South Korea and Japan on WW II sex slaves

[Anonymous]

Agreed, this apology seems to be in a long line of attempts for Japan and Korea to move past a unpalatable past. The money, though a honorable gesture would most likely not be used solely as reparation for war crimes, rather it would be used to provide solace. Which, if previous actions serve as precursors may cause more contention between the two countries. The animosity between the countries will sadly never completely dissipate, but it will wane as time passes.

See link below for the statue that sits across the Japanese Embassy in South Korea from this past November.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2015/11/120_190857.html

[Anonymous]

Thank you for sharing this article! I agree that this could be a great resource to include in discussions about "reparations," are they enough and do they heal? It still irks me that it took so long for action to be taken, considering most of them have passed away.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for sharing these articles, they were very informative and would be a great current event article to share with students while discussing the relationship and interactions between Korea and Japan in the war, and how they are playing out today. Whether this landmark deal is truly effective, only time will tell. I found it interesting how there were mixed reactions from the former sex slaves regarding these compensations, in that some agreed to follow the government's lead while others did not even want to be reminded of the past and do not take Japan seriously (which one honestly can't blame them). This issue is definitely very sensitive, and will continue to take time to process and carry out. I am curious to see how it plays out during 2016.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for sharing this article, unfortunately I can no longer read the one posted on the NY times website, but the other from Koreatimes is still up. I was very interested in the statues that have been placed around Korea, when we initially learned about this in class. This would be a great piece in the classroom to show how relationships between countries still hold tensions over events that occurred decades earlier. This issue is particularly important due to the human component involved, and the fact that many of the women were actually girls. It is a shame that Japan is trying to shut down the claims rather than just issue an apology, although I suppose that is what the article from NY times that I can no longer read was covering...based on it's title. It's great that they want to offer compensation but a formal apology would also help make Japan look actually sorry rather than just guilty. I think it's really great that there is a similar statue so close to us in Glendale, CA. I have since visited the statue and am impressed that this small fight for human rights is raising it's voice worldwide.

[Anonymous]

It's very interesting that despite the amount of time that has gone by, it is still an on going issue for both nations. Now, it seems to me that by Japan accepting to give monetary restitution to the Korean women, this may bring a closure for both nations to start amicable relations that are very necessary for the region. Japan really needed to pay restitution in order to move forward with working together with the other Asian nations.

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

The Japanese government will apologize and pay 8 million dollars to the 46 surviving victims of Japan's sex slavery during World War II.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/12/28/world/asia/ap-as-skorea-japan-sex-slaves.html?_r=0

As we discussed in one of the seminars, this issue is an open wound that may finally be healed. I'm assuming that the money is going to the women who sit in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul to shame them for their crimes. This article is very useful in the classroom because it shows a direct connection between a historical topic and the news. It gives a historical lesson relevance beyond the classroom.

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