This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/18/world/asia/hokusei-gakuen-university-retains-takashi-uemura-in-japan.html

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Japanese University Retains Ex-Journalist Facing Far Right’s Ire Japanese University Retains Ex-Journalist Facing Far Right’s Ire
(about 7 hours later)
TOKYO — A retired Japanese journalist who has been a prominent target of criticism by rightists seeking to rewrite Japan’s wartime history received a public show of support on Wednesday when his employer, a university, resisted pressure to cancel his teaching contract.TOKYO — A retired Japanese journalist who has been a prominent target of criticism by rightists seeking to rewrite Japan’s wartime history received a public show of support on Wednesday when his employer, a university, resisted pressure to cancel his teaching contract.
Hokusei Gakuen University, a Christian college in northern Japan, said it had decided to retain the former journalist, Takashi Uemura, despite demands from ultranationalists that he be fired. The college had received threats of bombings and attacks on students because of newspaper articles that Mr. Uemura wrote more than two decades ago about Korean women forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II. Hokusei Gakuen University, a Christian college in northern Japan, said it had decided to retain the former journalist, Takashi Uemura, despite demands from ultranationalists that he be fired. The college had received threats of bombings and attacks on students because of newspaper articles that Mr. Uemura wrote more than two decades ago about Korean women who were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II.
The fate of Mr. Uemura, 56, has been widely watched here in Japan. The country appears to be in the grips of an ideological tug of war between an emboldened far right, which has gained influence under the conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and more moderate voices. For a time, the right gained ascendancy, verbally attacking journalists and scholars whom it viewed as promoting an overly masochistic view of Japan’s World War II-era history.The fate of Mr. Uemura, 56, has been widely watched here in Japan. The country appears to be in the grips of an ideological tug of war between an emboldened far right, which has gained influence under the conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and more moderate voices. For a time, the right gained ascendancy, verbally attacking journalists and scholars whom it viewed as promoting an overly masochistic view of Japan’s World War II-era history.
However, liberals and moderates have now begun to push back. In October, a group of more than 1,000 scholars, lawyers and journalists formed to support Mr. Uemura by calling on the college to renew his contract.However, liberals and moderates have now begun to push back. In October, a group of more than 1,000 scholars, lawyers and journalists formed to support Mr. Uemura by calling on the college to renew his contract.
The college seemed to waver for months because of concerns about safety before making the decision to retain Mr. Uemura, a part-time lecturer. In a statement, Hokusei’s president, Shinichi Tamura, said the college wanted to defend its tradition as a Christian school with a history of promoting reconciliation with the rest of Asia.The college seemed to waver for months because of concerns about safety before making the decision to retain Mr. Uemura, a part-time lecturer. In a statement, Hokusei’s president, Shinichi Tamura, said the college wanted to defend its tradition as a Christian school with a history of promoting reconciliation with the rest of Asia.
“Many people have begun to share the belief that the freedom of speech, the basis for democracy and also the autonomy of this university are in crisis,” Mr. Tamura said in a statement explaining the decision to retain Mr. Uemura. “The outpouring of such sentiments has far exceeded what we expected.” “Many people have begun to share the belief that the freedom of speech, the basis for democracy, and also the autonomy of this university are in crisis,” Mr. Tamura said in a statement explaining the decision to retain Mr. Uemura. “The outpouring of such sentiments has far exceeded what we expected.”
While the college has declined to give details on the threats that it has faced, in October the police arrested a 64-year-old man in Niigata, a region to the north of Tokyo, for making phone calls in which he threatened to “hurt students” and “blow up the university” if it did not fire Mr. Uemura. While the college has declined to give details on the threats it faced, in October the police arrested a 64-year-old man in Niigata, a region to the north of Tokyo, for making phone calls in which he threatened to “hurt students” and “blow up the university” if it did not fire Mr. Uemura.
