According to a Yahoo! article, Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan, has refused to apologize for forcing Asian women to act as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers. He stands by his country’s slavery of women - even if the US House of Representatives demands an apology.
“I have to say that even if the resolution passes, that doesn’t mean that we will apologize,” Abe told a parliamentary panel.
The women who were forced to work in these brothels have gone to court to demand their country take responsibility. They are petitioning and intend to represent their case to the UN next month. This comes after the Japanese High Court overturned a previous ruling ordering Japan to pay compensation from nine of these women. They continue to suffer recrimination for acts they were forced to commit, often from their own families.
These women aren’t asking for millions of dollars. According to a BBC news article, theoriginal ruling by the Hiroshima Court was for a mere 900,000 yen total (about $7,260 per woman).
I find it absurd that we’re simply demanding an apology. That’s like asking the person who just kicked you in the gut to say they’re sorry. It doesn’t work and it doesn’t count for much. But I suppose the US can’t really throw stones since we’ve done the same thing to several races.
Here’s hoping the UN will have a more humanitarian approach and help these women.