the dignity of women as an essential element of human rights, I find it extremely deplorable that news reports have continued to assume the contrary interpretation of my remarks and to depict me as holding women in contempt. Without doubt, I am committed to the dignity of women.
What I really meant by my remarks on so-called “comfort women”
I am totally in agreement that the use of “comfort women” by Japanese soldiers before and during the World War 2 was an inexcusable act that violated the dignity and human rights of the women in which large numbers of Korean and Japanese were included. I am totally aware that their great pain and deep hurt were beyond description.
I also strongly believe that Japan must reflect upon its past offenses with humility and express a heartfelt apology and regret to those women who suffered from the wartime atrocities as comfort women. Our nation must be determined to stop this kind of tragedy from occurring again.
I have never condoned the use of comfort women. I place the greatest importance on the dignity and human rights of women as an essential part of the universal values in today’s world. It is extremely regrettable that only the cut-off parts of my remarks have been reported worldwide and that these reports have resulted in misunderstood meanings of the remarks, which are utterly contrary to what I actually intended.
We must express our deep remorse at the violation of the human rights of these women by the Japanese soldiers in the past, and make our apology to the women. What I intended to convey in my remarks was that a not-insignificant number of other nations should also sincerely face the fact that their soldiers violated the human rights of women. It is not a fair attitude to blame only Japan, as if the violation of human rights of women by soldiers were a problem unique to the Japanese soldiers. This kind of attitude shelves the past offenses that are the very things we must face worldwide if we are truly to aim for a better world where the human rights of women are fully respected. Sexual violation in wartime was not an issue unique to the former Japanese army. The issue existed in the armed forces of the U.S.A., the UK, France, Germany and the former Soviet Union among others during World War 2. It also existed in the armed forces of the Republic of Korea during the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
Against this historical background, I stated that “the armed forces of nations in the world” seemed to have needed women “during the past wars”. Then it was wrongly reported that I myself thought it as necessary for armed forces to use women and that “I” tolerated it.
It is a hard historical fact that soldiers of some nations of the world have used women for sexual purposes in wars. From the viewpoint of respecting the human rights of women, it does not make much difference whether the suffering women are licensed or unlicensed prostitutes and whether or not the armed forces are organizationally involved in the violation of the dignity of the women. The use of women for sexual purposes itself is a violation of their dignity. It also goes without saying that rape of local citizens by soldiers in occupied territories and hot spots of military conflict are intolerable atrocities.
Please do not misunderstand, and think that I intend to relativize or justify the issue of comfort women for former Japanese soldiers. Such justification has never been my intention. Whatever soldiers of other nations did will not affect the fact that the violation of the dignity of women by the former Japanese soldiers was intolerable.
What I really meant in my remarks was that it would be harmful, not only to Japan but also to the world, if Japan’s violation of the dignity of women by soldiers were reported and analyzed as an isolated and unique case, and if such reports came to be treated as common knowledge throughout the world. It would suppress the truth that the violation of the dignity of women by soldiers not only existed in the past but also has yet to be eradicated in today’s world. Based on the premise that Japan must remorsefully face its past offenses and must never justify the offenses, I intended to argue that other nations in the world must not attempt to conclude the matter by blaming only Japan and by associating Japan alone with the simple phrase of “sex slaves” or “sex slavery.”
If only Japan is blamed, because of the widely held view that the state authority of Japan was intentionally involved in the abduction and trafficking of women, I will have to inform you that this view is incorrect.
While expecting sensible nations to voice the issue of the violation of the dignity of women by soldiers, I believe that there is no reason for inhibiting Japanese people from doing the same. Because the Japanese people are in a position to face the deplorable past of the use of comfort women by the former Japanese soldiers, to express deep remorse and to state their apology, they are obliged to combat the existing issue of the violation of the dignity of women by soldiers, and to do so in partnership with all the nations which also have their past and/or present offenses.
Today, in the twenty-first century, the dignity and human rights of women have been established as a sacred part of the universal values that nations in the world share. It is one of the greatest achievements of progress made by human beings. In the real world, however, the violation of the dignity of women by soldiers has yet to be eradicated. I hope to aim for a future world where the human rights of women will be more respected. Nevertheless, we must face the past and present in order to talk about the future. Japan and other nations in the world must face the violation of the human rights of women by their soldiers. All the nations and peoples in the world should cooperate with one another, be determined to prevent themselves from committing similar offenses again, and engage themselves in protecting the dignity of women at risk in the world’s hot spots of military conflict and in building that future world where the human rights of women are respected.
Japan must face, and thoroughly reflect upon, its past offenses. Any justification of the offenses will not be tolerated. Based on this foundation, I expect other nations in the world to face the issue of the sexual violations in the past wars as their own issue. In April this year, the G8 Foreign Ministers in London agreed upon the “Declaration on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict.” Based on this accomplishment, I expect that the G8 Summit to be held in this June in Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, the UK, will become an important occasion where the leaders of G8 will examine how soldiers from nations in the world, including the former Japanese soldiers, have used women for sexual purposes, face and reflect upon the past offenses with humility, solve today’s problems in partnership with one another, and aim for the ideal future.
With regard to my remark in the discussion with the U.S. commander in Okinawa
There was a news report that, while visiting a U.S. military base in Okinawa, I recommended to the U.S. commander there that he make use of the adult entertainment industry to prevent U.S. soldiers from committing sexual crimes. That was not what I meant. My real intention was to prevent a mere handful of U.S. soldiers from committing crimes and strengthen the Japan-U.S. Alliance and the relations of trust between the two nations. In attempting to act on my strong commitment to solving the problem in Okinawa stemming from crimes committed by a minority of U.S. soldiers, I made an inappropriate remark. I will elaborate my real intention as follows.
