News Analysis: Hashimoto's remarks on "comfort women" could derail JRP's chances in the upcoming polls
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E-mail Xinhua, May 17, 2013
Leaders of Japan's opposition Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) or JRP are facing pressure to act and regain voter support amid recent statements by Osaka Mayor and JRP co-leader Toru Hashimoto justifying the use of the so-called "comfort women" during World War II in countries invaded by Japan.
At the municipal office here, Hashimoto said Monday that apart from the issue of whether the women were coerced or not, he believes the system to recruit women into sexual servitude was " necessary to maintain discipline" in the Japanese military during World War II.
Hashimoto, who is a lawyer, revealed to local reporters that when he visited a U.S. military base in the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa earlier this month, he proposed that U.S. troops make "more" legal use of the local sex industry to help reduce rapes and other assaults that have often been reported there.
"For any group which must fight and risk their lives under the extreme circumstances of bullets and fire crossing back and forth over them, anybody knows that a system to manage their sexual arousal is necessary in order to give them some rest," he said.
JRP co-leader Shintaro Ishihara also supported the remarks on Tuesday, saying to reporters in Tokyo that "prostitution is a natural product of an army, and that this principle has been widely observed through history."
Ishihara said that Hashimoto's comments should only be understood within this context, emphasizing that it is a historical principle.
Hashimoto and Ishihara's comments on "comfort women" have been criticized by China, the Philippines and South Korea, as well as the United States.
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Secretary General Shigeru Ishiba, also told reporters that there is an "illogical leap" in what Hashimoto has said.
Your Party leader Yoshimi Watanabe was more direct, saying that his party will have to reconsider its collaboration with the JRP in the upcoming elections if Hashimoto's statements represent the position of the JRP.
"We would like to make a clear distinction from Hashimoto's stance... His words are completely anachronistic and we never support any candidate who shares similar ideas," Watanabe told reporters Wednesday.
A spokesperson for Osaka City told Xinhua that the municipal government's various offices have received, as of Friday, more than 1,000 complaints and protest messages, including e-mails, against Hashimoto's remarks.
The spokesperson said that most messages rebuked the mayor for expressing comments that are inappropriate for a mayor or political party leader to make.
Osaka Governor Ichiro Matsui, the party secretary, admitted that the JRP is now facing pressure to reorganize itself ahead of the election.
Matsui told reporters that the remarks will affect the election results if people hear them without having a familiarity with Hashimoto's personality.
Amidst this controversy, the JRP has readied itself for the House of Councillors' election this summer and has been holding meetings at its Osaka headquarters and its office in Tokyo.
In its first meeting in Tokyo, Ishihara said that the JRP is not growing vigorously like a "rising dragon" and urged its lawmakers to prepare well for the next Upper House election which, he said, will determine the party's destiny.
The election this summer will determine whether the ruling LDP and its coalition partner New Komeito will be able to gain full control of the house, which the opposition parties still dominate.
Apart from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic policy, the major issue in the upcoming election will be the revision of Japan 's constitution. The LDP has long wanted to craft a new constitution that would embody its ultra-nationalistic views and ideals.
The first step will be to amend Article 96 of the Constitution, which says that all constitutional amendments require the approval of two-thirds or more of the members in both the Upper and Lower houses of the Diet.
At the same time, leaders of the Osaka-based JRP have already committed themselves to amending the article, stating that the change is essential to revitalizing Japan by further decentralizing the country's government and politics.
To achieve this objective, the party earlier this year proposed a partnership with another small party, Your Party, in the House of Councillors election, and eventually four parties--the LDP, the New Renaissance Party, Your Party and the JRP--explicitly announced their support for amending Article 96.
Since a two-third majority would mean 162 seats, the four parties now need to win at least 100 new seats in the house.
A report in the local media said that the JRP will eventually field candidates in 17 of the 25 constituencies, but noted that the party has to accelerate its efforts to choose suitable candidates, especially in six zones in western Japan.
"Whether or not revision of the Constitution will be the central issue in the upcoming election depends on our efforts, and, if we can intelligibly explain the necessity of pushing for the amendment, we will be able to fulfill our historical responsibilities as a political party," Ishihara said. Endi
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