Today's MemorundumEInformation



At Mar.10th,the petition concering the description about "MSS" at the comittee was decided to be carried at the next session. (Yamagata Pref.assembly)

The petition concerning the description about "MSS" will adopt at the plenary session of Yonezawa City in Yamagata Pref.at Mar.26.

The petition concerning the description about" MSS" wasn't adopted at the educational policy comittee in Kinkai Town assenbly(=Nagasaki Pref) by a unanimous vote in Feb.21.

The petition which demanded to expurgate the description about MSS (Military Sex Slave) was filed at municipal assembly in Yokoyama.It is filed at Feb.12th.



The petition which demanded to delete the description
about MSS(Military Sex Slave) was filed at prefectural

assembly in Kagawa.In Feb.10th,from "Kagawaken kyokasyo zeseikyogikai".



Mr.A who belonged to 731 Military Unit confessed to the reader's
column of the Yamagata.The confession was published at Feb.9.
At that time he was 21 years old.And he belonged to the "Sekiri group"(=Japanese:
The group studied dysentery bacillus .And also took part in experiment on a human body.

Ceremony of inauguration for "Society to Face up to the Historical Facts

"was held between 1:30 and 5 on January 25 ,at Kanda Pensee Tokyo 1000Yen.

For further information,contact "Nihon no sensosekinin shiryo senta"(=Archives for Japanese War Responsibilities) Tel:03-3366-8261


Prime minister Hashimoto expresssed a pity for the "historical background
remark"made by Kajiyama Cabinet's secretary general at the Japan-Korea
Summit meeting of January 25.Mr.Kajiayma said that MSS(Military Sex Slave )
were public or private prostitutes working abroad.


Japan Korea Association protested against Cabinet Secretary General Seroku Kajiyama's remark made on January 24. In this remark he said "We should take the background of the time into consideration when we treat the issue of MSS(=Sex Slaves)".The association demanded a withdrawal of his remark and his resignation in protest.

Confession by Mr.A(79) belonging to the former Military Unit731 through a contribution to the "Yamagata Shinbun(=Newspaper)" The confession was published on the February 9 edition.He says that he was 21 at that time and belonged to the Dysentery Unit and that he was also involved in the experiments on living human bodies. (Feb.9.97)

"The 6th Gathering for Peace"was held on February 9(Sunday),sponsored by Taiyo no ko no kai(=Society of Sun's Children )at the Shogai Plaza in Nagai-City,Yamagata-Prefecture.MSS(Military Sex Slave)and Schoolbooks/ Preview of the Film about the Battle of Okinawa"GAMA.Getsuounohara"(Feb.9.97)

Historical view based on liberalism was criticized at the study meeting of history education (in Yamagata City) A study meeting sponsored by the Council of History Teachers of Yamagata Prefecture was held in the "forest of Kyodo"(Kyodo no mori)in Yamagata-City on February 1.The lecture was Mr.Hisao Ishiyama,general secretary of the Council of History Teachers."Self-humiliating historical view "and "liberalistic historical view "were totally criticized. (Feb.1.97)

Mr. Kajiyama, Cabinet Secretary General,said on January that we must take into consideration the fact that there was a public(=authorized)prostitute system at that time ,as the background of the issue of MSS.(Jan.24,97) Korean women to be MSS, there is no evidence. If it were true,he should present the documents.(Jan.22,97)

Documents which testify the massacre of Koreans at the time of the Great Kanto Earthquqke were found.The documents mentioning the details of the massacre from September 1,1923 were found at the Tokyo Metropolitan Archives. These documents describing the situation of the killing by the Army were compiled by the Kanto Head Quarters.It was discovered that the army had been involved in the Oshimamachi Incident in which Chinese were murdered and in the Kameido Incident in which socialists were murdered.The documents mention the killing of 254Koreans and 27 Japanese.(Jan.18,97)

