2015年12月の慰安婦問題に関する日韓合意に基づき設立された「和解・癒やし財団」から旧慰安婦の女性たちの70%以上に癒し金が支払われたが、その後今年7月に韓国側が一方的にこの財団を解散、基金5億円以上は宙に浮いた状態になっている。
FCWSは“日本軍性奴隷制問題解決のための正義記憶連帯”（旧挺対協：“韓国挺身隊問題対策協議会”）のユン・ミヒャン代表の影響下にあり、韓国で国定記念日として制定され今年2回目を迎える「慰安婦の日」8月14日に、第1400回水曜デモおよび第７回世界日本軍「慰安婦」の日・世界連帯集会と称してのデモを行った。日韓関係は過去最悪という状況にあり、ムン・ジェイン政権官製の不買運動を中心とした反日運動が韓国で展開されているが、ここ豪州でも14日のムン・ジェイン大統領の慰安婦問題を国際社会と共有し拡散していくというFBのメッセージと同期して反日活動が展開された。今回の水曜デモの特徴は現職のThe GreensのNSW州議会議員や社会主義者グループといった左翼のゲストスピーカーを招いたことで、「NO 安倍！」(韓国本土の反日運動に使用されているものと同じ)、「Legal Repatriation/法律的な賠償」という二つのプラカードを掲げ、Apology to “Comfort Women”と叫んで気勢を上げた。The GreensのDavid Shoebridge州議院議員は「第2次大戦当時の天皇を戴いた日本はWar Machineであり、数十万人の女性を強制的に性奴隷の犠牲者とした。日本の現政権に対し私はこの戦争犯罪を認め犠牲者に陳謝するよう呼びかける」と反日グループの主張に沿って、日本総領事館の前で日本を中傷・誹謗した。AJCNは同氏に対し以下の抗議の手紙を送った。
5 September 2019
Mr. David Shoebridge MLC
Parliament House,
Macquarie Street,
Sydney NSW 2000
Dear Mr. Shoebridge,
Re: Your anti-Japan agitation in front of the Consulate General Japan, Sydney on 14 August.
My name is Tetsuhide Yamaoka, the president of Australia-Japan Community Network Inc. We are a group of Japanese and Australian parents who gathered to protect our children from bullying and harassment caused by activities conducted by politically motivated people and organizations. We have been opposing the erection of so-called comfort woman statues in any public or private places visible from roads and streets because such statues have always been politically utilized and causing unnecessary disharmony in local communities that often leads to hostile acts against children of Japanese heritage.
It has been brought to my attention by one of our members that you attended the anti-Japan demonstration held on 14 August 2019 in front of the Consulate General of Japan Sydney organized by the Korean anti-Japan activist by the name of Friends of Comfort Women in Sydney. Apparently, your speech included the following statement.
“During World War II Japan was a war machine headed by the emperor and forced hundreds of thousands of women into sexual slavery. Japan should apologize for the atrocity.”
In the first instance could you please kindly advise if you actually said this. If you did, we request that you provide us with the source from which you reference in order to make your speech. What you allegedly said was factually untrue and no more than politically motivated anti-Japan propaganda which is highly insulting. If you had simply read out a paper you were given by the activist group without careful verification of facts it would be understandable but totally unprofessional. Furthermore, such a speech made by a member of parliament outside the Consulate General of Japan does amount to vilification against the local Japanese community.
We request you refrain from participating in further political activities targeting other nations merely causing animosity. We deeply sympathize with women who suffered during wars but it was not a simplistic offender–victim relationship as those activists have been educated to believe. The comfort woman system did exist but it was a public prostitution system regulated by the military and predominantly operated by Korean venders.
Mr. Shoebridge, you are potentially creating a hostile environment for local Japanese residents and their children. You are also assisting these politically motivated anti- Japan forces to drive a wedge between Japan and Australia which is their major operational intention outlined in the book “silent invasion” and plotted by the authoritarian, communist regimes who are supporting and financing this agenda. We would hope that you have actually been deceived into supporting such an organization, however if this was not the case and you have done this with the full knowledge of this organization’s agenda and desired outcomes then that is something very different indeed. At the very least you would be actively involved in promoting social injustice.
We are a registered NGO in New South Wales and anti-Japan activities supported by yourself prompt us to continue to exist and operate to protect our communities as well as the welfare of our children. We are deeply concerned with your actions.
We look forward to your response and thoughts on our concerns,
Best regards,
Tetsuhide Yamaoka
President, Australia-Japan Community Network Inc.
