Opinion: In the tug-of-war over a statue, lessons from history

To the editor: I would like to call your attention to the Japanese government’s position on and its efforts to addressing the “comfort women” issue. Japan, as stated by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Aug. 14, 2015, has “repeatedly expressed the feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology for its actions during the war.”

( “Victory for a Glendale statue,” Aug. 6)

The statement has said that “we must never forget that there were women behind the battlefields whose honor and dignity were severely injured.”

Your article also overlooks the efforts by the Asian Women’s Fund established in 1995 in Japan to provide assistance to former comfort women, although all issues of reparations, properties and claims arising from the war have been legally settled.

Also, in December 2015, Japan and South Korea reached historic agreement that the issue of comfort women was resolved “finally and irreversibly.”

My wish for Southern California, which is home to many Asian communities, is that while not forgetting the lessons of history, we devote our energies to building partnerships and avoiding actions that incite tensions.

Akira Chiba, Los Angeles

The writer is the consul general of Japan in L.A.

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