Listen to the victims of sexual slavery! – Worldwide action against the “Japan-South Korea Agreement”

In response to an urgent initiative of the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, actions against the “Japan-South Korea Agreement” on the comfort women issue were held in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Prime Minister in central Tokyo on January 6, 2016. This day was also the 1,212^th time of the “Wednesday action” on the issue, which started 24 years ago, and solidarity actions were held in 25 cities in eight countries, including Seoul. The action in front of the Office of the Prime Minister started with a Korean song for the people “Bawoichorom (Like a Rock)”. YAMAGUCHI Masanori, a journalist, said angrily, “The agreement can never be regarded as being an apology from Japan. I was appalled at the Japanese media appreciating it as one step forward. Former “comfort women” have demanded Japan to admit its legal responsibility and compensate based on it. While the Japanese Government is spending tens of billions of Japanese yen for an Osprey, it tries to settle the history issue only at a billion yen and force the South Korean Government to withdraw the statue of a girl who was forced into sexual slavery during World War II. If Abe (Japan’s Prime Minister) is really serious about the apology, he has to retract his past comments denying the existence of comfort women and apologize directly to the victims”. Despite the short notice, approximately a hundred of people joined the action to demand the Japanese Government to listen to the victims. (M)

 Video (In front of the Office of the Prime Minister)

 Video (In front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

被害者ハルモニの声を聞け！～世界一斉に「日韓合意」反対アクション

韓国挺身隊問題対策協議会の緊急呼びかけにこたえて、1月6日東京でも外務省前や官邸前で、「日韓合意」反対アクションが行われた。この日は24年前に始まった「水曜デモ」の1212回目の日で、ソウルをはじめ8ヶ国25都市で連帯行動が取り組まれた。官邸前では韓国の民衆歌「岩のように」の歌声から始まった。ジャーナリストの山口正紀さんは「今回の合意内容は謝罪とは言えない。メディアが一歩前進と評価しているのにもあきれた。ハルモニが求めてきたのは法的責任とそれに基づく賠償。オスプレイ一機に何百億円を使う政府がたった10億円でこの問題にケリをつけ、少女像を撤去させようとしている。安倍が本当に謝罪する気なら、いままでの“慰安婦なかったような発言”を撤回し、ハルモニに直接会って謝罪すべきだ」と怒りのスピーチを行った。急な呼びかけにも関わらず約100人の市民が集まり、「被害者ハルモニの声を聞け！」などのプラカードを掲げた。（M）   
 動画（官邸前）・ 動画（外務省前）