Japanese Prime Minister Abe Refuses To Release Personal Apology To Comfort Women, Rebuffs Japanese Official’s Request
The issue of South Korea's wartime comfort women has become a source of heated national debate and protest in the country. Several women advocates are arguing that the agreement reached between South Korea and Japan is not a practical justification for the violence and maltreatment Japan inflicted towards South Korean women during World War II. Advocates also contend that Japan's apology to the comfort women was not sincere.
Korea Times reported Tuesday that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe refused to give a personal apology to victims of wartime sexual slavery.
Japanese Representative Rintaro Ogata appealed for Abe to render an apology during a Budget Committee meeting held at Japan's House of Representatives on Tuesday.
"So far, we haven't heard an apology about the comfort women from your lips, Prime Minister. I think you ought to say it in your own words at least once. How about it?" said Representative Ogata.
In a statement, Prime Minister Abe responded that he had expressed his thoughts in the talks between Japan's foreign ministers and in a phone conversation he had with South Korean President Park Geun Hye.
"If I have to keep apologizing whenever this question is asked, this issue will never finally be brought to a close," Abe said. He also smacked Representative Ogata with his statement saying that there exists no politics when it comes to foreign affairs.
According to Hankyoreh, Representative Ogata wanted the Japanese Prime Minister to release a statement of apology to the outside world personally, but Prime Minister Abe stood firm on his position that he had "already made the apology to President Park on behalf of the state."
Prime Minister Abe said he also expects that the South Korean government will take appropriate measures with respect to the removal of the comfort woman statue fronting the Japanese Embassy in Seoul since the issue is "finally and irreversibly resolved."
