Letters to SF Chronicle

Regarding “‘Comfort women’ memorial nears final OK” (Feb. 9): We’d like to correct Lizzie Johnson’s assertion that the Japanese government has apologized about the Imperial Japanese Army’s sexual enslavement of hundreds of thousands of women during World War II. The Japanese government has never officially apologized.

The so-called agreement between Japan and Korea has never officially been ratified by either government but was merely agreed upon by foreign ministers in a press conference. None of the surviving comfort women were consulted, and they don’t recognize this agreement; nor do millions of Koreans. Moreover, women and girls from 13 countries were enslaved, yet this agreement talks only about Korea.

Japan keeps insisting that the scope of the comfort women system was small and that there can be no memorials to these women. Why? What are they afraid of? Just as the U.S. government had to take responsibility and apologize to the Japanese American community for its WWII internment camps, so must the Japanese government acknowledge and apologize for its actions.

—Judith Mirkinson, San Francisco
Published in SF Chronicle on February 13, 2017.

 

Regarding “‘Comfort women’ memorial nears final OK” (Feb. 9): Thank you for the wonderful piece written by Lizzie  Johnson regarding the “comfort women” memorial due to be installed at St. Mary’s Square Extension in September. San Francisco is blessed with the wealth of fine art in and around the city, and this memorial will prove yet again that San Francisco has a big heart in telling truths and helping those who are voiceless. I quote my artist sister, Theresa Cha, who said, “I do art because it is the truth.” I also would like to point out that the “agreement” that the governments of South Korea and Japan had negotiated is not in effect. It was merely a statement released by the respective ministries of foreign affairs without consulting the survivors of the slavery system. The “agreement” was not ratified by the Assembly of Korea. Thank you again for your coverage of this important monument, which is sure to put the city and county of San Francisco in the forefront in our fight against sex slavery and human trafficking. (Published in SF Chronicle on February 11, 2017.

John Cha

 

The San Francisco “Comfort Woman” memorial is dedicated to the memory of the hundred thousands of women Japan sexually enslaved during WWII and to eradicating sexual violence and sex trafficking throughout the world. Its text is accurate. Asian Americans in SF make up over 35% of its population and most have been affected by Japanese war crimes during WWII. For example, Judge Sing was born in Shanghai and Shanghai contained most of Japan’s “CW” stations. Judge Tang lost two siblings because of Japan’s war crimes.

Japan’s government represented by its Diet has never adopted an official apology. Japan’s so-called “Agreement” with S. Korea is disputed by the Korean comfort women and its entire public: a recent Buddhist monk self-immolated over this. In addition, victims from China, Philippines, Dutch Indies and other Asian Pacific countries were not included. The Japanese government must officially apologize to ALL of them. Instead, they are stonewalling and demanding that all memorials be removed.

There are Jewish holocaust memorials worldwide including in SF. Germany has apologized. Japan needs to do the same. SF “CW” Memorial is to help remember the past so old wounds can heal. It is never hateful and divisive to tell the Truth.

Gwyn Kirk

 

Lizzie Johnson makes unfortunate errors in her report on the proposed memorial to former “comfort women” in San Francisco. Whatever comments Japanese prime ministers have made on this issue they have stopped short of offering any official apology to these women. Moreover, the 2015 “agreement” between Japan and Korea was not an official agreement between governments, merely announced at a press conference, and without consultation with former comfort women or their advocates. It made no mention of women from China, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Guam, or Burma who were also drafted into the state-sanctioned system of military prostitution established under the auspices of the Japanese government from 1931 to 1945. This truth – complicated and unpalatable as it is – has been established by reputable
scholars from many nations. The inscription for the proposed memorial includes these words from a former comfort woman: “Our worst fear is that our painful history during World War II will be forgotten.” The memorial is one small action to remember and acknowledge their suffering.

Lillian Sing and Julie Tang

 

While this “agreement” was ostensibly hailed as settling the “Comfort Women” issue, no victim was consulted. It also prohibits South Korea from ever raising the issue in the United Nations, leaving Korean victims without a governmental advocate. Furthermore, in this “agreement,” Japan refused to accept its role in “coercion” of “Comfort Women,” a dubious regression from the 1993 Kono Statement.

