Nikon Cancels ‘Comfort Women’ Photo Exhibit
May 28, 2012, 7:52 PM JST
By Miho Inada
In the latest flare-up over Japan’s ongoing handling of Korean “comfort women” during World War II, Tokyo-based camera company Nikon Corp. has stirred controversy by cancelling a planned exhibit on the subject by a South Korean photographer.
Reuters
Former “comfort women” during weekly protests outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul, South Korea.
The exhibit was to have been shown at the company’s Shinjuku salon from June 26 to July 9, and included photos of women who said they had been held as sexual slaves by the Japanese military in China in the 1930s and 1940s.
A spokeswoman for the photographer, Ahn Se-hong, said an official from Nikon called him last week and told him the exhibit would be cancelled, but did not give him any reason. The spokeswoman, Sadik Lee, told JRT that a Nikon official said they would like to meet Mr. Ahn in person to apologize, but he refused until he was given an explanation.
A Nikon spokesman, who declined to be named, confirmed the cancellation, and told JRT that “considering various circumstances in a comprehensive way, we have come to decide to cancel it. This is all we can say.”
The spokesman wouldn’t elaborate, but did confirm Japanese press reports of protests that Nikon received against the planned exhibit. The Asahi Shimbun reported that several complaints surfaced on the Internet, branding the exhibit a “betrayal” of Japan, and calling for protests of the exhibit.
The cancellation comes after a controversy earlier this month in Palisades Park, N.J., when Japanese government officials and lawmakers tried to persuade the community to take down a monument in the town, which has a large population of Korean descent, dedicated to the memory of comfort women. The town refused and the resulting publicity has prompted more American cities to consider such monuments.
Mr. Ahn also seems determined not to let the matter of his exhibit fade quietly. Ms. Lee said he cannot accept cancellation and is demanding that Nikon go ahead with the original plans.
12:59 am May 29, 2012
Cleo wrote:
If they hadn’t cancelled, the exhibit would have gone on with no international press certainly not from WSJ. By cancelling, I know not to buy NIkon products. But I’m not buying ANY Japanese owned products including Philips and Madame Alexander dolls. All my multi region dvd players are from OPPO out of California.
1:00 am May 29, 2012
Cleo wrote:
Think about it – every time you support Japanese business, you are financing their cruel gloating over getting away with rape, murder and thieving.
1:32 am May 29, 2012
AwesomeGaijin wrote:
@ Cleo – what are you getting so upset about? if you really want to get back at them, just bang a couple of their women. there’s a term for japanese women – yellow taxis – everybody gets on and off!!!
haha, they’re the shame of japan – and i certainly am enjoying myself! meanwhile the short little japanese men just stare impotently…
2:36 am May 29, 2012
a wrote:
there are two anti-japan persons. maybe korean.
5:04 am May 29, 2012
bunkloader wrote:
@ Cleo – Do you refuse to buy American products due to slavery in the past? C’mon.
@ AwesomeGaijin – I’m guessing you can’t speak Japanese well enough yet to get a real girl. Try using a condom and maybe dating a smart one from time to time.
9:25 am May 29, 2012
Tokyo_Dan wrote:
If the photographer would like to make sticker copies of the photos, I’d be more than willing to post them throughout Tokyo under the cover of darkness. He can call it an open-air exhibit.
10:48 am May 29, 2012
AwesomeGaijin wrote:
@ bunkloader
of course i’m not fluent, but know enough japanese to get by, but hey, most of these girls know english, decently well educated (book smarts, but not smart anything else), and at this point in their lives, japanese men just ain’t doing it for them.
they’re just trash though, i don’t really care. but being a white gaijin here i certainly get treated with privileges… while lame japanese salarymen get treated like a dime a dozen in their own country! this is great – love to see their envious expressions.
10:59 am May 29, 2012
Anon wrote:
Cowards! Keep sweeping your issues under the carpet Japan. inevitably the build up will be great the floor will collapse.
11:14 am May 29, 2012
sukmy9cm wrote:
Go and bust any “Asian” massage parlor in a major city in U.S./Canada/Australia, and do a background search of the nationality of the wh…ladies working there and the guys running the show, and you’re likely to find an interesting correlation.
Fifty years from now, I can bet my 2 cents that these people will be coming out in droves to claim that they had been brought there against their will and were made to serve as “comfort women” by the evil westerners and start demanding for an apology and compensation.
6:31 pm May 29, 2012
JPM wrote:
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20120528-00000005-scn-kr
Even now 100,000 Korean ladies are seling themselves as Prostitution all over the world.
