旧日本軍の所謂「従軍慰安婦」に関する米国議会決議（121-1H）問題と日本における反応について言及することはなかったのだが、テッサ・モーリス＝鈴木さんの”The Truth About Japan's So-Called "Comfort Women"*1というテクストを読んだ。問題についてコンパクトに纏められたテクストだと思うので、一読をお薦めしたい。大局的な問題として、
というパッセージを引いておきたい。但し、”His comments on the "comfort women" issue must be seen in the context of a desire to re-establish his credentials with the Japanese right, particularly in the lead-up to crucial parliamentary elections, scheduled for July.”という〈読み〉に関しては、事柄が現在進行中のことなので、その最終的な是非を問うのは早すぎるだろう。
Confusingly, Abe does insist that, despite his doubts about the "forcible" nature of the system, he is not actually retracting the Kono apology. But, rather than reassuring critics, this equivocation has simply served to highlight the reasons why Japanese politicians' apologies for the war have been regarded with skepticism by Japan's neighbours. Because they have been individual apologies - and have never yet been backed up by significant packages of compensation to victims or significant programs of public education on historical responsibility - statements like Kono's (however well-intentioned they may be) have proved to be all too easily modified, parsed, re-interpreted, hedged around with conditions or simply abandoned by the next group of people to come to power.
ところで、注意を引いたのは、「従軍慰安婦」への日本軍当局の関与について中曽根康弘元首相が証言しているという指摘である。
なお、米国下院決議121-1Hの議決を促す署名運動*2を「うに」さん*3が紹介されていることを記しておく。
