The Japanese government’s obsessive “comfort women” lobbying in the U.S. … 11 million USD spent on 49 cases – Newstapa (July 18, 2019)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CgfZEQcqFA

The Japanese government’s obsessive “comfort women” lobbying in the U.S. … 11 million USD spent on 49 cases – Newstapa (July 18, 2019)

Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CgfZEQcqFA

Below is an English translation of the clip

[0:21] Last March, former Vice Minster of Foreign Affairs Shinsuke Sugiyama was appointed as the Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. Sugiyama is notorious for his public denial of the forced recruitment of “comfort women” on global platforms. In 2016, as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, he relentlessly defended the Abe administration’s stance on “comfort women” in the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.

Shinsuke Sugiyama / Then Japanese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (2/16/2016)

“Forceful taking away” of comfort women by the military and government authorities could not be confirmed in any of the documents that the Government of Japan was able to identify in that study.

In 2017, in his visit to South Korea as Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sugiyama pressed that the “Comfort Women” Agreement struck between the Abe and Park Guen-hye administration in 2015 must be followed through.

Appointed as the Ambassador to the U.S. last March, Sugiyama had a grand mission in mind: to dismantle the Statue of Peace in the U.S. In a press conference, he announced that he will “travel around the U.S. and explain the Japanese government’s position in person” in order to remove statues commemorating wartime “comfort women.” Newstapa investigated whether Sugiyama indeed act upon this resolve. 

U.S. Department of Justice “Foreign Agents Registration Act” (FARA) Website

FARA, short for Foreign Agents Registration Act, is a site run by the U.S. Department of Justice to keep track of lobby activities. Here, we found evidence of Sugiyama’s lobbying efforts.

February 2018 Lobbying Contract

At the time of Sugiyama’s appointment as the Ambassador to the U.S., the Embassy of Japan in the U.S. signed a contract with a renowned lobby firm called Forbes-Tate.

First Half of 2018 Lobby Report

This is the lobby report that Forbes-Tate submitted to FARA after the contract was signed. It documents that last June, the firm lobbied regarding the Comfort Women exhibit held in the Capitol Visitor Center.

Communication with the congressional staff regarding Comfort Women exhibit in Capitol Visitor Center and Senate confirmations

This exhibit was hosted by the Korean American Association of Greater New York (KAAGNY). Initially, a lot of congressmen promised their support, but near the end, many of them disavowed that promise.

Kim Min-sun / Then President of KAAGNY

We expected around ten congressmen to join the exhibit, but with pressures from Japanese lobbyists, a number of them dropped out, and six congressmen ended up attending.

Behind the significant downsizing of the first Statue of Peace exhibit to be held in the U.S. was the lobbying efforts of the Japanese government. This brings us to ask: how exactly, for how long, and on what scale has the Japanese government been lobbying the U.S. government and politicians on the “comfort women” issue? Newstapa worked with the investigation team at Danbi News at the Graduate School of Journalism at Semyung University to research all of Japan’s lobby activities reported to FARA.

We searched for “comfort women” and all congressional resolutions related to “comfort women” and found a total of 49 submissions made by law firms and lobby firms that signed contracts with the Japanese government.

Japanese government: 49 lobby activity reports that mention “comfort women”

Kim Hak-sun: First testimony of forced recruitment into “comfort women” system

Findings show that lobbying activities have continued since 1991, when Kim Hak-soon first gave a public testimony and the “comfort woman” issue was brought to the attention of the UN Human Rights Commission a year after in 1992.

We also researched how much money the Japanese government poured into lobbying on “comfort women.” To lobby on the “comfort women” issue, the Japanese government hired a total of seven companies, including renowned PR firms, law firms, and lobby firms. From 2001, when Japan ramped up its lobbying on “comfort women,” to now, the Japanese government spent 11 million USD only on signing contracts. In Korean Won, this amounts to 13 billion KRW.

Contracts amount to at least 11 million USD (Approx. 13 billion KRW)

If we analyze by date, it shows that the Japanese government fervently lobbied the U.S. government every time the “comfort women” issue became a major topic of discussion within the U.S. or on the global platform. In 2000, about 30 House Representatives, including Rep. Lane Evans, submitted the first resolution to demand a formal apology and compensation for Japan’s war crimes.

