Subject: [cwj 157] Asians form human chain to protest Japanese history textbook
From: Corporate Watch in Japanese <cwj@corpwatch.org>
Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2001 18:51:10 -0700
Seq: 157
Monday, June 11 7:12 PM SGT Asians form human chain to protest Japanese history textbook TOKYO, June 11 (AFP) - About 500 protesters from Asian nations formed a human chain around Japan's education ministry to protest controversial history textbooks, approved by the ministry in April, alleged to gloss over Japanese wartime atrocities. "I want the Japanese people to pass on the correct history to younger generations," said former sex slave Kim Soon Duk, 81, from South Korea, one of the participants in the chain. "I was 17 when I was taken to Shanghai with a promise of a job to be a nurse. Instead, I was forced to serve as a comfort woman (sex slave) for the Japanese military for three years," she said. "When people like me are still alive, how can such textbooks be published?" she said. The show of frustration and solidarity was directed at Tokyo's education ministry for approving eight Japanese junior high school textbooks, which Asian countries say whitewash Japan's military aggression during the World War One book in particular avoids references to Japan's pre-World War II invasion of its Asian neighbours. It also plays down events such as the Nanjing massacre and the use of tens of thousands of Asian women as sex slaves for Japanese troops. The textbook was edited by the Society for History Textbook Reform, a group of avowedly nationalist historians who assert Japan has become too "masochistic" in assessing its past. "Japan's responsibility for its activities during the war has not been forgiven. We must tell our children the facts," said Sei Inoue, 63, a Catholic nun from Tokyo, as she stood in the line around the ministry compound. "By participating in this human chain, I was hoping to emphasize that point to the Japanese people." "This issue is not just a problem for Japan alone. It is an Asia-wide issue," said Rumiko Nishino, a member of the Children and Textbooks Japan Network 21 pressure group. The human chain met with a noisy counter-protest from about 150 members of right-wing organisations in dark-grey coaches fitted with the national flag and hurling abuse through loudspeakers. "Don't complain about Japanese history books, you idiots!... This is a politically-motivated attempt by foreigners to intervene in domestic matters," one protester bellowed over a tannoy system. More than 200 uniformed police officers, some in riot gear were on hand to keep the two sides apart. Earlier about 250 people from Japan, South Korea, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia and the Philippines had met over two days to lobby against the textbooks and discuss Japan's approach to its wartime past, said an organiser of the event. "This was really the first time that people from Asia got together to discuss the issue," said Yayori Matsui, chairwoman of the Violence Against Women in War Network, Japan. FAIR USE NOTICE. This document contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Corporate Watch in Japanese is making this article available in our efforts to advance understanding of ecological sustainability, human rights, economic democracy and social justice issues. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. ------------------------------------- Corporate Watch in Japanese Transnational Resource and Action Center (TRAC) P.O. Box 29344 San Francisco, CA 94129 USA Tel: 1-415-561-6472 Fax: 1-415-561-6493 Email: cwj@corpwatch.org URL: http://www.corpwatch-jp.org ------------------------------------- ______________________ The Corporate Watch in Japanese http://www.corpwatch.org/japan (CWJ) mailing list is a moderated email list in English designed to connect activists campaigning against Japanese corporations and investments around the world. * To unsubscribe from the CWJ mailing list, send an email to majordomo@jca.apc.org with text "unsubscribe cwj". To subscribe to the CWJ mailing list, send a message to majordomo@jca.apc.org with the text "subscribe cwj" * The CWJ mailing list is NOT intended for wide distribution. If you would like to post messages from this list somewhere else, we ask that you first contact us at cwj@corpwatch.org ______________________