I heard on the Korean radio news station this morning while driving to school that Japaense PM shinzo abe called up president bush yesterday, or two days ago, to defend Japan's government's stance on the sex slave issue.

I think abe is scheduled to meet with bush at the whitehouse on April 20th. I think that's the date. But the thing that abe wanted to get across is that the Japaense government doesn't want to pay the sex slaves ( I refuse to say comfort women) any compensation.

Compensation doesn't do anything, and may not even heal the suffering of the old women who are still living today. Many have died in the past ten years, and many more former sex slaves are soon to die this year, or sooner.

I hope that some of the suriving sex slaves can get compensated by the Japanese government. I also pray to God that Japan's government will own up to what it has done in the past and fully FULLY apologize to the sex slaves of their wrongdoings.

I hope the US congress passes the resolution to make Japan say sorry for their past WWII wrongdoings.

Shinzo is just going to drive more and more nails into Japan's coffin. If they keep up with this sex slaves thing it will degrade the image of Japan in the West. And if Japan can't look good to the West and can't look good to the East, it's totally boned.

Sorry if I sound stupid and ignorant here, but does the West really care about this issue, at least far less than the countries really affected like China and Korea. No matter what, it always seems like Japan and the West will be close, will Japan keep alienating its neighbors to keep gaining the favor of the West? Lots of Westerners love Japan due to its soft/pop culture anyhow, I can't imagine them not being on friendly terms with Japan.

Looks to me like Japan will keep being close to the U.S for instance and keep alienating itself from Korea/China, etc am I wrong?

And I think it is absolutely silly for the U.S to pass a law requiring Japan to apologize, is Japan really the U.S's b!tch here? A country has to pass a law for another country to apologize? If Japan wants to apologize then let it, don't let another country tell it what to do, fu-king ridiculous, but Japan will most likely never apologize anyways.

No see that's the thing. Koizumi was smart to not piss off the US. He was going on the pro-US anti-Asia path. Which is the smart path in the short run, but the suicidal one in the long run.

Abe is going on the "we're Japan and we don't need friends" path. That one can prove suicidal all too soon.

The only path that Japan can go on and hope to survive in the long run is the "Yes, we're Asian no sense in denying it, let's all have a big group hug, come here China, Korea and even you Vietnam" path.

I'm confused here, I keep hearing of Abe being more right-wing, more nationalist and aggressive but also isn't he trying to mend relations with China at least, didn't he visit China recently? Do you think Japan will keep cozying up to the West or will it eventually go towards China and Korea but would that work since both of these countries still hate it.

What would it take for China and Korea to fully forgive Japan and put everything in the past or is it not possible?

Bunch of horse manure. abe just visited China and has plans to visit S Korea because of political ploy and to keep face. He also wants to look better than his predecessor koizumi who was a complete outright jerk to visit the yasukuni shrine against the will of Korea and China.

All in all, he's a right wing piece of nihon-wara $hit.



Most likely cozy and lick the balls of uncle sam as if it a piece of pickled ume.

I am pretty sure Japan's gov will always view China and Korea as "competitors" rather than friends.



When Japan's government stops whitewashing their history textbooks, compensate EACH suriving sex slaves in full, make exchange programs in Japanese colleges where Japanese students visit Korea and China and other Asian nations that suffered under Japan's colonialism to support WWII victims. This is what German universities do to their students who visit Israel to support holocaust victims.

Japan should also make museums about the warcrimes the government committed, and FULLY educated every Japanese student about the Nanking massacre, Korean colonialism, sex slaves, etc.