In 2000, approx. 30 House Representatives submit first resolution to demand formal apology for Japan’s war crimes

Subsequently in March 2001, the Japanese government signed a contract with Hogan, a renowned law firm, which was worth 140,000 USD over a 5-month period. Lobby reports indicate that the lobbyists at Hogan twice tried to contact Rep. Evans. Resolutions demanding that Japan issue a formal apology were submitted to Congress on multiple occasions, but such attempts were thwarted each time. However, in 2007, a resolution submitted by Rep. Michael Honda finally passed the House.

[5:48] At this time, the Japanese government struck a year-long 290,000 USD deal with the lobby firm Hecht and expanded lobbying to congressmen regardless of how actively they are involved in the “comfort women” issue as well as to the media. Apart from congressional resolutions, the Statue of Peace became one of the most sensitive topics for the Japanese government. In July 2013, the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance attended the opening ceremony of the Statue of Peace in Glendale, CA with Japanese military sexual slavery victim, Kim Bok Dong.

[6:33] At this time, the Japanese government signed a 180,000 USD lobby contract with Hecht and contacted regional congressmen. Similarly, the Japanese government had obsessively tried to interfere when the “comfort women” special exhibit opened at the Capitol Visitor Center this past year. Rep. Carolyn Maloney of the Democratic party stated that she was pressured publicly as well.

[7:01] Kim Min-sun / Then President of KAAGNY

Rep. Carolyn Maloney’s office received a lot of threat calls and letters. A Japanese newspaper in New York printed her picture along with extremely negative things about her, almost at a threatening level. She received a lot of pressure saying that she should not do this (the Statue of Peace exhibit).

Rep. Carolyn Maloney’s office received a lot of threat calls and letters. A Japanese newspaper in New York printed her picture along with extremely negative things about her, almost at a threatening level. She received a lot of pressure saying that she should not do this (the Statue of Peace exhibit).

First Half of 2003 lobby report

The Japanese government’s “comfort women” related lobbying utilized in-person meetings with U.S. politicians or calling or emailing them. When sensitive issues arose, the contact frequency increased to what could only be described as obsessive.

Japan’s lobbying intensifies in 2013 while Glendale Statue of Peace is under discussion

Especially in 2013, when the founding the Glendale Statue of Peace was in discussion, lobbyists hired by Japan contacted influential politicians, including Republican House Representatives, ten times over the course of five months.

Not only politicians, but also Asia experts were important targets of Japan’s lobbying. In July 2013, when establishing the Glendale Statue of Peace was actively under discussion, Japan’s lobbyists contacted Michael Green, former special assistant to the president for national security affairs and senior director for Asia at the National Security Council (NSC) during the Bush administration, ten times over 18 days. Currently, Green is senior vice president for Asia and Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a conservative U.S.-based think tank. Green has been writing in the JoongAng Ilbo, a major daily newspaper in South Korea, on Northeast Asian affairs since 2006. He also participates every year in the debate forum co-hosted by CSIS and JoongAng Ilbo. Moreover, he has often appeared on Korean major media as the expert opinion. What can explain this irony that Japan’s major lobby target and fund recipient parades in Korea as an expert of Northeast Asian affairs, spreading Japan’s political agenda and the Japanese government spends enormous sums of money to lobby obsessively on the “comfort women” issue?

[9:22] Tessa Morris-Suzuki / Professor at Australian National University (Video Interview)

[10:01] Japan expert “The Japanese government’s ‘comfort women’ lobbying intensified in the past 5-6 years”

Professor Morris-Suzuki observed that the Japanese government has intensified its lobbying on the “comfort women” issue since five to six years ago, accompanied by an increase in lobby spending. Yoon Meehyang, representative of the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance, also stated that Japan’s lobbying efforts are intensifying and called on citizens to help bring justice.

In solidarity, people like us have to fight against the lobbying forces of the Japanese government to let the people over there know what actually is the truth and the voice of justice.//After the ‘Comfort Women’ Agreement in 2015, the Japanese government has expanded its lobbying efforts.//They are continuing to try to erase the past 30 years that Kim Bok-dong and other halmeoni’s have fought for human rights and peace.//We have to know about this reality and ask, “Why is the Japanese government trying to erase and deny history? What history do we have to remember?”// I think the Japanese government actually is giving us an opportunity to grow and learn from their mistakes.

[11:10] Newstapa is planning to report further on lobby contacts the Japanese government made to U.S. politicians and the concrete impact these efforts had.

This was Kim Ji-eun from Newstapa.

Translated by Volunteer