The right’s attacks on Mr. Uemura, which began in earnest this year, have been part of a broader verbal assault on his former employer, The Asahi Shimbun, Japan’s second-largest newspaper, for its coverage of women forced to provide sex to Japanese soldiers during World War II.The right’s attacks on Mr. Uemura, which began in earnest this year, have been part of a broader verbal assault on his former employer, The Asahi Shimbun, Japan’s second-largest newspaper, for its coverage of women forced to provide sex to Japanese soldiers during World War II.
The attacks began in August when the newspaper, a prominent liberal voice that has called for greater atonement for Japan’s wartime misdeeds, suddenly retracted a dozen stories from the 1980s and 1990s about the so-called comfort women that it admitted were based on the false testimony of a single former Japanese soldier.The attacks began in August when the newspaper, a prominent liberal voice that has called for greater atonement for Japan’s wartime misdeeds, suddenly retracted a dozen stories from the 1980s and 1990s about the so-called comfort women that it admitted were based on the false testimony of a single former Japanese soldier.
Nationalists have seized on this admission to argue that the entire issue was a fabrication, and that the women were actually nothing more than camp-following prostitutes. Mainstream scholars say that tens of thousands of Japanese, Korean and other mainly Asian women were put to work in the brothels.Nationalists have seized on this admission to argue that the entire issue was a fabrication, and that the women were actually nothing more than camp-following prostitutes. Mainstream scholars say that tens of thousands of Japanese, Korean and other mainly Asian women were put to work in the brothels.
While Mr. Uemura’s articles were not among those retracted, he and members of his family have faced personal attacks and threats for work of his in 1991 based on the testimony of a Korean woman. Those articles were among the first in Japan to recount the experiences of a woman forced to provide sex to soldiers, dozens of whom began coming forth in the early 1990s to share their accounts.While Mr. Uemura’s articles were not among those retracted, he and members of his family have faced personal attacks and threats for work of his in 1991 based on the testimony of a Korean woman. Those articles were among the first in Japan to recount the experiences of a woman forced to provide sex to soldiers, dozens of whom began coming forth in the early 1990s to share their accounts.
This has led nationalists to brand him as one of the original “fabricators” of the comfort women issue. Such criticisms have already caused one university to rescind a job offer that it had made to Mr. Uemura, who retired from The Asahi Shimbun in March.This has led nationalists to brand him as one of the original “fabricators” of the comfort women issue. Such criticisms have already caused one university to rescind a job offer that it had made to Mr. Uemura, who retired from The Asahi Shimbun in March.
For a time, Hokusei also hesitated to make a decision, with some local news media reporting that the college would refuse to renew its contract with Mr. Uemura, who holds a minor position teaching classes on Japanese society to exchange students. However, in announcing its decision, Hokusei said it decided to retain Mr. Uemura because it felt giving into threats would be a slippery slope, encouraging ultranationalist activists to make additional demands about hiring decisions and even class content. For a time, Hokusei also hesitated to make a decision, with some local news media reporting that the college would refuse to renew its contract with Mr. Uemura, who holds a minor position teaching classes on Japanese society to exchange students. However, in announcing its decision, Hokusei said it decided to retain Mr. Uemura because it believed that giving in to threats would be a slippery slope, encouraging ultranationalist activists to make additional demands about hiring decisions and even class content.
The decision was applauded by “Don’t Give In, Hokusei!” the group that formed to support Mr. Uemura. The decision was applauded by Don’t Give In, Hokusei, a group that formed to support Mr. Uemura.
“I want to express my admiration for Hokusei’s courageous decision,” Jiro Yamaguchi, a political science professor and founder of the group, said on Twitter after the decision. “Academic freedom can only be defended by universities themselves. I hope Hokusei’s decision becomes a model for other universities.”“I want to express my admiration for Hokusei’s courageous decision,” Jiro Yamaguchi, a political science professor and founder of the group, said on Twitter after the decision. “Academic freedom can only be defended by universities themselves. I hope Hokusei’s decision becomes a model for other universities.”