Japan Institute for National Fundamentals

　　　　The Asahi Shimbun and The New York Times are similar. Both are eager to defame Japan even by distorting facts and play dumb about their erroneous reports as pointed out by readers.

Asahi remains silent on erroneous reports
　　　　Of Japan's five national newspapers, the Yomiuri, Mainichi, Sankei and Nikkei on July 17-19 carried an opinion advertisement by the Japan Institute for National Fundamentals claiming that the reexamination of the Kono statement on the comfort women problem has not been completed. But the Asahi has not done so by July 28.
　　　　We asked the Asahi as well as the other four newspapers on July 4 to carry the opinion advertisement. On July 7, we received a letter from the Asahi asking us if we have evidence to back up two points in the opinion advertisement -- (1) "During his January 1992 visit to South Korea, then Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa apologized eight times, and (2) "an erroneous Asahi report angered South Korean public opinion."
　　　　On the first point, JINF said the Asahi reported the fact on January 18, 1992. As for the second point, we sent detailed information to the newspaper. There is clear evidence that the Asahi erroneously reported women volunteer corps members with no connection with comfort women as having been coercively recruited as comfort women.
　　　　We have heard no more word from the Asahi about these points. In response to our inquiry, Asahi officials said the newspaper would have no space for the advertisement on July 17 or 18 cited by JINF as a desirable date. Then, we told the Asahi we hoped that the newspaper would carry the advertisement any time when a space is available. But the Asahi failed to do so by July 28. It may have no intention to carry the advertisement. The Asahi is playing dumb.

NYT shelves rebuttal to editorial
　　　　A little earlier, the NYT made a similar response to an inquiry by Dr. Kevin Doak, professor at Georgetown University, who has won the first Terada Mari Japan Study Award that JINF has launched this year. Dr. Doak sent a rebuttal to the NYT's March 2 editorial titled "Mr. Abe's Dangerous Revisionism," which criticized Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for claiming that the Nanjing massacre by Japanese troops in 1937 never happened and for attempting to rescind an apology to Korean women who were forced into sexual servitude by Japanese troops.
　　　　The criticism is wrong. Dr. Doak contributed the rebuttal that noted (1) that Prime Minister Abe has never denied the Nanjing massacre, (2) that any criticism against a prime minister based on an factual error cannot be tolerated, (3) that although remarks made and things symbolized by Prime Minister Abe could embarrass Japan's neighbors including China, the country that has recently taken military actions is China, and (4) Japan has persistently retained democracy for more than 60 years.
　　　　On March 10, Dr. Doak received a question from the NYT, asking him if he would allow the NYT to add to the rebuttal a sentence noting that Prime Minister Abe and Naoki Hyakuta (a TV/radio writer serving as a member of the Management Committee for public broadcaster NHK) have coauthored a book in which Hyakuta described the Nanjing massacre as having been fabricated.
　　　　　Dr. Doak naturally rejected the request, pointing out that the prime minister’s view has nothing to do with Hyakuta's. Since then, Dr. Doak has heard no word from the NYT. The newspaper only carried a small correction to the editorial in response to a protest by the Japanese government. When Dr. Doak made an inquiry some one month later, the NYT dryly said it would have no space for his contribution.
　　　　We must remember that media that play dumb about their lies and mistakes are flourishing in the east and west of the world.
　
Yoshiko Sakurai is President, Japan Institute for National Fundamentals.