Do you think that?
9:52 pm May 29, 2012
Cleo wrote:
Anyone notice that the author of this article wrote “woman who SAID they had been held as sexual slaves” as if it is their word against Japan’s. Holy Christ. Evil much?
Ahn Se-hong should put the entire exhibit on a webpage so we can all get a look at it since NIkon has given him all this free press.
Very Cruel to do this to the victims. And Tone Deaf besides. Interesting.
9:54 pm May 29, 2012
Cleo wrote:
despite all the dusty storefronts with blatant Massage signs – I’ve never seen anyone go in them. The only time I hear about them is on Law and Order episodes and even then that’s rare. I have met chaste high achieving Korean American girls though. Would the Japanese really rape prostitutes when in China, they specifically hunted virgins? The Japanese HURT those girls and women.
1:21 am May 30, 2012
xuan wrote:
@AwesomeGaijin: wow, you are truly a moron and a discredit to foreigners living abroad. you are living in Japan as a GUEST. granted, those women consented to relations with you…but maybe one time was all they needed to realize what a lousy lay you are. and a pompous windbag.
Nikon has every right to cancel the exhibit on the comfort women. Is it the right/moral thing to do? No, but considering the already tense atmosphere between Japan and Korea, do they need something else to stir up more contraversy or negative publicity? Probably not.
I am Vietnamese-American, do you hear me complaining about American GI’s raping our women? I don’t appreciate it being part of our culture’s history, but it’s up to us today to prevent women and children from being exploited in the future in situations like these where in war, women and children are abused and exploited.
10:00 pm May 30, 2012
Gen X Japanese male wrote:
As for me, Generation X, Japanese nationality living in Japan, here is what I have been told or have learnt:
1. Comfort Women did exist.
2. Half were either Chinese(Manchuria) or Korean origin, Japanese invaded areas.
3. “Many” have volunteered to become prostitutes. It was not Illegal back then.
4. “Many” were sold by their parents as it was quite natural to have big family in poor areas, probably happened not just in China or Korea but also in Japan as well
5. “Many” may have been abducted from their families or tricked into being a comfort women, where this is the point in the argument.
6. There were no ways for comfort women to go to military controlled areas so the Military organized the logistics.
7. The military did not out law comfort women system. As in point 5, they knew there was sexual act done by comfort woman and have asked for a setup in remote areas.
8. “Some” comfort women may have been paid in military issued bonds
9. “many” soldiers(ancestors) have bought comfort women, “some” have not
10. DId Japanese military tried to solve these abduction issue? Probably not. Did they know where and how they came, probably not.
11. So was it public or government(military) ran? Does not really matter for non-Japanese but this is the point where all thinking stops for Japanese.
So when I hear “Military Sex Slave” I have to wonder what is meant for and why they advertise as is. Clearly above point is not humane in today’s standards and most would agree that in modern day Japan.
Was there a military, involvement? Yes, there was and there was negligence and past prime ministers have apologized in public speeches. Was it proper? Probably not as it is not to the point that Korean victims want to hear and also the government’s thinking stops at point 11.
For me, I am not sure what is fair for these victims. Execution of Tokyo Tribunal is not realistic to these people. Unless above all points are advertised liked the holocaust, like “every one of comfort women” were sex slaves they will most likely never feel right. There were public fund setup in Japan to pay back to these victims but it was not government owned, only directed by government.
In the real world, in Japan, it is not discussed in public (as Japanese do not openly discuss political issues) but some what people are still trying to understand what had really happened. We can freely learn from left or the right side people but the Japanese have not come to a common consensus, and what I know may be wildly biased as well.
So this is what I know and have learned in the past. I do not know who is to blame, the nation, people or history but I feel it will never be “solved” as it is already not about what it is but what it should be.
11:16 pm May 30, 2012
Cleo wrote:
I believe that the documentary participants – the Osakan hookers were being honest about how many men they serviced before they got off work and hung out in “THe Great Happiness Space” but the Japanese Army had to guard these gangrape victims known as Comfort Women from escaping and the woman and girls were damaged so thoroughly that they were definitely tortured and raped to death or near death such that many became infertile AND incontinent suffering internal organ injuries. Not only were they bayoneted and burned and choked during the rapes but unlike the JAPANESE who actually volunteered to be hookers, they had NO paperwork like the kind that China found for a Kristi Yamaguchi lookalike.
