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The Japanese government is stepping up efforts to revise its imperialist past.
Following his Chief Cabinet Secretary's suggestion of changing Tokyo's wartime sex slavery apology,
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reportedly showed intent to revise the so-called Kono Statement.
Kim Ji-yeon reports. In a move certain to draw fury from Korea
and the rest of Asia, Japan says it's looking into revising its landmark apology for its
wartime system of sex slavery. The Kyodo news agency reported Monday that
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is mulling over revising the 1993 Kono Statement after
his Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that evidence given by women forced to
work in Japan's military brothels -- that forms the basis of the
statement -- will be re-examined. In a recent poll by the Sankei Shimbun, 58-point-6
percent of respondents said Tokyo should revise the statement, while only 23-point-8 percent
said it should not. In another move sure to enflame regional tensions,
Japan's Foreign Ministry posted a video Monday,... criticizing Korea for causing "unnecessary
confusion" by pressing other countries to adopt the name "East Sea" when referring to
the body of water between Korea and Japan. The video says "Sea of Japan" has been the
internationally-established name for the waters since the end of the 18th century.
Tokyo's move appears aimed at curbing state legislation in the U.S. that would require
the use of both names in school textbooks, after Virginia passed such a bill.
Korea considers the name "Sea of Japan" a legacy of Japan's imperialistic past, as it
came into use during Japan's colonial rule of Korea in the early 20th century.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.