「事実委員会」全面公告を批判する

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/world/asia/27japan.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

ニューヨーク・タイムズ　6月27日　

（大意）

下院外交委員会で非難決議案が可決された。これは日本に公式の謝罪を求めるもの。

日本政府はなんのコメントも出していないが、これは沈静化を図るためだろう。しかし決議案は次の段階に入り安倍首相はなんらかの対応を迫られるだろう。

安倍首相は最初はこの決議案が可決されても、日本国は謝罪しないとしていた（Mr. Abe, who initially said Japan would not apologize even if the resolution passed）しかしその後は沈黙している。

戦後ドイツは正しい選択をしたが、日本は歴史的な健忘症にかかっているようだラントス下院議長はこれに沈黙するのは日米関係によくないだろうとしている。安倍首相は訪米時に元慰安婦に同情する発言をしたが歴史的な責任を認めることは慎重に避けた。

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Asked for Apology, Japan Plays for Time in Sex Slavery Standoff

Published: June 27, 2007

TOKYO, Wednesday, June 27 ? Even before a United States Congressional panel overwhelmingly passed a resolution on Tuesday urging Japan to apologize for its wartime sex slavery, the Japanese government said it would have no comment.

But the vote of 39 to 2 by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs has set the stage for an adoption by the full House of Representatives next month, at which point Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will face pressure to respond in some way or another.

Already Mr. Abe, who initially said Japan would not apologize even if the resolution passed, has quieted his defiance in a bid to minimize its impact. In a news conference before the vote, Mr. Abe said he had no comment on the resolution, saying only that ties between Japan and the United States were “unshakable.”

The nonbinding resolution, which was spearheaded by Michael M. Honda, Democrat of California, calls on Japan to take responsibility in “a clear and unequivocal manner for its Imperial Armed Forces’ coercion of young women into sexual slavery.”

Tom Lantos, a California Democrat who heads the committee, said that Japan’s refusal to apologize formally was “disturbing to all who value” relations between the United States and Japan.

“Post-war Germany made the right choice,” Mr. Lantos said. “Japan, on the other hand, has actively promoted historical amnesia. The facts are plain: there can be no denying that the Japanese Imperial military coerced thousands upon thousands of women, primarily Chinese and Koreans, into sexual slavery during the war.”

In a statement, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she looked forward to passing the resolution in the House and “sending a strong message that we will not forget the horrors endured by the comfort women,” the euphemism used in Japan for the sex slaves.

The resolution began gathering support in early March after Mr. Abe, who had led a movement to revise Japan’s wartime history through his political career, denied the military’s direct role in coercing women into sex slavery and said he would not apologize even if the resolution were passed.

After his remarks caused a furor in Asia and the United States, Mr. Abe softened his remarks, trying to placate foreign critics and his right-wing base at home.

In his first visit to Washington as prime minister in April, Mr. Abe vaguely expressed sympathy for the former sex slaves while carefully avoiding taking any historical responsibility. President Bush, in an attempt to help Mr. Abe overcome this issue, said he accepted his apology.