Banzai

Cong Corrales

IN HIS visit last week, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe adopted a two-year old female Philippine Eagle named “Sakura.” The name Sakura, which means cherry blossoms, “is in honor of the country of Japan, a long-time partner of the Philippines, especially of Davao,” reads a press release.

I will not make grief on the “long-time partner” part, not even the “especially of Davao” bit of the press release of Herr Spinmeister. I am curious, however, as to why President Digong Dada was not at all in the mood for some history the whole time Japan’s prime minister stayed in the country.

Remember when the President berated a US President on live television for things the US did to Filipinos some years ago? Don’t get me wrong. I was so proud of that moment. At long last we have a President who has brass balls. But Japan also did some of the most spine-tingling war crimes to Filipinos–stories like Japanese soldiers throwing a baby up in the air and catching it with a tip of a bayonet.

The prime minister had time to “adopt” a bird and couldn’t find time to face the “comfort women”? Yes, I am talking about the women and young girls who were forced into sexual slavery by Imperial Japan’s gallant officers and soldiers in occupied territories before and during World War II.

A day before the prime minister’s visit in the country, Filipino comfort women staged a protest in front of the Japanese Embassy in Manila.

“We call on Duterte not to forget to bring up with Abe the still unaddressed demands by our fast aging and diminishing lolas for a formal apology from the (Japanese) government to all Asian comfort women and restitution for the hurt they inflicted on thousands of women,” Rechilda Extremadura, executive director of Lila Pilipina, an organization that supports World War II comfort women, was quoted as saying during the protest action.

The issue on comfort women is a sore topic particularly for this Japanese prime minister.

In December last year, PM Abe urged the removal of a bronze statue placed across from the Japanese consulate in Busan, Korea. The statue depicts a young woman seated upright in a chair with her hands clasped on her lap, staring intently, and solemnly toward the consulate, The Diplomat describes the statue in a Jan. 14 report. Korea also has had its share of comfort women who “served” the sexual appetites of Japanese soldiers during World War II.

The Diplomat reported PM Abe was so offended of the presence of the statue on comfort women that he recalled the Japanese ambassador in Seoul and the consul general in Busan and put major economic cooperation discussion on hold. PM Abe even called US Vice President Joe Biden to complain.

Let’s go back to Digong Dada’s silence on the issue of comfort women. On one hand, he has never been the beaming light for women’s rights or human rights for that matter. On the other hand, there are deals to be made with Japan which would be assured by a successful, uneventful (read: curseless) visit of its prime minister.

However, anybody who has read world history knows Japan is closely allied to the US. Two atomic bombs made sure of that alliance. So, good luck giving the US the middle finger while colluding with its representative in the Pacific Rim, Mr. President.