There is the statute of limitations... 7 years I believe for all but capital crimes...

sam, this happened in the 40s... if you plan on prosecuting those that participated in it, you'll be digging up a lot of graves...

And tell me... how were those american GIs supposed to know that the women in the brothel had been kidnapped? I'm sure the number of men who spoke japanese back then were minimal... so how exactly were they supposed to know?

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I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.
~~ Socrates

Only in that it is different than the article's title...

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I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.
~~ Socrates

Doesn't this belong in the 'Historical Discourse' section?

I mean for real... how is this breaking political news?

Anyway, If you would like to prosecute those responsible for carrying out these crimes in 1944-1946 you're going to have to scour the nursing homes and many graveyards.

The Army saw that it was going on and shutdown the brothels in 1946 and this story is about reparations that were made. Sure it's too little, too late, but what do you suggest be done?

I would suggest we focus not on WWII sex crimes, but those presently occuring. There are no U.S. run brothels in Japan now. Perhaps the locally run brothels are worth a look.

Yes prostitution is bad....but it's far from the worst sex crime. Your thread title implies rape.

What do you really wish to discuss?

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Congratulations President-Elect Obama

Reread the article - these were not prostitutes. Many were forced by the govt. To say that women and girls taken during war and forced into brothels are prostitutes is like calling a robbery victim a philanthrope.

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And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it." --George W. Bush, Jan. 29, 2007

Crying...screaming....not putting up with it peacefully at first. Suicide. That should have been a tip-off.

"As expected, after it opened it was elbow to elbow," the history says. "The comfort women ... had some resistance to selling themselves to men who just yesterday were the enemy, and because of differences in language and race, there were a great deal of apprehensions at first. But they were paid highly, and they gradually came to accept their work peacefully."

Natsue Takita, a 19-year-old Komachien worker whose relatives had been killed in the war, responded to an ad seeking an office worker. She was told the only positions available were for comfort women and was persuaded to accept the offer.

According to Kaburagi's memoirs, published in Japanese after the occupation ended in 1952, Takita jumped in front of a train a few days after the brothel started operations

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And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it." --George W. Bush, Jan. 29, 2007

I asked about reparations and apology - not prosecutions. Reread the article - women who don't accept sex peacefully are being raped.

What would I like to talk about - why is rape so common in wars, and so commonly ignored or covered up? Yeah, this is WWII - but we're just acknowledging it now - and most of the male posters seem to think it's no big deal - not any sort of issue.

Would it be news if Japanese boys were forced into prostitution - how about American boys?

As for current and politics - this issue is huge in Japan - becoming larger in SE Asia, as the AIDS epidemic increases - and causing a communication breakdown between Korea and Japan which the US was mediating - but it's not getting much media play, so it mustn't be as important as bennifer and ANS's baby's father.

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And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it." --George W. Bush, Jan. 29, 2007

My thoughts exactly. Funny how some people here didn't get too excited by Saddam and his two deviant sons raping women on a regular basis just a few years ago (usually in front of their husbands who were forced to watch) , yet you feign outrage about events that may have happened 60 years ago? Gimme a break.

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I think at this point there needs to be a focus on an immediate increase in spending and I think this is a time when deficit fear has to take a second seat . . . I believe later on there should be tax increases. Speaking personally, I think there are a lot of very rich people out there whom we can tax at a point down the road and recover some of the money."
-- Barney Frank, October 20, 2008

I assume this means you are for an immediate invasion of Darfur?


How is the US an honest broker between Japan and Korea in their current communication impasse - if GI's may well have also been raping the same women?

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And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it." --George W. Bush, Jan. 29, 2007

It's news that soldiers frequented brothels?

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843rd Bomb Wing - Strategic Air Command
"Peace is our Profession"

"Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is Divine. . . . Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants.
" - James Wilson, U. S. Supreme Court Justice and Signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution

Samantha never says a disparaging word about another country doing anything wrong. It's ALWAYS the US' fault. You should know that by now.

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843rd Bomb Wing - Strategic Air Command
"Peace is our Profession"

"Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is Divine. . . . Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants.
" - James Wilson, U. S. Supreme Court Justice and Signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution

Gimme a break!! You really think that soldiers screwing Japanese women 60 years ago is affecting the US' ability to act as an intermediary between Japan and Korea but not the fact that we dropped 2 nuclear bombs on them?

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843rd Bomb Wing - Strategic Air Command
"Peace is our Profession"

"Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is Divine. . . . Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants.
" - James Wilson, U. S. Supreme Court Justice and Signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution

So you wouldn't mind this happening to your mother, your sister, your wife, your daughter, opr your little boy? "The comfort women ... had some resistance to selling themselves to men who just yesterday were the enemy, and because of differences in language and race, there were a great deal of apprehensions at first. But they were paid highly, and they gradually came to accept their work peacefully."

Funny, I always thought women resisting sex was rape. I guess in wartime, anything goes. So why did we invade Iraq - it was something about Saddam's sons......oh yes, you only object to rapes that further your political spin.

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And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it." --George W. Bush, Jan. 29, 2007

Your indignation is a tad late. You should have been outraged 3 score ago.

__________________
843rd Bomb Wing - Strategic Air Command
"Peace is our Profession"

"Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is Divine. . . . Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants.
" - James Wilson, U. S. Supreme Court Justice and Signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution

This is EXACTLY the kind of arrogant, inward-thinking, inward-looking, myopic, short-term thinking, "my-way-or-the-highway" thinking that has not only landed us in hot water around the world, but has contributed to the massive anti-American feeling around the world.

While America's past may not matter to the average American sitting at home stuffing our collective faces with a Big Mac watching American Idol, those very same foreign policies we consider to be "ancient history" are very real and very "real and now" for many nations (and their respective citizens) around the world.

We must acknowledge when America has had past missteps. This is clearly a situation which we must examine and, if warranted, apologize for. When America tries to espouse (what may seem to others as) grandiose ideals such as "democracy", "freedom", "equality", "humanity" and then turn around in the same breath and ignore situations such as this where we have literal or figurative "blood on our hands" -- we lose credibility (and friends) faster than you can say hypocrite.

Why is this even important you ask? These are the images and stories that get played over and over again in the hearts and minds of our enemies, those that mean us true and real harm --> from the Guantanamo Bay detention camps to Abu Ghraib, and yes, even back 60 years ago. We must set a better example. We are charged with a higher standard if we are to be a leader and a fighter / defender of freedom and democracy. When we go astray we MUST acknowledge this and correct our course of action.

Bear in mind that Bin Laden, Al Queda, other terrorists don't wake up one day, spin a "wheel of nations" and randomly pick the US to attack. They aren't mindless idiots marching off to their deaths as suicide bombers. Perhaps it would be easier if they were --> like the shooter at VT --> then we could somehow absolve ourselves of any responsibility, then we wouldn't have to ask the hard questions... like "why do they hate us?" "what have we done to deserve this?" Then perhaps we wouldn't need to delve into our own governments actions (or inactions) which, at a whim, can cause longstanding changes or harm to another nation (or peoples) seemingly out of sight and out of mind but those actions can have serious consequences (Iraq is the latest example, but history is replete with our handiwork around the world).

Why does this incident that happened 60 years ago even matter? Why should we, as Americans, give "two shits"? Because we need to start taking some ownership. We need to start asking the hard questions. We need to start repairing relationships. We need to start displaying some genuine humility, humanity. Remember:

"Those Who Forget History Are Doomed to Repeat It"

Might have been - had the govt released the information in a more timely fashion.

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And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it." --George W. Bush, Jan. 29, 2007