A Japanese member of the National Assembly, who in the past was criticized for violating human rights by the Ministry of Justice for posting a post mocking a woman wearing hanbok, encouraged the removal of other memorials, saying, “It’s really good” to demolish a memorial to Korean workers in Gunma Prefecture.
On the 3rd, House of Representatives member Mio Sugita, a member of the former Abe faction of the Liberal Democratic Party, shared the news of the removal of a memorial to Koreans in the Gunma Prefecture Prefectural Park on her SNS on the 3rd, saying, “Comfort women and workers from the Korean Peninsula in Japan. “I hope that monuments related to (forced conscription workers) will follow suit,” he wrote.
He said, “False monuments are not needed in Japan.” It did not specify which part of history was false.
In the subsequent post, he attached a photo of a statue of a conscripted worker erected in Kyoto, saying, “It was erected before Korea (in Japan),” and “It cannot be demolished because it is private property.” “I hope this side is demolished quickly,” he wrote.
Considering that Soyokaze, a right-wing civic group advocating historical revisionism, took the lead in demolishing the Gunma Prefecture memorial, Rep. Sugita’s article is no different from having set the next target.
Kyodo News reported, “It is expected to attract strong criticism for its words and actions that fuel historical revisionism and racism.”
Regarding the removal of the memorial monument in Gunma Prefecture, there is growing criticism even within Japan that it is an insult to the victims and the Korean people, and that it is a shameful act aimed at denying negative history.
Capture of a post posted by Rep. Mio Suzuki on her X account on the 3rd. 2024.02.03However, despite this opposition, Gunma Prefecture blocked the park until the 2nd and shattered the memorial monument with the words ‘Memory, Reflection and Friendship’ engraved on it. This is because Japan’s Supreme Court (Korea’s Supreme Court) recognized the prefecture’s decision to take issue with the fact that a participant at the 2012 memorial service mentioned the ‘forcible deportation’ of workers.
Meanwhile, Rep. Mio Sugita has previously been recognized as a ‘human rights violation’ by the Ministry of Justice for making discriminatory remarks. In 2016, he wrote on SNS, “Even a woman wearing a skirt and jeogori and Ainu national costume cosplay (playing dress-up) appeared. “There is a complete issue with dignity,” he wrote, causing controversy.
Capture of a post posted by Rep. Mio Suzuki on her X account on the 3rd. 2024.02.03On the 3rd, Ryoko Tahara, head of the Ainu women’s group who reported Rep. Sugita to the Sapporo Legal Affairs Bureau, said that 658 hate speeches were poured out on the Internet due to Rep. Sugita’s words and actions.
He pointed out the limitations, saying, “I was thrilled that human rights violations were acknowledged and that there was still justice in this country, but Mr. Sugita did not reflect.” He also emphasized that Japan’s legal system falls short of international human rights standards, saying, “It is great that a government agency recognized a public figure’s remarks as a violation of human rights, but it is a half-baked system because it has no enforcement power.”
Currently, a large number of comments are being posted on Rep. Sugita’s social media posts, such as “What do you think about the necessity of a congressman who falsely reported the balance of political funds?” It was pointed out that Rep. Sugita, who was involved in the illegal political fund raising incident that recently broke out in the Abe faction of the Liberal Democratic Party, received 15.64 million yen (approximately 141.12 million won) in funds but failed to document them. In Japan, failing to record political funds is against the law.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.