PM ABE TO PROVIDE DOCUMENTS ON "COMFORT WOMEN" TO

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 001022 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/08/2017 TAGS: PGOV JA SUBJECT: PM ABE TO PROVIDE DOCUMENTS ON "COMFORT WOMEN" TO LDP LAWMAKERS REF: TOKYO 0879 Classified By: AMBASSADOR J. THOMAS SCHIEFFER. REASONS 1.4 (B),(D). ¶1. (S) Summary. A group of LDP Diet members has submitted a proposal to PM Abe, calling on the Japanese government to undertake historical research into the "comfort women" issue. The lawmakers stated goal is to clear up "misperceptions" contained in the Kono Statement and promote greater understanding in Japan and overseas. Abe promised to provide the group with documents and files to aid in their research, but stopped short of committing to official government participation in the project. An English translation of the proposal is attached. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Representatives of the Committee of LDP Lawmakers to Consider Japan's Future and Historical Education, led by Nariaki Nakayama, met with Prime Minister Abe on March 8 to present their final proposal for addressing the "comfort women" issue. An Embassy contact on the committee provided a draft of the proposal (see para 5) to the Embassy in the strictest confidence. (This Diet member came to the front gate of Embassy Tokyo at 7:00 p.m. to drop off the just approved document.) The proposal calls on the Japanese government to continue diplomatic efforts to deepen accurate understanding of the "comfort women" issue at home and abroad, with the goal of defeating the Honda Resolution. The proposal faults the 1993 Kono Statement for promoting inaccurate perceptions of the "comfort women" issue, and calls on the government to conduct fact-finding and research into the government's wartime role. ¶3. (S) During the meeting, Abe promised Nakayama that the government would provide the committee with documents to use in reexamining the historical record, and hinted at the possibility of establishing a task force within the Office of the Prime Minister (the "Kantei") to coordinate those efforts, according to our Embassy contact. Abe reaffirmed his position that the Honda Resolution is not based on historical facts and does not reflect the Japanese government's prior actions to address the "comfort women" issue. He did not offer any additional explanation of his Diet remarks concerning the definition of "coercion." In statements to the press after the meeting, Abe emphasized that the LDP would take the lead in conducting the historical research. He avoided questions regarding government participation in LDP efforts, beyond noting cooperation in providing historical materials and files. ¶4. (SBU) Press reports on the meeting at the Kantei focused on whether the LDP or the Kantei would take the lead in the history project. The press also reported Chief Cabinet Secretary Shiozaki's remarks earlier in the day criticizing SIPDIS the foreign media for misrepresenting the Prime Minister's comments in the Diet. Shiozaki told reporters the government is considering publishing rebuttals in foreign media outlets, and taking other unspecified measures in response to international criticism. As in his previous statements on the issue, however, Shiozaki emphasized that the government continues to stand by the Kono Statement. Abe made that point as well in his own press remarks. LDP policy chief Shoichi Nakagawa, meanwhile, continued to express doubts about the Kono Statement, questioning the wisdom of a "historical judgment" made by politicians. U.S. media reporting on Abe's criticism of the historical basis for the Kono Statement continued to receive extensive and mostly negative press play in Japan. ¶5. (C) Following is the full text of the draft provided to the Embassy. Begin text: The Parliamentary Council to Consider the Future of Japan and History Education created a subcommittee in an effort to take up the "comfort women issue." We have continued our research and probe into the issue since last December, based on data and records provided by experts and historical researchers, and on interviews that we have taken. TOKYO 00001022 002 OF 002 It is our way of thinking that we should always face up to historical facts with sincerity and modesty. IT is also our thinking that we need to make a clear, appropriate claim or rebuttal against criticism that is not based on the facts or is lacking in evidence. In accordance with these principles, we make the following suggestions to the government. The "comfort women" resolution currently being deliberated in the U.S. House of Representatives expresses a unilateral point of view that is not based on objective facts. The resolution, for instance, has such statements as: "the Imperial Japanese Army's coercion of young women into sexual slavery"; "unprecedented acts including gang rape, forced abortion, humiliation, and sexual violence"; and, the largest cases of human trafficking in the 20th century." It calls on the Japanese government to formally apologize. In order to protect the honor of Japan, the government should continue its diplomatic efforts to seek an accurate understanding about the comfort women issue at home and abroad, including the U.S. House of Representatives, and to block the adoption of the resolution. The numerous misperceptions of the comfort women issue, including the current resolution before the House of Representatives, have their basis in the 1993 statement released by then Chief Cabinet Secretary Kono. A system of legal prostitution was allowed at that time, so it is our view that some of the comfort women were placed in that unfortunate situation. In this regard, we cannot help but sympathize with those women and offer our feelings of regret. But according to the results of our survey, we found factual evidence of the coercion of women against their wills into sexual slavery by private-sector dealers, but there was no factual evidence of coercion by the Imperial Japanese Army or the government. Although there one case called the "Semarang Incident" on the island of Java, those involved in the incident were all punished immediately. This incident indicates instead that there was no coercive recruitment by the Japanese military. We urge the government to reinvestigate the comfort women issue and disclose all the results and relevant date in order to basically resolve the issue. End text. SCHIEFFER