Shinzo Abe denies comfort women
Friday, March 02, 2007
(SNN Yamaguchi Prefecture) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters that there was no evidence of military coercion of up to 200,000 women sent to brothels. Members of Abe’s party have said that Japan should rescind apologies made in 1993.
Abe claimed there was “no evidence to prove” that comfort women had been coerced. Abe’s remarks contradicted documents found in 1992 which backed up accounts from soldiers and victims. The documents say that Japanese authorities set up brothels in response to rape sprees by Japanese soldiers.
Nationalist Japanese politicians claim that the women working at comfort stations were not coerced, but willing volunteers, taken from their homes at gunpoint, and forced to service dozens of men per day in exchange for room, board, beatings, disease, torture, and occasional mass murder. In addition they point out that Shinzo Abe services dozens of men per day: just as a hobby.
When asked outright if he really believed that no women were forced into sexual servitude during World War II, Abe answered, “War? I’ve seen no evidence of a war.” Asked if his statements might anger Korea or China, the Prime minister denied the existence of Korea and China. The Prime Minister then denied that he was giving an interview and demanded evidence to prove that he was not a chicken.
