racism is a global phenomenon

for many years, women from Korea and other Asian countries have been coming forward to demand apologies and redress from the Japanese government. they report that they were forced into sex slavery in WWII by the Japanese military. historians estimate that about 200,000 women (the majority Korean) were taken as Japanese "comfort women".

testimonies of these asian women, now in the last stages of life, have been numerous. they share courageously about a period of great shame and humilitation. comfort women were raped continually, then rejected from both their captors and later by their native communities. in many cultures, it is not acceptable to speak of such shameful things, particularly in public arenas - but they do, to demand justice.

if you've been following this at all, you may know that Japanese prime minister Abe recently said there was no evidence of the military's sex slavary activities, that the women were consensual and paid for their services. nevermind the hundreds of now elderly women who've come forward with their very specific testimonies. the Japanese government has taken a softer stance, offering regret but no formal redress. this is all upsetting as it is.

what i find especially upsetting is this morning's news. there is new 'evidence' of the WWII sex slavery: a white woman's written testimony found in Dutch government archives. all the sudden, the issue is more legitimized. one European woman's testimony provides 'proof' where hundreds of Asian womens' don't? the article seems to suggest that these Dutch documents can be used to confirm the Japanese wartime atrocity in ways that the decades of previous Asian womens' testimony could not.

Europeanism envelopes the globe.

in other news, i was told last night by a new friend (a successful Japanese businessman in his 60s) that i'm all wound up and concerned about way too much, overly conscientious. this is a similar comment to one made to me by another new friend (a successful bureaucrat from D.C.) a few weeks ago. not that i didn't know this already, but it's different hearing it from someone who is just learning my personality. i really wish i weren't so high-strung all the time. BLECH, BLECH, BLECH!