Osaka City Mayor Hashimoto at Foreign Correspondents Club in Tokyo to "Apologize" on His Remarks to US Military, Protest the Use of "Sex Slave" Word by the World Media

(UPDATE 5) The very first question was from an Italian reporter who asked about his contract with Tobita Shinchi, and Hashimoto was visibly uncomfortable.

(UPDATE 4) By the way, Boy-wonder used to be the legal advisor to the association of Tobita Shinchi, a red-light district in Osaka City where prostitution is effectively allowed as "free love" between the waitresses and the customers who visits the "restaurants", circumventing the Anti-Prostitution Law of 1956.

(UPDATE 3) Asahi English has his entire prepared statement in English, here. Boy-wonder seems to think "comfort women" are just about some old gripes from South Korea. I'm more interested in what the foreign media writes up tomorrow.

(UPDATE 2) Hashimoto, through an interpreter (not very good, reminds me of NHK's interpreters in the first few days of Fukushima I Nuke Plant accident), just declared he won't answer questions later unless the reporters first thoroughly read the English document that details his points of view. He's blah blah blah-ing how he has met with the media every single day of his mayorship, and how he values the freedom of speech.

(UPDATE) It has just started. And I forgot to mention that Boy-wonder's "daddy" Shintaro Ishihara will be there, watching over him. A old-looking woman is doing the translation. http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv138509152

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It will start at 12:30PM on May 27, 2013, Japan Standard Time.

Hear all about it!

Link to NicoNico Channel: http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv138509152

Jiji Tsushin (5/27/2013) outlines what Boy-wonder is going to say, and that sure doesn't sound like any apology. Not to me at least:

日本維新の会の橋下徹共同代表（大阪市長）は２７日午後、東京・有楽町の日本外国特派員協会で記者会見する。橋下氏は、在沖縄米軍に風俗業利用を勧めた自らの発言について「不適切な表現だった」として撤回し、米軍と米国民に謝罪する。一方、戦時下の従軍慰安婦制度に関する「当時は必要だった」との発言は取り消さず、「女性の人権をじゅうりんし、許されないものだ」と訴えて理解を求める。

Toru Hashimoto, co-president of Japan Restoration Party and mayor of Osaka City, will hold a press conference at Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Yurakucho, Tokyo in the afternoon of May 27. Mr. Hashimoto is going to withdraw his remarks recommending the US military in Okinawa to make good use of Japanese sex industry as "inappropriate", and apologize to the US military and the US citizens. On the other hand, he will stand by his comments on the comfort women system during the World War II as "necessary at that time", and emphasize that "it was a violation of human rights of women, and not permissible", in the effort to win the understanding [from the reporters].

橋下氏の一連の発言には、内外で厳しい批判が続いている。外国メディアに直接真意を説明し、事態を収拾したい考えで、会見では自らの見解をまとめた文書を英訳版とともに配布する。

Hashimoto's remarks have been heavily criticized both inside and outside Japan. Hashimoto wants to explain his true intentions to the foreign media directly in order to wind down the controversy. During the press conference, he will distribute the document that summarizes his viewpoints, along with the English translation of the document.

橋下氏は２６日にまとめた見解文で、慰安婦発言について「世界各国の軍が必要としていたと発言したところ、私が容認していると誤報された」としており、会見でも同様の主張をする見通し。また「世界各国の兵が戦場で女性を利用してきたことは厳然たる事実」と指摘し、海外報道で慰安婦が「セックススレイブ（性奴隷）」と訳されていることにも異を唱える考えだ。

In the document compiled on May 26, Mr. Hashimoto says, regarding his remarks on comfort women, "What I said was that all military forces in the world needed [comfort women], but it was reported falsely that I condoned such a system." He is expected to make a similar statement in the press conference. Also, he is going to point out that "it is a solid fact that soldiers in armed forces worldwide have used women", and object to the translation of comfort women as "sex slaves" in the foreign media.

Either he doesn't know, or he knows but pretends he doesn't know, that the "comfort women" that the Japanese military "recruited" were not entrepreneuring women willingly offering services.

We'll find out how the foreign correspondents in Tokyo treat him. Perhaps they've been in Japan too long.

It's not that Wikipedia is neutral on all subjects (it is not), but the difference between the Japanese entry on "comfort women" and the English entry is rather significant. If you read both, check them out.

The opening sentence in Japanese wiki entry on comfort women:

制度としての慰安婦は、軍相手の「管理売春」という商行為をおこなう存在であり、慰安婦には報酬が支払われていた。

Comfort women, as the system, conducted commercial transaction of "managed prostitution" for military personnel, and comfort women were paid for their services.

The opening sentence in English wiki:

Comfort women were women and girls forced into a prostitution corps created by the Empire of Japan.

Mind the gap...

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