I think it is cruel of people who learned of the comfort women in Japanese schools to (1) use the fact that they know about is a a defense and denial and a propagation of the party line denial but also to refuse to acknowledge how absolutely gross it is to be gangraped for every waking second of your life because your people had the temerity to be taller, straighter and more Confucian than your attackers. This was a punishment upon the woman of China and Korea for being goody goodies.
The fact that postwar Japanese see strangely blatant Korean massage parlors and newspaper ads offering services as a satisfaction and a clearance for genuine organized sex crimes is telling about the true character of postwar Japanese. But why should we argue, we should just leave you alone with the North Koreans so we can be honest with each other, You had your turn, wait for theirs.
3:00 am May 31, 2012
Gen X Japanese male wrote:
OK, I get your point. They were gang raped victims, especially those who were taken against their will. No question about that. It is also true that many Japanese, especially those right wing people, do not go further then the punch line about military involvement. The argument usually stops there because the approach of the point of view starts from 2 different points. In a way, it does show how Japanese, especially male are in-affectionate and can’t put their feet in other’s shoes and view from the other side.
But I think you are wrong that people in Japan do not feel that gang rape is gross. There is no denying of this.
I do feel for those who were victimized by the war by my countrymen and probably so does many that live in this country. And there may be a lack of teaching feelings of being a such rape victims but I think people here also think gang rape is gross. It is unfair for people to put it as “ALL Japanese are ex-gang rapers” and “still are gang rapers” because there still is illegal prostitution in Japan.
3:09 am May 31, 2012
Cleo wrote:
And this is why, folks, the Celts and the D’egos DON”T teach sophistry in schools – so foreign students can’t learn how to excuse sneaky denials and defense of their ancestors actions which subsidize their lifestyles today.
I won’t be taking a roundtrip stroll in the garden with you. If you don’t want to get caught with your hands dirty, don’t post in the first place or get WSJ to remove your original post otherwise it has to stand on its own stumps.
3:19 am May 31, 2012
Cleo wrote:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-07/14/content_5435087.htm
She looks like Kristi Yamaguchi!
