A Japanese American Criticizes Japan

“My family name is Honda. I believe nothing can show better than my name that I’m of Japanese extraction.” Michael Honda (picture) whose constituency is Santa Clara County in the U.S. state of California, is the only member of the House of Representatives who is of Japanese ancestry. Right after the 9-11 terror attack in 2001, when Muslims in the U.S. tried to change their names into western ones, he vehemently opposed the idea. He explains that people cannot and should not change their blood. Honda, clearly who values his bloodlines, has written a resolution harshly criticizing Japanese army’s practice of using comfort women.

He submitted the resolution to the House of Representatives with six other members’ signatures on January 31. It is the second one after a resolution initiated by Congressman Lane Evans was passed through the House International Relations Committee in last September and ended up being abolished. Congressman Evans retired at the end of last year after developing Parkinson disease.

Contents of the resolution by Congressman Honda, who said, “I’m honored to take over former Congressman Evans’ efforts,” are much stronger. The resolution states that an official apology should be made by the Japanese Prime Minister, and urges the Japanese government to clearly apologize for its war crimes committed against women.

Congressman Honda emphasized in a statement written in a form of a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi that the purpose of this resolution is not to embarrass and attack Japan. Its purpose is to seek justice to women who survived the brutalities.

Honda explained why he is taking the lead to adopt the resolution denouncing Japan’s brutalities on comfort women as a man of Japanese extraction.

“The U.S. Congress established its civil freedom law in 1988 and publicly apologized for sending Japanese Americans within the U.S. to a concentration camp during the Second World War. As a person who lived in the concentration camp when he was young, I will never forget the past and I experienced that only reconciliation through an apology made at the national level has meaning. This resolution is for reconciliation.”

Honda, who was born in the state of California in 1941, recalled the past, saying, “My parents used to say that my family was dragged somewhere in a car with its all windows covered when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.” His family lived in a concentration camp in the state of Colorado, was released in 1953, and worked on a strawberry farm.

He was a science teacher, served as a principal of a public school twice and then was elected a member of the House of Representatives. He is currently in his fourth term as a congressman. Even when he was a State Representative, he presented a resolution asking for an apology from Japan on comfort women and Japan’s war crimes.

No one can guarantee that this resolution could be chosen in the House’s plenary session. Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Speaker Pelosi support the resolution, but Japan is waging a diplomatic war with bigwigs such as Bob Michael, former Democratic House Leader, and Mark Foley, former House Speaker, behind them.

Congressman Honda appealed at the end of the statement: “Not many comfort women survivors are left. We should help them gain peace of mind. We should show them that America has heard their voices longing for justice and is supporting them.”

sechepa@donga.com