World
Japan’s Abe rejects calls for apology to ‘comfort women’
Tokyo, Jan 12 (IANS) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday rejected South Korea’s calls for a sincere apology to the “comfort women” who were forcibly conscripted to work in wartime military brothels, despite evident flaws in a bilateral deal.
Abe’s remarks, the first from the Japanese leader since South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for the apology during a recent New Year’s press conference, came despite Seoul not requesting a bilateral deal on the issue be renegotiated, Xinhua news agency reported.
“We can by no means accept South Korea’s unilateral request for additional measures. The Japan-South Korea deal was a promise between countries. It is an international and universal principle to keep it,” Abe told reporters prior to departing for an East European tour.
Moon had stated that while it is “undeniable” that the deal is an official bilateral agreement, the “erroneous knot” with Japan over the “comfort women” issue must be untied by Tokyo apologising to the victims.
Under a landmark bilateral deal struck in December 2015 under the government of Moon’s predecessor Park Geun-hye, both countries agreed that the “comfort women” issue, that had led to diplomatic ties between both countries becoming significantly strained, would be “finally and irreversibly” resolved.
However, Moon said in December that the wartime sexual slavery issue cannot be resolved by the 2015 deal with Japan, as a secret agreement was found between the two countries after reviewing the procedure of the deal.
Moon said at the time that a grave fault was found in procedures and contents of the 2015 negotiations between the two governments that proved to be a costly blunder.
He said that although it was a political agreement, it excluded the victims and ordinary South Koreans.
The South Korean side also believes that prior to the deal being made with Japan, those who served as “comfort women” were not sufficiently consulted and their feelings not fully taken into account at the time.
Seoul, while maintaining it will not seek to renegotiate the deal, said it will plan to match the 1 billion yen ($8.98 million) paid by the Japanese government under the deal, with South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha saying that it will decide how to use Japan’s contribution.
The so-called “comfort women” issue involved soldiers from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during World War II, forcibly coercing and even kidnapping girls, some of them underage, and women, and forcing them to work as sex slaves, servicing Japanese soldiers at military brothels during the war.
Many of the women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese aggressors came from the Korean Peninsula as well as other parts of Asia, including China.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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