For the national security of Japan, the Japan-U.S. Alliance is the most important asset, and I am truly grateful to contributions made by the United States Forces Japan.
However, in Okinawa, where many U.S. military bases are located, a small number of U.S. soldiers have repeatedly committed serious crimes, including sexual crimes, against Japanese women and children. Every time a crime has occurred, the U.S. Forces have advocated maintaining and tightening official discipline and have promised to the Japanese people that they would take measures to stop such crimes from occurring again. Nevertheless, these crimes have not stopped. The same pattern has been repeating itself.
I emphasize the importance of the Japan-U.S. Alliance and greatly appreciate the U.S. Forces’ contribution to Japan. Nonetheless, the anger of the Okinawan people, whose human rights have continued to be violated, has reached its boiling point. I have a strong wish to request that the U.S.A. face the present situation of Okinawa’s suffering from crimes committed by U.S. soldiers, and take necessary measures to alleviate the problem.
It is a big issue that incidents of sexual violence have frequently happened without effective control within the U.S. military forces worldwide. It has been reported that President Obama has shown a good deal of concern over the forces’ frequent reports of military misconduct and has instructed the commanders to thoroughly tighten their official discipline, as measures taken so far have had no immediate effect.
With all the above-mentioned situations, I felt a strong sense of crisis and said to the U.S. commander that the use of “the legally accepted adult entertainment industry in Japan” should be considered as one of all the possible measures. Even if there is no measure with an immediate effect, the current state of Okinawa should not be neglected. From my strong sense of crisis, I strongly hope that the U.S. army will use all possible measures to bring a heartless minority of soldiers under control. When expressing this strong hope, I used the phrase “the legally accepted adult entertainment industry in Japan.” When this phrase was translated into English, it led to the false report that I recommended prostitution–which is illegal under Japanese law. Furthermore, my remark was misunderstood to mean that something legally acceptable is also morally acceptable. Although the adult entertainment industry is legally accepted, it can insult the dignity of women. In that case, of course, some measures should be taken to prevent such insults.
However, I understand that my remark could be construed as an insult to the U.S. Forces and to the American people, and therefore was inappropriate. I retract this remark and express an apology. In conclusion, I retract my inappropriate remarks to the U.S. Army and the American people and sincerely apologize to them. I wish that my apologies to them will be accepted and that Japan and the United States of America continue to consolidate their relationship of alliance in full trust.
My real intention was to further enhance the security relationship between Japan and the United States, which most U.S. soldiers’ sincere hard work has consolidated, and to humbly and respectfully ask the U.S. Forces to prevent crimes committed by a mere handful of U.S. soldiers. My strong sense of crisis led to the use of this inappropriate expression.
In the area of human rights, the U.S.A. is one of the most conscientious nations. Human rights are among those values accepted throughout the world as universal. In order for human rights of the Okinawan people to be respected in the same way as those of American people are respected, I sincerely hope that the U.S. Forces will start taking effective measures in earnest to stop crimes in Okinawa from continuing.
About the Japan-Korea Relationship
The Japan-Korea relationship has recently gone through some difficult times. Underlying the difficulty are the issue of comfort women and the territorial dispute over the Takeshima Islands. Ideally, Japan and South Korea should be important partners in East Asia, as they share the same values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. I believe that a closer relationship based on greater trust between Japan and South Korea would contribute to the stability and prosperity of not only East Asia but also the world.
One of the points of tension is that concerning wartime comfort women. Some former comfort women in Korea are currently demanding state compensation from the Japanese government.
However, the Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea and the Agreement on the Settlement of Problems Concerning Property and Claims and on Economic Co-operation between Japan and the Republic of Korea, both signed in 1965, have officially and decisively resolved any issues of claims arising from the war, including the right of individual persons to claim compensation. Japan has also performed its moral responsibility with the establishment of the Asian Women’s Fund, and it paid atonement money to former comfort women even after the resolution of the legal contention with the treaties.
The international community has welcomed the Asian Women’s Fund. A report to the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations welcomed Japan’s moral responsibility project of the Asian Women’s Fund. Mary Robinson, the second United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, gave the Fund a favorable evaluation. Unfortunately, however, some former comfort women have refused to accept the atonement money from the Asian Women’s Fund.
Japan has given significant importance to the Treaty on Basic Relations and the Agreement on the Settlement, both of which made final resolution of any legal contention in 1965, and Japan also sincerely faces, reflects on, and apologizes for its own wartime wrongdoings with feelings of deep remorse.
The whole situation poses a rending dilemma for us: how to make such a compensation that former comfort women would accept as our sincere remorse and apology, while also maintaining the integrity of the legal bilateral agreements between Japan and Korea.
The Korean government has recently claimed that interpretive disputes over the individual right of compensation for former comfort women in the Agreement on the Settlement still remain. I hope that the Republic of Korea, as a state governed by the rule of law, recognizes the legal importance of the above-mentioned agreements. If the Republic of Korea still believes that there exist interpretive contentions in the agreements, I think that only the International Court of Justice can resolve them.
One can hope that the same legal/rule-of-law stance is also observed in the resolution of the territorial dispute over the Takeshima Islands.
I firmly believe that neither hatred nor anger can resolve the problems between Japan and Korea. I firmly believe in the importance of legal solution at the International Court of Justice, which arena would allow both sides to maintain rational and legal argument while both maintain both respect for each other and deep sympathy to former comfort women.
I wish to express sincerely my willingness to devote myself to the true improvement of the Japan-Korea relationship through the rule of law.