"South Korea is a Begging Group," Japanese City Councilor, Warned but Says "Won't Change Historical Awareness"

City Council Chairman Issues Stern Verbal Warning

A Japanese city councilor who repeatedly used hateful expressions, referring to Korea as a 'begging group' and Japanese military comfort women during the Japanese colonial period as 'prostitutes,' received a stern warning from the chairperson.

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According to local foreign media including Kyodo News on the 2nd, Masanori Kishiue, a city councilor of Kanonji (觀音寺), a small city in Kagawa Prefecture on Shikoku Island, Japan, posted a message on X (formerly Twitter) regarding historical issues between Korea and Japan. In the post, he mocked comfort women by saying, "They earned a lot of money even as prostitutes." Regarding Korea, he disparaged it as "a group that can only beg." Councilor Kishiue belongs to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

The city council responded immediately. On the 29th of last month, then-chairperson Kazuyo Shinohara gave Kishiue a verbal stern warning, stating, "This cannot be overlooked." She said, "Discriminatory remarks are not allowed," and "There is a lack of awareness as a city councilor." Chairperson Shinohara resigned from the chairperson position on the 30th.

Despite these opinions, Councilor Kishiue said, "I knew it was a hateful remark when I used it," and "I have no intention of changing my historical awareness."

Kanonji City revised its park-related ordinance in 2017 to ban hateful speech for the first time in Japan, imposing a fine of up to 50,000 yen (approximately 440,000 won) for violations. However, this ordinance only applies within parks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.