多国学者谴责安倍慰安妇问题立场

An international group of scholars has rebuked Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over his view of history by publishing an open letter on the forced prostitution of “comfort women” during the second world war.

一个由众多学者组成的群体就二战期间“慰安妇”被强迫卖淫的问题发表了一封公开信，谴责日本首相安倍晋三(Shinzo Abe)的历史观。

The letter, signed by 187 historians, calls on Japan’s government to “show leadership by addressing Japan’s history of colonial rule and wartime aggression in both words and action” on the 70th anniversary of the war’s end this year.

这封由187位历史学家署名的公开信呼吁，在二战结束70周年纪念日的问题上，日本政府“不仅要在语言上提及日本殖民统治史及战时侵略史，还要付出相应行动，以显示其领导力”。

It comes after a visit to the US last week in which Mr Abe spoke emotionally about America’s wartime losses but skimmed over controversial historical issues such as the comfort women.

就在这封公开信发出之前，安倍曾于上周访问美国。在那次访问过程中，安倍曾动情地提及美国的战争损失，却对慰安妇等有争议的历史问题一带而过。

The letter shows unease among international scholars about the direction of Japan’s historical debate. Revisionists have grown increasingly assertive, using last year’s retraction of a series of decades-old stories about comfort women by the left-of-centre Asahi newspaper to undermine the credibility of the whole episode in history.

这封公开信显示了国际学者对日本历史问题争论走向的不安。那些持修正主义史观的人们正变得日益强硬。去年，立场中间偏左的《朝日新闻》(Asahi Shimbun)曾承认数十年前有关慰安妇的系列报道有误。这一事件被这些修正主义史观的人们利用，攻击整个慰安妇问题在历史上的可信度。

It is a reminder to Mr Abe that despite the broad success of his US trip, he is not safe from western criticism over his record on historical memory, which could damage Japan’s crucial US alliance.

这封公开信对安倍来说是一次提醒。提醒安倍虽然其美国之行取得了广泛成功，他并不能免受西方对其历史记忆过往记录的批评。这种批评可能会损害对日本来说至关重要的日美同盟关系。

“We intentionally withheld issuing the statement until Prime Minister Abe had returned to Japan,” said Alexis Dudden, professor of history at the University of Connecticut. She said the group had waited to see if the prime minister “said what needed to be said”.

康涅狄格大学(University of Connecticut)历史系教授亚历克西丝•杜登(Alexis Dudden)表示：“我们是特意在安倍首相返回日本后才发出这一声明的。”她说，这群学者们一直在等着看这位首相是否会“说出应该说的话”。

The large number of signatories — including prominent names such as John Dower of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Ezra Vogel of Harvard — shows the broad academic consensus that Japan’s military did run a system of forced prostitution during the war.

众多的签名中包括了诸如麻省理工学院(MIT)约翰•道尔(John Dower)及哈佛大学(Harvard)傅高义(Ezra Vogel)等著名人物。参与签名的人数如此之多，表明学术界普遍认同这样一种观点：二战期间日本军方确实运营着一个强制性卖淫体系。

Rightwingers in Japan, including many members of Mr Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic party, dispute that history. They often argue that comfort women were not forced into prostitution, that the military was not involved, or that estimates of their numbers are inflated.

日本右翼则对这一历史存在争议，这些右翼分子包括了安倍所在的执政党自民党(LDP)中的许多成员。他们往往会分辩说，慰安妇并非被迫卖淫，军方并未参与此事，或慰安妇人数的被高估了。

The letter decries the exploitation of former “comfort women” by nationalists in China and South Korea but it is blunt about the historical record.

这封公开信强烈谴责了日本民族主义者在中国及韩国强征“慰安妇”的行为。对于相关历史记录，公开信则直言不讳。

It says the comfort women system “was distinguished by its large-scale and systematic management under the military, and by its exploitation of young, poor and vulnerable women in areas colonised or occupied by Japan”.

公开信表示，日军慰安妇体系“的突出特点，是其规模之大及军方对它的系统化管理，还有就是在日本殖民和占领地区对年轻、贫穷、脆弱的妇女的强征行为”。

The academics say there are numerous documents showing military involvement. “The evidence makes clear that large numbers of women were held against their will and subjected to horrific brutality,” says the letter.

联署公开信的学者表示，大量文件表明军方参与了此事。该公开信表示：“有证据明确证明，大量妇女在违背本人意愿的情况下被拘，并曾遭遇可怕暴行。”

Disputes about wartime history have damaged relations between Japan and its neighbours. The region is watching Mr Abe’s statement on the 70th anniversary of the war’s end, due in August, for any sign he is watering down past apologies for Japan’s “colonial rule and aggression”.

围绕二战历史的争端已损及日本与其邻国间的关系。今年8月，安倍将发布有关二战结束70周年的声明。目前，亚洲正密切关注这一声明，关注其中任何试图淡化日本过去为“殖民统治和侵略行为”所作道歉的迹象。

Jeff Kingston, a signatory and professor of history at Temple University Japan, said the clear target of the letter was “the apparent evasiveness of Prime Minister Abe regarding the comfort women issue”.

公开信联署人之一、日本天普大学(Temple University Japan)历史系教授杰夫•金斯顿(Jeff Kingston)表示，这封公开信针对的目标十分明确，就是“安倍首相在慰安妇问题上表现出的回避态度”。

In a speech to Congress on his US tour, Mr Abe said he upheld past statements by Japanese governments, which include a 1993 declaration on “comfort women”. But Mr Kingston said this approach, combined with the approval of school textbooks playing down the issue, was not sufficient.

在访美期间对美国国会的演讲中，安倍曾表示赞成日本政府过去发表的声明。这些声明中包括了1993年有关“慰安妇”的声明。不过，金斯顿表示，综合考虑到日本政府曾批准淡化这一问题的教科书，安倍的处理方式是不够的。

“The outsourcing of the apology and acknowledgment to former politicians lacks empathy and sincerity,” said Mr Kingston.

金斯顿表示：“将道歉和对历史的承认外包给过去的政治家，是缺乏同理心和诚意的行为。”