6:34 am June 2, 2012
柳炳勲 wrote:
What are the Japanese so afraid of? why can’t they just face their past? such liars and cowards.
7:12 pm June 4, 2012
K wrote:
What are the Koreans so afraid of? why can’t they just face their past? such liars and cowards.
12:28 pm June 5, 2012
feafewaffew wrote:
to sukmy9cm: die painfully cretin
12:34 pm June 5, 2012
feafewaffew wrote:
To K, JPM, and a: I would love to kick your ugly faces in and cut them to ribbons.
1:30 pm June 8, 2012
JPM wrote:
>feafewaffew Before being going to kick the face of other people, your nation must supervise the export of illegal with harm prostitutes.
11:41 am June 11, 2012
feafewfwgaefwawe wrote:
To xuan and Gen X Japanese male: GFY you cretins.
11:42 am June 11, 2012
feafewfwgaefwawe wrote:
Tokyo_Dan is a stupid dolt.
http://jp.wsj.com/japanrealtime/blog/archives/11565/
2012/5/29 17:54
ニコン、「従軍慰安婦」の写真展を中止
ニコンが韓国人写真家による「従軍慰安婦」の写真展を中止すると決定したことが物議を醸（かも）している。
Reuters
ソウルの日本大使館前で行われる元従軍慰安婦によるデモ
この写真展は新宿ニコンサロンで6月26日～7月9日の日程で開催される予定だった。展示される写真には、1930年代と40年代に中国に駐留していた日本軍の従軍慰安婦だったと自ら名乗る女性たちの写真が含まれていた。
韓国人写真家、安世鴻氏の広報担当者によると、ニコン側が同氏に先週、電話をかけ、理由もなく写真展の中止を伝えたという。広報担当者はJapan Real Time（JRT）に対し、ニコン側は安氏に直接会って謝罪したい旨を伝えたが、安氏は中止の説明が得られるまでこれを拒否する意向だと述べた。
ニコンの広報担当者は中止の決定を認め、JRTに対し「諸般の事情を総合的に考慮して中止した。これ以上のことは申し上げられない」と述べた。
ニコンの広報担当者は詳細には言及しなかったが、写真展の開催に関して抗議を受けたとする日本のメディアが報道した内容については認めた。朝日新聞はインターネットの掲示板などに不満を訴える書き込みがあり、写真展を「売国行為」と呼ぶものや、写真展に抗議するものがあったと報道していた。
従軍慰安婦を巡っては、日本の政府関係者と議員らが今月初め、朝鮮系住民が多い米ニュージャージー州のパリセーズパークを訪れ、従軍慰安婦の碑を撤去するよう求めたことで火種がくすぶっていた。町側はこれを拒否し、この一件が報道されると米国内の各地で同様の碑の建立を検討する議論が噴出した。
安氏は写真展の中止に関して、このまま引き下がる気はなさそうだ。同氏の広報担当者によると、安氏は中止を受け入れることができず、ニコンに対し当初の予定通り写真展を開催するよう求めているという。
記者：Miho Inada
せーちゃん さん:
従軍慰安婦はでっち上げだ！ 現在旧日本軍が主導した事実は全くない。 あるのは『慰安婦大募集』の広告・貼紙しかありません。 米国本土でも問題になり始めている様に慰安婦・売春婦は朝鮮女性の昔からの有力な職なのですよ。
2012/06/17 22:32
醍醐 さん:
嘘つき民族韓国人の嘘の中で慰安婦という大嘘ほど許せないものはない。彼女らはただの売春婦で兵隊さんたちより高給だったそうですね。韓国は世界有数の売春婦輸出国です。その事実は現在どころか戦前から続く事実です。それを棚に上げて日本を、日本人を侮辱する行為を絶対に許せません！写真展なんて以ての外！安世鴻は日本から出て行ってください！
2012/06/09 12:46
ケチ兵衛 さん:
昨今の韓国の態度は、本当に目に余る。
本来なら韓国の反日政策などは、それこそ人種差別撤廃条約に照らしてガンガン訴えてやるべきだったし、あの国は個人通報制度を導入しているのだから、犯罪被害などを放置して泣き寝入りなどはせずに、それこそ国連でもどこでも利用できるものを利用して、あの国の汚さを国際的に晒してやるべきだったんです。
それをしてこなかったから、こんな状態になったのだと私は確信します。
2012/06/05 14:38
阿羅漢 さん:
この写真展は、写真文化といえるのですかね。ニコンは、その発表、発信の場をを確保する必要は、毛頭にありません。他人様の写真の取り扱いについては、我が国にあっては、写される相手に尊厳がこめられた時に用いられ、保存されるものと、理解されています。これは、民主的であって、文明をもつ世界共通の認識では無いでしょうか。多分、当事者のおひとりだけで、物議をかもしたのでしょう。
2012/06/05 12:04
ま～さ さん:
安氏の写真展をニコン側が中止したのは当然ですし、良識がある判断だと思います。そもそも従軍慰安婦という言葉自体、韓国による反日プロパガンダの所産であり、それを日本に言論、表現の自由が有るからと言って、捏造した資料で日本を侮辱する写真展なぞ許される訳がありません。韓国がここまで増長したのも、元はと言えば朝日新聞が売名、売らんかなの著者を応援したからであり、そのミスリードが日本国にもたらした不利益は計り知れません。韓国の言う性奴隷が本当にいたかどうかぐらい自分で調べればすぐ解ること。それもしないで「被害者がいたのも事実」って検証能力が無い人多すぎます。だからこんな写真展怖いのよねぇ。
