Recently there has been good news for the US with regards to its allies. Japan and South Korea have strengthened their relationship, but at what cost? It was a large price to pay financially but still it is not enough.
In the 1930's and 1940's Korean women were used as sex slaves, despite news outlets referring to them as "prostitutes". These women were forced to have sex, which is rape, with soldiers during this period. Rape is inexcusable. Rape is by far one of the worst things a human being can do to another. However the matter that women were forced by their government to partake in this manages to push this inhumane act further. Historians estimate between twenty thousand to two hundred thousand women were involved in this. Each of these women may well have possibly been raped several times. This situation is disgusting.
Recently Seoul launched a foundation to compensate the women who were forced to be sex slaves. Japan had pledged $9.5 million to the foundation and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offered an apology. I do not know whether the Japanese government believe that this is actually acceptable to the surviving victims. Personally I believe this is ridiculous. No amount of money could compensate what these women were forced to do.
The underlying reason for the acknowledgement and compensation of these women I believe sickens me more. This was not an act of kindness or admitting to a fault. This was a business transaction. These acts are being played out to improve relationships between Japan and South Korea so they are united against North Korea, the common enemy for the two. Of course relations improved between the two countries recently. In June a hot line between the countries was set up and negative public opinion of one another has declined in both countries.
So my question to you is, are better ally relations more important than apologizing for the wrong acts you have done. Are human's lives collateral damage and nothing more? I'd love your opinions.
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