If Japan’s $8.3 million fund is genuine compensation, then why has Foreign Minister Kishida vehemently denied it, insisting it is “a Korea-Japan joint venture”? Billed as “humanitarian support” in Japan, this fund seems to serve as hush money instead. This so-called agreement is an impediment to justice. Also Japan refuses legal responsibility that UN experts have repeatedly called for. To date, none of the “apologies” made are official, with neither cabinet nor parliamentary endorsement; thus, they are subject to equivocation, as have been the case.

Survivors had been forgotten and abandoned by local, national, and international communities for too long. A former “Comfort Woman” Lee Yongsoo learned of the “agreement” and confronted the Korean Vice Foreign Minister: “Why are you trying to kill us twice?” Why should we?

Miho Kim Lee

 

Thanks for Lizzie Johnson’s article (2-9-17) on the “Comfort Women” memorial. However, there are two errors. Johnson states that Japanese prime ministers have apologized for the over 200,000 “Comfort Women” who were sexually enslaved by Japan’s army in 13 countries that they occupied during WW2. Actually, no prime minister ever apologized. The “Kono statement” was issued by Japan’s equivalent of a national press secretary. The international standard for an apology is a resolution passed by the Diet (Japan’s congress), signed by a prime minister, and paying reparations (not charity funds), which has never happened.

Johnson also mentions the 2015 Japan – South Korea “agreement.” This “agreement” was only announced in a joint press conference, and no document of the “agreement” has ever been produced, despite calls from Korea’s National Assembly (congress). President Park has been impeached, and the top contenders to replace her have denounced the “agreement,” as have many “Comfort Women,” their supporters, and a 3/11/2016 UN Human Rights High Commissioner’s report. The “agreement” also ignores the “Comfort Women” from 12 other countries that Japan enslaved in WW2. Japan’s official position is the women were not coerced and not sex slaves, a direct repudiation of an apology.

Michael Wong

 

As a recent immigrant from Japan and historian at SFSU, I urge the Chronicle to correct false claims in the article “‘Comfort women’ memorial nears final OK.” The article alleges that Japan has apologized to “Comfort Women” victims, but Japanese Prime Ministers have never made a legal apology. In February 2016, UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women criticized the so-called bilateral “agreement” by Japanese and Korean Foreign Ministers in December 2015. In the “agreement,” Japan skirted legal apology for South Korean victims, and disavowed apology and reparations for victims in a dozen countries across the Asia Pacific. I am humbled and proud to live in SF, where community members, including Japanese and Japanese Americans, have supported the memorial to seek justice and peace for our next generation. I am ashamed by Japanese Government and politicians, who have denied the “Comfort Women” history and pressured the city to abandon its resolution. I urge the Chronicle to make a more balanced report to include our community’s overwhelming support for the memorial, as witnessed at the hearing for the resolution at SF City Hall in September 2015, resulting in the supervisors’ unanimous votes for the memorial.

Tomomi Kinukawa

 

I agree that the mayor of Osaka continues to advocate the position of the right wing Abe Administration and he continues to threaten the sister city relationship of Osaka and San Francisco. I believe it is important to uphold the friendship between our two cities and to promote our relationship through cultural, educational, business and technical exchanges to further peace and understanding. The people of these two cities must not let the mayor of Osaka claim the mantle of representing all officials of Japan’s government nor of representing all the Japanese people nor of speaking for all the people of Osaka. In fact, one of the strongest base of support for “comfort women” is Osaka. Let us stand with the people of Osaka who oppose the retrograde views and politics of the right wing in Japan. Let us continue to work together in international solidarity with the “comfort women.”

Grace Shimizu

 

The statement in the article on the comfort women, “Japanese prime ministers have acknowledged and apologized for the wartime sexual enslavement,” needs to be corrected.

The December 2015 “agreement” fails to fulfill both human and political resolution. From a human side, this “agreement” is a failure mainly because the surviving victims were excluded in reaching an “agreement” and they do not consider what Japanese prime ministers consider an apology as an apology.

From a political side, this cannot be a “final and irreversible agreement” because this “deal” was neither approved by the South Korean National Assembly nor reviewed by the State Council in order to be valid and official. The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties requires all valid agreements to be in writing. A written form of this “agreement” is unavailable.

What the surviving victims want the most from the Japanese government is a sincere and official apology for destroying their youth, family, and dreams. The misleading statement from this article cuts open the victims’ historical wound that is
waiting to be healed.

Sung Sohn

 

First, please accept my sincere apology to all “comfort women” for what Japan’s military has done to sexually enslave women of Asia Pacific during the WWII. This shameful and disgusting history needs to be forever remembered to never repeat the history again.

Miho Aida