Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) vice presidential candidate Jennifer Wang (王如玄) yesterday said that rhetoric describing Taiwanese women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II as willing participants would be a secondary victimization of them.
“From the perspective of feminism, it is apparent that these women were not only coerced into sex slavery, but were also exploited. I will not brook any content in school textbooks that claim they did this of their own accord,” Wang said on the sidelines of a charity event in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華).
“Any content that says these women were willing participants in all this will only subject them to secondary victimization,” said Wang, who advocates women’s rights.
She was responding to media inquiries on renewed debate over the Ministry of Education’s proposed high-school curriculum guidelines adjustments, which would see women forced into sex slavery during World War II referred to as “women forced to become sex slaves” instead of “comfort women.”
Some students opposing the planned changes have asked: “How can one prove that all of these comfort women were forced into sex slavery?”
The guidelines changes were put back in the spotlight after Japan on Monday agreed to apologize and offer ￥1 billion (US$8.3 million) in compensation to South Korean comfort women.
The deal prompted President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Tuesday to reiterate his administration’s demand that Tokyo issue an apology to Taiwanese women forced to become wartime sex slaves.
The New Party urged Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to express her stance on the proposed adjustments, asking her whether it was mainstream public opinion that comfort women were coerced.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
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