Remember! The history can repeat itself. The dreadful nightmare of Japanese holy war can happen again. May God save Korea !

Joseph H. Chung, Ph.D. (정희수), Professor of Economics, Quebec University in Montreal (UQAM)

(지난 호에 이어)

Fourth, it demonstrated the ugly face of Japanese racism revealed by the absence of Japanese comfort women and statements of two Japanese soldiers made during court hearings on war crimes.

A Japanese soldier said: "I raped these girls, because I am a soldier of the emperor!"

Another Japanese soldier said: "These comfort women are just military equipment!"

It appears that the NMRG led by Shinzo Abe are the most concerned with the brutal revelation of Japanese racism through the crime against the comfort women. This crime compromises Japan's pretention of being racism free country.

The Nanking Rape was also surely one of the worst beastly crimes observed in the history of mankind. It was one of the most violent genocides ever committed in the annals of war.

Hundreds of thousands of Nanking residents were killed by canon, machine guns, rifles and Japanese swords. Countless girls, young women and old women were raped in open air in front of family members and neighbours. Most of buildings were destroyed.

Now coming back to the crime against the comfort women, Nippon Gaigi has a dilemma. It wants to deny the crime against the poor comfort women. But, to their disappointment, some of the prominent Japanese politicians admitted the crime.

In 1992, Koichi Kato, the, chief cabinet secretary, stated this.

.

"Government has been involved in the establishment of comfort stations, the control of those who recruited comfort women, the construction and enforcement of comfort facilities, the management of comfort stations… and that the government wanted to express its sincere apology and remorse to all those who have suffered indescribable hardship as so called wartime comfort women."

In 1993, Yohei Kono, former chief secretary of the prime minster office, made the following statement.

• The Japanese military was directly or indirectly involved in the establishment and management of comfort women.

• The recruitment of comfort women was entrusted mainly by private recruiters of the comfort women.

• In many cases, they were recruited against their will.

• At times, administrative/military personnel took part in the recruitment.

• They lived in misery at comfort station under a coercive atmosphere.

Thus, Kato and Kono made it crystal clear that the sub-human treatment of 250,000 young girls mostly from Korea was carried out not only by the military but also by the administration of Japan. What these two former chiefs of cabinet said was the proof of the beastly atrocity committed to the poor girls by Japan. Kato even offered an apology.

In 1995, Tomichi Murayama, former prime minister, said this.

"In the hope that no such mistakes be made in the future, I regret in spirit of humility, these un-refutable facts of history and here once again my feeling of deep remorse and state my heartfelt apologies."

In 2005, Junichiro Koizumi, former prime minster, made an apology.

"Sincerely facing these facts of history, I once again express my feeling of deep remorse and heartfelt apology."

Both Murayama and Koizumi were highly respected prime ministers. In fact, Koizumi was Shinzo Abe's boss.

But, incredible thing happened. Despite the public statement of these politicians admitting the historical fact of comfort women, the Nippon Gaigi and Abe deny the historical fact.

Since 2015, in numerous occasions, Shinzo Abe flatly denied the existence of the crime. At another occasion, he said that the comfort women came to the comfort camp voluntarily. In other occasions, he claimed that there was no coercion. In other occasions, he said that these women were prostitutes.

Many have wondered and still wondering why Shinzo Abe cannot accept the historical fact. What he said amounts to saying that those politicians who made apology including his boss, Koizumi, were lying.

As pointed out above, for the NMRG led by Shinzo Abe, the admission of the crime against the comfort women means the recognition of un-holiness of the first holy war making it impossible to justify and glorify it. If the first holy war is not holy, it is difficult to conduct second holy war.

What is troublesome is the fact that most of the Japanese people are not aware of the crime against the comfort women due to the very effective campaign of the non-existence of the crime. The NMRG led Shinzo Abe has succeeded in hiding the historical fact from the Japanese people.

By hiding from the Japanese people the crime against the comfort women, Nippon Gaigi led by Shinzo Abe has made a good start in preparing holy war 2.0.

1.2 State Shinto (Shintoism)

The preparation of Japan's holy war 2.0 includes spiritual and religious war readiness. State-Shinto provides such readiness.

Shinto is a shamanic belief widely practiced for centuries in Japan. It has consisted in asking kami (god) to help for the solution of daily human life problems. There are tens of thousands of kamis in Japan. But, the most revered kami is Amaterus Omikami, the goddess who founded Japan.

Sinto was made national religion during the Meiji Era and it lasted until 1945. The most important Shinto policy was the 1890 Imperial Prescript of Education which made it compulsory to teach Shinto at schools.

I was myself educated in Shinto and I know about its devastatingly powerful impact on the mind and the soul of the people.

In Shinto (or Shintoism), the emperor is the linear descendent of goddess Amaterus Omikami. Hence, the emperor is divine.

And, the reason of being Japanese is to devote mind and body for the glory of the emperor and obey government which carries out the wish of the emperor. (다음 호에 계속)

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