Construction of Korai Kan (Korea Hall)is under way,on the national route 47 in the village of Tozawa in Yamagata Pref.It is scheduled to open in Spetember this year.The village has been strengthening a tie with South Korea.Total cost is about one billion yen. South Korea demands suspension of payment of compensation for MSS.At the talk between Korean goverment officials and the Japanese foreign minister Ikeda held on 15 the,the Korean foreign minister Liu demanded suspension of the compensation.The Japanese foreign minister Ikeda answered that Japan could not withdraw it.(Jan.15 97)

Asia Peace National Fund paid compen sation to 7 MSS in South Korea. This Fund announced that 2 million Yen of compensation was paid to 7 MSSs each with the letter of the Prime Minister Hashimoto. This payment was done secretly without any reporters. The Fund explains that it paid compensation in a moderate manner on account of privacy.The foreign ministry of South Korea declared that Japan must among others a shameful history which injured women's dignity.(Jan.11,97)

Society to Tackle Prostitution Problems consisting of Japanese Christian Women's Society,New Japanese women's Society,etc protested against the view on the MSS issues by the society to Make New History schoolbooks.Children need to study history based on facts.(Jan.7,97) A document was found which testifies experiments on living human bodies by 731 MIlitary Unit.It was revealed from the document that the Unit tried to conceal the fact through a manouvere so that it could evade questioning by the allied powers. This document was found by Keiichi Tokoishi,professor of University of Kanagawa.(Jan.7,97)

Ms.Yoshiko Sakurai,a jounalist,said in a lecture that the comfort women for Japanese soldiers has not a consciousness that they were forced to leave the country to work as a comfort women. Regarding this statement,a certain group for human rights in Kanagawa Prefecture issued a declaration that the statement was a profanity towards the former comfort women.Ms.Yoshiko Sakurai explained,in her turn,that she had only tried to clarify whether or not the expatriation of Korean people for forced labor had been a principal policy of the Japanese army and goverment,though she does not deny that comfort women existed.(Dec.3,96)

Nanking Massacre appears in the textbooks used in the public high school in San Francisco.The textbooks treat Nanking Massacre,Living Bodies Experiments by 731 military unit ,etc.(Nov.27,96) Okayama prefectural assembly adopted the petition for deletion of the description about "comfort women"in schoolbooks. A petition to propose to the goverment that the descriptions related to "comfort women" in the schoolbooks of social studies used in Junior High schools were adopted.The adoption was by 38 votes of LPD members to 20 votes of opposition members. It is more than the system of authorization of textbooks by the ministry of authorization of the goverment where LPD is the dominant party. This is a regrettable situation.(Nov.9 ,96)

Former Philippine comfort women demanded an apology to Mr.Seiryo Okuno. Mr.Okuno remarked in June that the "comfort women's" acts had been money making acts. The "comfort women" appealed to the Japan Lawyers'. The comfort women appealed to the Japan Lawyers' Association for compensation.(Nov.9,96)

The US put 16 Japanese former solidiers on the list of 731 military unit. They were involved in the management of the "Comfort Houses".(Nov.9,96)



LPD(=Liberal Democratic Party) officer's meeting discussed the Nanking
Massacre described in the schoolbooks of elementary schools in China.

An officers' meeting of LDP held on 5th discussed the description of the Nanking Massacre in the schoolbooks in China ,questionning whether it is true that more than 300,000 Chinese were killed in this incident. They concluded finally that they must collect historical facts through Sino-Japanese Peace and Good will Exchange Activities or by implementing the agreement for encouraging Japan-Korea Joint History studies.(Nov.6,96) This is because the sender of the letter though the schoolbooks used from April were "biased"(Councerning the description of MSS.(Nov.96)

Foreign Minstry's request for exclusion of Indonesia concerning the payment of compensation to the former comfort women(=sex slaves for the Japanese soldiers) 2 million yen of indemnity is to be paid to an ex-comfort woman by "Asian Peace Fund women"(headed by Bunbei Hara)based on the national fund raising campaign. But the Foreign Ministry seems to acknowledge that it is difficult to pay compensation under the present circumstances of such countries as Indonesia. The "Fund"insists that Indonesia cannot be handled separately.(Nov.5,96) (The following:Under Construction)
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