Dialogue Needed On Comfort Women Issue, Says UN Special Envoy

UN Ambassador Zainab Bangura, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict comments on Comfort Women Issue

UN Ambassador Zainab Bangura, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict

The most commented-on article of the day on Yahoo! Japan was the news that Zainab Bangura, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, had stated that the Comfort Women issue must be resolved through dialogue between Japan and Korea.

Given the generally conservative views of Yahoo! netizens, it is unsurprising that the article has drawn such a reaction. The overall opinion remains one of disbelief as regards historical evidence of the Comfort Women system, which is generally reinforced by the recent retraction of articles on the Comfort Women by the left-wing newspaper, the Asahi Shimbun.

From Yahoo! Japan:

UN Special Envoy: “Korea And Japan Should Solve Comfort Women Issue Through Dialogue”

On September 13, UN Special Envoy Zainab Hawa Bangura, who has been appointed to deal for issues of sexual violence in conflict zones, stated in an interview with the Kyodo News Agency that “In order to solve the Comfort Women issue, both Japan and Korea must resolve it through dialogue”. UN Ambassador Bangura added that “The issue cannot be resolved unless both nations concerned can agree between themselves what must be done and how they will go about doing it”. The UN Organisation, including the UN Human Rights Council and the UN Commission on Human Rights, has advised the Japanese government to apologize and pay compensation over the Comfort Women issue.

Comments from Yahoo! Japan:

yum*****:

This is an issue that has already been resolved, it’s not about resolving it or anything. It’s over!

sok*****:

This has already been resolved.
Oh, and how about returning that statue of Buddha soon? I think there’s more to come.

*pp*****:

What’s wrong with having a dialogue on it?
If we have points that we want to deny, then it would be a good platform for doing so.
And this time, don’t just leave it to the Asahi, the government needs to create a platform and say the things they want to say to the whole world.
Well, I’m not sure if a dialogue will actually be possible, because we still have the problem of the other side in all this.

たろう:

Isn’t the UN intervening most in all of this…?

mor*****:

I’m not bothered either way, but no one has gone to the Asian Games, have they. I wonder if it’s ok?

ced*****:

We should include the Takeshima issue and solve it militarily.

cel*****:

If this is something that can be worked out through discussion, things wouldn’t have dragged out until now…

nob*****:

Have they forgotten “even if 1000 years pass we’ll still continue to hold a grudge” [President Park Geun Hye said this in 2012]???? Still 998 years to go guys.

ftj*****:

How do you solve something that has nothing to solve?

hik*****:

Hey Asahi Shimbun, how are you gonna take responsibility for this?

hitkot:

All they do is lie and make excuses so there is no point in having a dialogue with them.
If the UN would investigate at least this much I think they’d soon understand.
Are you doing your jobs? w

hiy*****:

So in brief: “Those Asahi articles and the Kono Statement were apparently lies, and the UN doesn’t really want to get involved”.

fan*****:

I don’t think this is something that can be resolved through dialogue.

yay*****:

I think the Asahi Shimbun should disband already.

慈念:

The UN are like Hina-matsuri dolls still being out in May.

JM:

I don’t really get the nuances, but from here on, I wish the UN would make announce that their stance is to not get involved.

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