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Ahead of a trilateral summit among Korea, the U.S. and Japan scheduled for Tuesday,...
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said... it's important to face history and pass it
on to the next generation. But the sincerity of Abe and his administration
is once again in question,... this after a high-level Japanese official called for a
new statement on the comfort women issue. Our Hwang Sung-hee has the details. Visiting
the Anne Frank House museum in Amsterdam on Sunday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
stressed the importance of preserving history for the next generation.
"We would like to face the historical facts in a humble manner, but also, we like to pass
on the lessons and the facts of history to the next generation. By doing so, I would
like to realize peace in the entire international community."
The Anne Frank House is where the German-born Jewish girl kept a diary of her life in hiding
before she died in a Nazi concentration camp. The Japanese government said Abe's visit to
one of the best-known memorials to the victims of the holocaust showed his willingness to
acknowledge historical facts. The visit is being seen as a diplomatic move
ahead of Abe's trilateral summit with President Park Geun-hye and U.S. President Barack Obama
on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague.
Abe's first official meeting with the South Korean leader comes after he vowed to uphold
Japan's landmark apology issued to the victims of its wartime *** enslavement during the
Second World War. But a comment made by one of Abe's close aides
is once again raising eyebrows about Japan's sincerity.
Koichi Hagiuda said Sunday that Tokyo should consider issuing a new political statement
on the so-called "comfort women" issue, if fresh findings emerge while the government
verifies how the existing apology was compiled. He stressed the Japanese leader did not deny
the possibility of issuing a new statement. Hagiuda's comments should not be taken lightly
as he had foreseen Abe's visit to the controversial Yasukuni shrine last year.
South Korea's foreign ministry noted it was inappropriate for a high-level Japanese official
to deny the recent pledges made by Abe and urged Tokyo to reaffirm its stance.
Hwang Sung-hee, Arirang News.