Principles of True Apology - The Issue of Comfort Women

Source: cafe.daum.net/cybershinsi

The issue of comfort women has been one of the most difficult ones to solve to both Koreans and Japanese in many senses. It is similar to many other issues related to the past which in particular have victims calling for comfort. As other historical controversies, it may be debatable according to the historical perspectives and the historical facts those arguments are based on. However, sometimes this kind of matter does not need conventional historical investigation. Since this matter affects more than those who know or do not know the historical facts. We need much more simple but effective solution to this debate and it can be from the conscience rather than the hitorical facts, and from the warm humanism rather than the cold scientific analysis.

The summary of Cat Saunders' article about the four princiles of true apology has the following relevant part to this issue.
In 1990, the Seattle Post Intelligencer reported a story about theEast Germany's first freely elected governemnt's admittance about the war crime against the Jews. It quoted the statement of the East Germany's parliament that "We feel sad and ashamed and acknowledge this burden of German history….We ask the Jews of the world to forgive us." Following this statement the East Germen Government offered to give persecuted Jews asylum in their country, and financial compensation to holocaust victims for their material losses. Obviously, it was impossible to compensate for the pain and horror experienced by those who suffered at the hands of the Nazi regime but East Germany's apology provided a powerful move toward healing for both sides. The apology of the East Germany Government was to acknowledge the nature and extent of the victims' suffering, to take the whole responsibility regardless of nitty gritty details of the history, to ask for forgiveness without expectation or demand, and to make amends and followed through on this commitments. (http://www.drcat.org/dchh/html/apology.html)

Is it right to talk about the historical facts as the PM Abe and other ministers have often said? Is it right that we have to wait until the exact historical facts are found to prove who were responsible for this? I am sure that those victims of the Comfort Women do not want to even remember all those happend during that horrible period. All they need is the comfort for them who happened to be the worst victims of the history not only from Japan but also from all of us as human beings. The best format of the comfort from Japanese Government to these women would be the sincere apology which has the same nature of East Germany's government's. Of course, we need to think about our way to comfort them too.