[Reporter`s view] `The comfort girls and the Sho-wa` in spotlight

"The comfort girls and the Sho-wa" refers to the period in Japan`s history during World War II under the rule of Emperor Hirohito and the women who were forced into sex slavery by the Japanese army.

The two words that are deeply embedded in the minds of Koreans as preludes to a nightmare once again have resurfaced and joined smack in the middle of Tokyo, Japan. A first act of its kind in Japan -- to bring criminal charges for war crimes -- the Women`s International War Crimes Tribunal has commenced at the Gu-dan town hall next to the Sho-wa-khan in the Gu-dansita of Tokyo.

The Sho-wa-khan is an exhibition hall that opened in March 1999 portraying the incredible hardships faced by the families of those killed in the war, as well as all other Japanese people during the war. The Sho-wa-khan promotes the idea that Japan was the victim in the war.

The Gu-dan town hall, where the international tribunal is taking place, is also a building under the management of a business organization arm of the association of families of war dead. Opposite the town hall is the Yaskuni Jinjya, which memorializes the Japanese soldiers who led the war in the Asian hemisphere. As soon as the international tribunal began, the right wing conservatives mobilized automobiles equipped with loudspeakers blaring, "The comfort girls were not forced!" as the cars were driven around the town hall.

Organizers of the international tribunal explained simply that the town hall and the area was chosen because it provided the least expensive accommodations.

However, the symbolism and the far-reaching consequences of the representatives of civil organizations from eight nations including Korea to attend the international tribunal held at the heart of the right-wing conservative faction in the face of possible terrorism, to accuse and seek redress concerning the Japanese army`s alleged war crimes and Emperor Hirohito, might be more than meets the eyes. It is a bomb delivered by the international community to the Japanese government and society, which have for too long denied or kept silent concerning their responsibility for their actions during the war.

Japanese society, starting with most of the media, which have so far kept silent concerning the international tribunal, must take to heart the words of a philosopher quoted by South Korea`s legal representative Park Won-Soon, J.D., who closed her statement of accusation with, "Those who cannot remember the past will only repeat the mistakes of the past as well."