従軍慰安婦問題に英語で反論する資料１

英語圏で、従軍慰安婦問題で日本を弁護するのは、河野談話を始めとする今ま
での日本政府の弱腰な態度もあり、非常に難しいのが現実です。
はっきり言って、中国系、韓国系の移民は、米国でのさばっていますし、教育
についての意気込みも高いので学界や政界でも重要なポストにつく例が増加し
ています。しかも、中国系移民や二世は非常に声高に出身国政府の代弁を行っ
ています。

残念ながら日本人は英語での発言力が私も含め非常に低いのが現実であり、英
語の掲示板でも、劣勢なのが現状です。その様な中で、多少なりとも対抗する
論陣を張られる際の参考になる文書があると便利です。

今回ご紹介するのはNBRのForum(掲示板)に投稿された日本擁護投稿です。
NBR(National Bureau of Asian Research)は、米国にある民間の研究機関です。
(日本の外務省からも何故か資金が出ています。)
まあ、米国を中心としたジャパノロジストの集まりです。思想傾向は、左より
で、NBRのWebsiteにあるForumにも、反日ポストが山の様に投稿されています。
ただ、ごく稀に、日本を擁護する投稿も行われます。以下はその一部です。
是非参考にして下さい。

安易な再投稿を防ぐ為に、訳はあえて致しません。再利用される方は、単純な
コピー＆ペイストを行う事は避け、適切な引用マナーを取られるようお願いし
ます。

Date:  3/5/2007 5:50:00 PM  
From:  Rick Straus  
Subject:  NBR'S JAPAN FORUM (POL) Comfort Women  

I think it is important to understand what was common in Japanese society itself at the time in the late 1920's and 1930's. Japan, badly hit by the world-wide depression, was undergoing tough times. Farmers, in particular, were hard hit, and incurred heavy debts. It was by no means uncommon for farmers to sell their own daughters into prostitution, as their only means of holding on to their lands. Women enjoyed no rights under the law; they were seen as objects to be passed from father to husband. For the farmer it was more important to hold on to their land than to keep a daughter who was going to another family once married, with no duties to her own family. 

During my research into my book, I happened to come across, by pure chance, an extensive US Army interrogation report on 20 Korean "comfort women" in northern Burma in the summer of 1944. I am inclined to give more credence to this report than anything I've read since then. This ten page report can be found at the National Archives under Entry 366A, RG208, 350/73/30/5, Box 226.

Following are some of the most pertinent quotes from that report. "Early in May, 1942 Japanese agents arrived in Korea for the purpose of enlisting Korean girls for "comfort service" in newly conquered Japanese territories in Southeast Asia. The nature of this service was not specified but it was assumed to be work connected with visiting the wounded in hospitals, rolling bandages, and generally making the soldiers happy. The inducement used by these agents was plenty of money, an opportunity to pay off the family debts, easy work, and the prospect of a new life in a new land---Singapore. On the basis of these false representations many girls enlisted for overseas duty and were rewarded with an advance of a few hundred yen. (Note: Whether the girls' fathers were fooled by this talk is at least moot). The contract they signed bound them to Army regulations and to work for the "house master" for a period of from six months to a year depending on the family debt for which they were advanced money".....The girls lived in near-luxury in Burma in comparison with other places...They lived well because their food and material was not heavily rationed and they had plenty of money with which to purchase desired articles. They were able to buy clothes, shoes, cigarettes and cosmetics to supplement the many gifts given to them by soldiers who had received "comfort bags" from home...They amused themselves by participating in sports events with both officers and men, and attended picnics, entertainments and social dinners. 
The "house master" received fifty to sixty per cent of the girls' gross earnings, depending on how much of a debt each girl had incurred when she signed her contract. This meant that in an average month a girl would gross about fifteen hundred yen (Note: a tidy sum at the time), of which she turned over half to the master. 
"In the latter part of 1943 the Army issued orders that certain girls who had paid their debt could return home. Some of the girls were thus allowed to return to Korea.
"The interrogations further show that the health of these girls was good. They were well supplied with all types of contraceptives, and often soldiers would bring their own which had been supplied by the Army. A regular Japanese Army doctor visited the houses once a week and any girl found diseased was given treatment, secluded and eventually sent to a hospital.
"The soldiers would often express how much they enjoyed receiving magazines, letters and newspapers from home. They also mentioned the receipt of "Comfort bags" filled with canned goods, magazines, soap, handkerchiefs, toothbrush, miniature dolls, lipstick and wooden clogs...the girls couldn't understand why the people at home were sending such articles. They speculated that the sender could only have had themselves or the "native girls" in mind. 
A listing of the girls provided their names, ages and home addresses. The ages ranged from 19 to 31, with an average age of about 23."

Rick Straus

[読者]

太田述正氏の掲示板より来ました。Rick Straus氏は、当時の日本の社会的背景を説明し、慰問というウソで女性たちが連れてこられた(ケースもある)ということを指摘されているます。別に"日本擁護"をしているわけではないと思います。言葉尻をとらえるようなコメントですみません。"親日派"と"知日派"の違いかな。太田氏の掲示版ではNYTの3月6日付社説「No Comfort」が例示されていましたが、問題は、NYTのNORIMITSU ONISHI という記者です。

[ash1saki]

NBR、BBCのForumの主流は性奴隷説しかとらないのに比べれば、実態をレポートしてくれるのは、私は日本擁護と言って良いと考えます。我々の主張するのも単純な日本善玉論ではなく、実態が性奴隷ではなく強制連行などもなかったという点です。大西哲光については英語版のWikipediaでも反日論調が強い事が指摘されています。常習犯なのです。今回も意図的に安部首相の発言を曲げて報道しています。AP通信の同様です。

[読者]

最近発表されたKilling the Messengerというレポートによれば、世界中で過去10年で1000人以上のジャーナリストが殺されたとのこと。 http://www.newssafety.com/stories/insi/KillingtheMessenger.pdf ここの63＆66/80頁参照。安全な国で無責任な発言をしているジャーナリストに知って貰いたい統計です。

[ash1saki]

正しく報道されるのであれば、日本に不利益な報道であっても構いませんが、捏造はお断りです。特に大西哲光については、元在日で日系人を装っている疑惑があります。

[Rach]

UndertakerRachのコピペでGo! http://undertakerrach.gouketu.com/

英文日本文併記 日本の主張を英語で世界に伝えよう！