HUSH, HASHIMOTO

Lately (since the naissance of my political consciousness during the second Bush administration) I have despaired of American politics.  There are days when I read the news or watch clips from C-SPAN that the words of West Wing press secretary CJ Cregg leaving a particularly hostile press conference echo in my head: "Set fire to the room. Do it now."  

As suspect as I find most people involved in the sausage factory that is the legislative process, I take solace in the fact that Americans are not alone in being governed by those with questionable agendas.  Case in point: Toru Hashimoto, the mayor of Osaka.  Hashimoto-san is currently stumping for the election of members of his party, Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party), to the upper house of the Japanese Diet.  Last week he made waves when he was quoted as saying that comfort women were "necessary" during World War II.  If you aren't familiar with the story of comfort women, here it is in a nutshell: imperialist Japan raided Korea and Manchuria in the early 20th century, and as part of their conquest, pressed local women into sexual slavery and placed them at the disposal of the Japanese military.  The argument at the time was that soldiers needed a reprieve from the war.  Since then, the practice has been slammed by human rights groups, women's groups, and multiple foreign governments.  In 1965 the Japanese government paid $364 million in reparations to South Korea, and in 1993 the Japanese government issued an official apology.  

Toru Hashimoto.  From www.shopgisreports.com

Hashimoto's lenient views of Japanese history and his assertions that American soldiers based in Okinawa should avail themselves of the local sex trade to let off steam have landed him in scalding hot water.  Groups representing women and human rights have lined up to denounce his remarks, as have surviving comfort women, the U.S. State Department, the governments of China and South Korea, and even the mayor of San Francisco, where Hashimoto is slated to make a visit in the upcoming weeks.  Japanese politicians have taken pains to distance themselves from Hashimoto as well; many leaders have criticized Hashimoto and called for him to retract his statements.  Nippon Ishin's ally, Your Party, announced that it would no longer be cooperating with them in the Diet elections, citing "different values."  Even Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been pressured to respond; in the past, Abe has denied that women were forced or coerced into wartime prostitution.  

I raised this topic with my favorite panel of Japanese experts, the grannies.  I thought we'd all have a good eye roll at the expense of politicians and the impolitic things they say, but as usual, they surprised me.  

Beatles Granny started off by saying that there were no records that the Japanese military had employed sex slaves.  (I looked this up; this is debatable. There are records of the women who later testified to being raped, though the women are often listed as "nurses" attached to Army units.)  Granny Granny spoke up and said that in some cases, like in Korea, local businessmen willingly offered women to Japanese soldiers (no doubt as a form of appeasement).  Her take seemed to be, "Don't be angry with us for something you facilitated and organized." 

Lone Grandpa was especially vehement.  He kept saying that no one was mad at Germany now that World War II was over, and that even the US and Japan could be friends, so why can't China and Korea let go this issue of comfort women?  He argued that the notion of human rights did not yet exist during World War II, and that it is unfair to view Japanese actions in a revisionist light.  Moreover, everyone was horrible during World War II.  Why are the Japanese continually singled out, as opposed to the Germans or the Russians?

Lone Grandpa also introduced the issue of Yasukuni Shrine.  Yasukuni honors those who fought in Japan's wars, including individuals who are considered war criminals.  Every time a politician visits the Yasukuni Shrine to pay homage, it incurs the wrath of the Chinese and the South Koreans.  To calm relations, the Japanese make some sort of grand diplomatic gesture, such as welcoming Chinese and Korean teachers to visit Japan for a time.  Things then normalize, and everyone goes back to being copacetic until the next visit to Yasukuni.  Lone Grandpa referred to this over and over again as "blackmail." He said that 68 years later, the Japanese are still paying compensation for World War II in some form or another.  LG's uncle died in a kamikaze attack in Okinawa, and for him, paying respect to his uncle's memory at the Yasukini Shrine is important.  He is indignant that any foreign power would criticize what he views as a domestic affair, deeming it a private tradition.  

Yasukuni Shrine. From commons.wikimedia.org

The group was of two opinions concerning what should be done in the future regarding Japan's stance on comfort women.  One side said that Abe should be stronger and tell China and South Korea to let it go and get over it.  The other side said that Abe needs to be smarter and not provoke China and South Korea by allowing Japanese politicians to continue airing these issues.  Personally, I doubt Abe will do much of anything.  He's too jingoistic to kowtow to China and South Korea (particularly when Japan is at odds with these countries over territory), but he also can't needlessly provoke two economically powerful neighbors.  And since Abe was chastised for antagonizing China and South Korea during his first, short-lived stint as prime minister in 2006-2007, he's probably trying to keep a lower profile this time around, primarily focusing on reviving Japan's economy.   

The last word in the discussion came from Beatles Granny, who said, "The Chinese and the South Koreans don't like Japan. And you know what, I don't like them either!"  

So much for postwar harmony.