2012/05/31 16:21
森 さん:
被害者視点などと感情論で誤魔化してるけど、慰安婦は売春婦なのは確実
そして、戦争に関しての事は全て解決済み
そもそも高額の給料貰ってる慰安婦に何を謝罪と賠償をするのかね？
謝罪と賠償を求めるならピンハネしていた韓国人ブローカーを糾弾しろよ
レイプされた？
聞くが慰安婦の総数のうち韓国人は何割か知ってます？
２割程度ですよ？
６割が日本人女性なんですよ？（残りは中国人、現地人）
何故、日本人女性は被害の声を上げていないんですか？
数の上では日本人女性のほうが多い
ならレイプ犯がいたってなら日本人女性の被害者数のほうが多いはず
なのに日本人慰安婦が今の国に謝罪と賠償を求めたケースが見当たりませんよ？
韓国の言うとおりなら大々的に問題になってるはずですがね
2012/05/31 3:49
現実 さん:
数字や当時の情勢、スタンダードを元に慰安婦を語るのはものすごく一般的な日本男性の考え方だと思います。非国民とか言われちゃいそうだけどある程度被害者の視点から物を考える事も重要だと思います。
実際には当時の状況によって多数（数は分りませんが）非情な状況によりレイプ被害者（国籍問わず）がいた事は事実でそれが一回ではなく何十人からの被害であったと言う事だと思います。当時のいたであろう被害者の視点で考えると思考停止の分岐点である状況や数字の話だけで完結することが現代の日本人の非情さを表しているかと思います。こんな事は分っていると日本人は言うかと思いますが上手く日本国と国民が表現できていなかった事が残念です。だからと言って外国の大げさなプロパガンダには加担できない事も事実です。
2012/05/30 16:29
川本健二 さん:
写真家（及びその企画者たち）が、自分の表現に責任をもつだけ話です。それがどうであろうと、ニコンはその発表・発信の場を確保すればいい。サロンもときには政治的なメディアになるのであるから、抗議に屈するならば、ニコンサロンとその企画者たちの敗北に思えます。写真文化を活性化するため、写真表現の新たな可能性を追求する一つの場として応援していますが、今回のニュースは少し残念に思います。
2012/05/30 14:23
阿羅漢 さん:
（方輪は、、片輪と訂正）片輪となった、少年は、後に、小学校長先生の呼びかけによって、村の人達の協力を得ることにより、病は治まる。神仏に祈りつつ、お母さんの日頃の努力のほども、人一倍であっだろう。力量ある人の、呼びかけは、他人に幸福を招き寄せる機会ともなれる。二宮金次郎と、野口英世のお母さんの場合、天は、自らを助けるものを助ける。がぴったりと合うようだ。日本は、女子に教育を開花させて事も、総てとまでとはいえないまでも、後日、日本に秩序ある社会を構成させたことに、意味があったといえる。これらの、文化保存は、教育勅語に始まる。たたかいで始まる、日教組は、寄与したとは思わない。
2012/05/30 10:34
阿羅漢 さん:
従軍慰安婦像は、不幸な人生を、背負った人物像であろう。この人たちを、周囲の人達の力でどうにかならなかったのだろうか。考えてあげてよい話である。だが、ここに、日本の故事がある。父母を若くして、失い、幼い弟妹を助け、背中に、薪たきぎを背負い、書物を一心に読みふける、少年の人物像が、百年前の昔から、日本津々浦々の、小学校の片隅に見受けられる。二宮金次郎の人物像である。どちらも、元を辿れば、失意の人である。もう一つ、、人物像として残されてはいないが、福島県の、片田舎であるが、屋外で、ひとり、農作業中、寝かせておいた、赤ちゃんの泣き声を聞き、直ちに、家に帰ってみたら、既に子供は、方輪と化していた。母親は、その責任をひとり負う身になった。野口英世の、お母さんの話である。
2012/05/30 9:32
阿羅漢 さん:
今時の、日本の政権政党である、民主党政権。、及び、お坊ちゃん、苦労知らずの、古き、懐かしき、キングズ、メーカーで数々拵えててきた、自民党党首に成り代わって、主張しておこう。従軍慰安婦の像を作るのなら、勝手だから、その国の国家感として、幾らでも作らせておけばよい。慰安婦を作らせたのは、ブローカーがいたからであろう。彼女らも、本来は、自我を持ち、生きがいを求めて、自らの家族を養い、社会に貢献したかったのであろう。それを許さなくさせたものは何か。第一にブローカーを取り締まることである。、今でも、日本で横行していて、マスコミのﾒｼの種になっていて、後を絶たない。何も、日本の公安当局が世話を焼くものではなかろうが、と思う。第二にその長となるものが、、みな、我が身を大事のせよとの、シグナルを、送ることである。
2012/05/30 6:27
安氏は現在の慰安婦である遠征女をカメラに収めてはいかがでしょうか さん:
慰安婦は存在します。しかしそれは売春婦としての慰安婦です。ここで言う「従軍慰安婦」とは朝日新聞がつくった造語でもあります。
また戦前の日本には公娼制度があり強制連行せずとも売春婦は集まります。現在、各国で見られる韓国マッサージを名乗る実質的な売春宿と同じ構造であり性の奴隷とは朝鮮戦争当時韓国軍が管理した管理売春のことを指すべきでしょう。
また韓国は挺身隊と慰安婦を意図てきに混同し強制連行２０万人などと主張していますが、挺身隊とは軍需工場で製造に関わった少女たちであり売春婦ではありません。また圧倒的多数は日本人女性です。これは慰安婦でも変わりありません。 また苛酷な植民地と韓国人は主張しますが破綻した朝鮮を近代化し大戦末期までの半島運営に９割前後の負担をし、朝鮮防衛のために朝鮮人を徴兵したのは大戦末期になってからです。また日本軍には朝鮮人将官が多数占めていました。
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