Japanese living in Korea stage parade of conscience

By Chung Min-uck

A civic group composed of Japanese living here extended a public apology for forcing Korean women into sexual slavery when Japan colonized the Korean Peninsula (1910-1945).

They issued the apology during a rally in central Seoul, Tuesday, a day before National Liberation Day, marking Korea’s 67th anniversary of liberation from Japan.

“All we can do is to apologize to the Korean victims who have experienced sexual slavery,” said Etsuko Uda, 57, vice president of the Group that Promotes Friendship by Overcoming the History between Korea and Japan.

“How can we console the victims for their heartbreaking pain. We offer a sincere apology to them,” she said in a statement in front of City Hall.

After issuing the apology, about 500 members of the group marched toward Tapgol Park in Jongno, calling for a formal apology by the Japanese government. Similar events simultaneously took place in nine other major cities around the nation under the auspices of the group.

“Being a woman, I feel tremendous sympathy with Koreans forced into sexual slavery,” said Etsuko Takeguchi, 49. “I really hope the Japanese government can make a formal apology to the issue.”

“I have decided to take part in the rally looking at the breakdown of the Korea-Japan relationship due mainly to the issue of the sexual slavery,” said another group member asking not to be named.

“I have been thinking something must be done to resolve the problem and holding rallies demanding Japan’s formal apology is a good way.”

Established in May 2012, the group has around 2,000 Japanese members who are married to Koreans with most of them living here.

Since being launched, it has engaged in various projects including one-person rallies in front of the National Assembly in Seoul.

Last month, the group filed a petition to Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and President Lee Myung-bak urging the two nations to face the past atrocities in search for better Korea-Japan relations.

“Our husbands and wives are all Koreans and our kids are Koreans as well,” said Yasue Erikawa, 66, president of the group.

“It breaks my heart to see the ties between Korea and Japan deteriorating due to history issues. Japan’s formal apology would be the starting point for the mending. We will continue to hold various rallies so that our voice can be heard.”

The bilateral relations have often soured due to the forced conscription of Korean women by Imperial Japan for military sexual slavery and Tokyo’s failure to making a proper apology and give compensation.

Despite protests in and out of Japan, it has long insisted that the issue was settled in a 1965 treaty that offered some compensation and soft loans for the occupation and sexual enslavement.

Some 200,000 women, mostly Koreans, were forced to serve as sexual slaves under Japanese colonial rule during World War II. A total of 234 women are registered with the Korean government as victims, with only 61 surviving as of today.