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Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi (Reuters/Yonhap News)

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi accused the South Korean government of “moving the goalposts” in response to questions at the Diet of Japan that appeared to justify wartime military sexual slavery.

The remarks were prompted by a question Monday from Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Haruko Arimura before the House of Councillors Committee on Oversight of Administration.

“Are Japanese men the only people in the world to experience sexual desire during wartime?” Arimura asked. As examples, she pointed to the “comfort stations” provided to US troops during the Korean War, as well as the Recreation and Amusement Association that Japan created for US troops after its World War II defeat.

“In other words, the question of how to deal with the sexual desires of soldiers away from home was an important and unavoidable task for US troops, South Korean troops and Japanese troops in the past,” she continued, adding that there was “a saying that the biggest enemy on the battlefield was venereal disease.”

“The issue of soldiers’ sexuality, whether on the battlefield or in the places where they’re stationed, has always been a matter of concern for units in different countries,” she said.

“There are records of efforts to reduce sexually transmitted disease that date back to before the Common Era, to the Napoleonic Wars, the First and Second World Wars, and the Russo-Japanese War,” she added.

Arimura went on to say that the South Korean government was “isolating Japan unfairly and making a lot of noise spreading non-factually based historical perceptions with the international community, attaching a new label [to the comfort women system] by calling it a ‘globally unprecedented wartime violation of women’s human rights.’”

“The Moon Jae-in administration’s claims are utterly unacceptable from a standpoint of historical fairness,” she said.

“Japan has been entirely on the defensive on the comfort women issue, and I’d like to see the Japanese government present a resolute rebuttal based on the facts,” she continued.

“It has always been the case throughout the world that truly irrational things tend to happen to women and children during emergency situations [such as wars]. We must confront this reality and pick ourselves up,” she added.

“Let us make international contributions that truly respect the dignity of women,” she urged.

In his response, Motegi appeared to sympathize with Arimura’s statements.

“As you pointed out, I am certainly aware that different countries and militaries have wrestled with various measures to deal with young soldiers who have traveled abroad,” he said.

“There are reports that the use of contraceptives increased dramatically even during the trench warfare stages of World War I,” he continued.

He went on to say, “We have been working in various ways to explain the [Japanese] government’s views to the international community, along with accurate facts about historical issues such as the comfort women issue.”

“There has consistently been a situation where the goalposts keep getting moved by South Korea,” he added.

By Cho Ki-weon, staff reporter

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