Anti-Abe sentiment runs high in Korea

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, greets Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in front of Kerry’s residence in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston. Abe arrived in the U.S. Sunday for a weeklong visit. / AP-Yonhap

By Kim Se-jeong

Antipathy against Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is running high ahead of his April 29 speech to the U.S. Congress.

Ironically, it is feared that this anti-Abe sentiment could worsen ties with the U.S., considering the popular belief that Washington is allowing Abe to take a nationalistic path as part of efforts to contain China.

“During his speech, Abe should offer a sincere apology to the women who have suffered all their lives,” said Kim Jong-il, co-president of the Seoul Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea, a private advocacy group.

“Not only that, he must apologize for colonization and the deaths of 20 million people who were killed during wars started by Japan in the 20th century.”

Many echoed Kim, condemning Abe for trying to whitewash Japan’s historic wrongdoings.

Lee Jung-sil, head of the Washington Coalition for Comfort Women Issues, which organized a press conference ahead of Abe’s visit to the U.S., accused Abe of acting like an innocent onlooker.

“He should face up to history. Congress is the best place for Abe to apologize, but he is losing this crucial opportunity,” she said.

A surviving victim, Lee Yong-soo, 87, also spoke up.

“Abe keeps lying even though a living witness of history is alive,” she said during a news conference.

Abe will address the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives ― the first Japanese leader to do so. His grandfather, former Prime Minister Kishi Nobusuke, addressed the House of Representatives in 1957.

Abe is unlikely to apologize for the sexual slavery because he has never admitted that it happened. Experts say that if he mentions it at all, he will touch on the issue very briefly.

Abe’s stance has been clear: Japan feels sorry for the victims, but it does not have to apologize to them or offer compensation.

He referred to the victims as those of commercial sexual trafficking in a recent interview with The Washington Post. At the Asian-African Summit in Bandung, Indonesia, last week, Abe also said, “Japan, with feelings of deep remorse over the past, made a pledge to remain a nation always adhering to those very principles, no matter what the circumstances.”

On the same day, more than 100 Japanese lawmakers paid their respects at the Yasukuni Shrine, where the remains of 14 war criminals are interred.

No exact figures are available about how many sex slaves the Japanese military conscripted. Estimates say the number is at least 200,000. In Korea, there are 53 survivors. The sex slaves were from Korea, China, the Philippines and other nations and were sent to brothels across Asia to have sex with Japanese soldiers. Tokyo keeps undermining this, saying the military was not involved.

High-ranking U.S. government officials recently sided with Japan, saying it had done enough and that it was time for Korea and China to move on.

People are upset that the U.S. has granted Abe the rare opportunity to address both houses, despite his denial of the truth.

“Eight years ago, the U.S. Congress adopted a resolution calling on Japan to admit the sexual slavery committed by the Japanese military during World War II and to teach historical facts,” said Yoon Mi-hyang, head of the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, an NGO based in Seoul.

“The same Congress is now inviting Abe to speak at the chamber.” The U.S. House of Representatives Resolution 121 was passed on July 30, 2007.

“The U.S. needs strong support in the region to contain China, therefore strong ties with Japan are critical,” Kim said. “In exchange, the U.S. has chosen to go silent about history and sexual enslavement issues.”

Lee Yong-seong, a sixth grade teacher from Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, said, “The U.S. has said human rights are its priority, and I hope it sticks to that.”

Yoon’s council is working to undermine the impact of Abe’s visit and his speech. Her organization sent survivor Lee Yong-soo to Washington D.C. to prepare to counter what Abe may say. The council is looking for a public venue to condemn Abe after his speech.

“When Abe leaves the podium after the speech, she (Lee) will rebuke him, saying ‘you’re wrong,’” Yoon said.