아래 서명한 일본연구자들은 일본의 여러 용기 있는 역사가들이 아시아에서 일어난 제2차 세계대전에 관한 정확하고 공정한 역사를 요구하고 있는 데 대 해 진심으로 찬성의 뜻을 표명하는 바입니다. 우리들 대부분에게 일본은 연구 대상일 뿐만 아니라 제2의 고향이기도 합니다. 이 성명은 일본과 동아시아의 역사를 어떻게 연구하고 어떻게 기억해나갈 것인지에 관해 우리가 공유하는 관심에서 발표되는 성명입니다.
또한 이 성명은 전후 70년이라는 중요한 기념의 해를 맞아, 일본과 그 이웃 나라 간에 70년간 지켜져온 평화를 축하하기 위한 것이기도 합니다. 전후 일본 이 지켜온 민주주의, 자위대에 대한 문민통제, 경찰권의 절도 있는 운용과 정 치적인 관용은, 일본이 과학에 공헌하고 타국에 관대한 원조를 해온 것을 비롯 해, 전부 세계의 축복을 받을 만한 것이었습니다.
하지만 이러한 성과가 세계의 축복을 받을 시점에서, 장애가 존재한다는 사 실을 인정할 수밖에 없습니다. 그것은 역사해석의 문제입니다. 그중에서도 다 툼의 원인이 되고 있는 가장 심각한 문제 중 하나가 이른바 ‘위안부’ 제도의 문 제입니다. 이 문제는 일본만이 아니라 한국과 중국의 민족주의적인 폭언에 의 해서도 너무 왜곡되어왔습니다. 그 때문에 정치가나 언론인뿐 아니라 많은 연 구자들 또한, 역사학적 고찰의 궁극적 목적이어야 했던, 인간과 사회를 지탱하 는 기본적인 조건을 이해하고 그 향상을 위해 끊임없이 노력해야 한다는 점을 보지 못하게 되어버린것같기도 합니다.
‘위안부’의 피해자로서의 고통이 그 국가의 민족주의적인 목적을 위해 이용 된다면 이는 문제의 국제적 해결을 더 어렵게 할 뿐만 아니라 피해자 자신의 존엄을 더 모욕하는 일이 됩니다. 하지만 동시에 그들이 겪은 일을 부정하거나 하찮은 일로 무시하는것또한 우리로서는 받아들일수없습니다. 20세기에전 개된 수많은 전시하 성폭력과 군대와 관련된 매춘 중에서도 ‘위안부’ 제도는 그 규모의 크기와 군대에 의한 조직적인 관리가 행해졌다는 점에서, 그리고 일 본의 식민지와 점령지에서 가난하고 약한 입장에 처해 있던 젊은 여성들을 착 취했다는 점에서 특필해야할사안입니다.
‘올바른 역사’로 가는 손쉬운 길은 없습니다. 일본 제국의 군 관계 자료의 대 부분은 파기되었고, 각지에서 여성을 조달한 업자의 행동은 처음부터 기록되 지 않았을지도 모릅니다. 하지만 여성의 이송과 ‘위안소’의 관리에 대한 일본 군의 관여를 밝히는 자료는 역사가들에 의해 상당수 발굴되었고, 피해자들의 증언에도 중요한 증거가 포함되어 있습니다. 분명 그들의 증언은 천차만별이 며 기억도 그 자체로는 일관성이 없습니다. 그러나 그 증언들은 전체로서 호소 력이 있고, 또 전 일본군인과 그 밖의 증언은 물론 공문서에 의해서도 입증되 고있습니다.
‘위안부’의 정확한 수에 대해 역사가들의 의견은 갈라지는데, 아마도 앞으 로도 영원히 정확한 숫자가 확정되는 일은 없을 것입니다. 물론 믿을 수 있는 피해자 수를 계산하는 것도 중요합니다. 하지만 최종적으로 몇만 명이건 몇십 만 명이건, 어떤 숫자로 최종 결론이 내려진다 해도 일본 제국과 그 전쟁터가 된 지역에서 여성들이 그 존엄성을 빼앗겼다는 역사적 사실을 바꿀 수는 없습 니다.
역사가들 중에는 일본군이 직접 관여한 정도를 둘러싸고 여성들이 ‘강제적’ 으로 ‘위안부’가 되었는지에 대해 이론을 제기하는 분도 있습니다. 하지만 다 수의 여성들이 자신의 의사에 반해 일상적 자유를 박탈당하고 끔찍한 폭력에 노출되었음은 이미 자료와 증언이 밝힌 바 있습니다. 특정 용어에 초점을 맞추 어 협애한 법률논의를 반복한다든가 피해자들의 증언을 반박하기 위해 극히 한정된 자료에 고집하는 것은 피해자들이 당한 잔혹한 행위를 외면하고 그들 을 착취한 비인도적인 제도를 둘러싼 보다 넓은 문맥을 무시하는 일에 지나지 않습니다.
일본의 연구자·동료들과 똑같이 우리도 과거의 모든 흔적을 신중하게 저 울질하여 역사적 문맥 안에서 그에 대한 평가를 내리는 것만이 공정한 역사를 만들어낸다고 믿고 있습니다. 이런 유의 작업은 민족이나 젠더에 따른 편견에 물들어서는 안 되며, 정부에 의한 조작이나 검열, 그리고 개인에 대한 협박으로 부터도 자유로워야 합니다. 우리는 역사 연구의 자유를 지켜나갈 것입니다. 그 리고모든국가의정부가그자유를존중할것을호소합니다.
많은 국가들에 있어 과거의 부정의를 인정하는 일은 여전히 어려운 일입니 다. 제2차 세계대전 때 억류된 일본계 미국인에게 미국 정부가 배상하기까지 는 40년 이상 걸렸습니다. 아프리카계 미국인에 대한 평등이 노예제도 폐지를 통해 약속되었음에도 불구하고 그 약속이 실제 법률에 반영되기까지도 한 세 기를 더 기다려야 했습니다. 인종차별 문제는 지금까지도 미국 사회에 깊게 자 리잡고 있습니다. 미국, 유럽 국가들, 일본을 포함한 19·20세기의 제국 열강 중에서, 제국과 관련된 인종차별, 식민지주의와 전쟁, 그리고 이들이 세계의 무수한 시민들에게 끼친 고통에 관해 충분히 노력했다고 말할 수 있는 국가는 아직 어디에도 없습니다.
오늘날의 일본은 가장 약한 입장의 사람을 포함해 모든 개인의 생명과 권리 를 가치 있는 것으로 인정하고 있습니다. 오늘의 일본 정부에게 해외든 국내든 제2차 세계대전 당시의 ‘위안소’처럼 제도로서 여성을 착취하는 일은 허용될 리가 없을 것입니다. 당시조차 정부 공무원들 중에는 윤리적인 이유로 이에 항 의한 사람이 있었던 것도 사실입니다. 하지만 전시체제하에서 개인은 국가를 위해 절대적으로 희생할 것이 요구되었고, 기타 아시아 국가 국민들뿐만 아니 라 일본인 자신들도 매우 많은 고통을 겪었습니다. 누구든 두 번 다시 그러한 상황을 경험해서는안됩니다.
올해는 일본 정부가 말과 행동에서 과거의 식민지지배와 전시의 침략 문제 에 감연히 마주해 그 지도력을 보일 절호의 기회입니다. 4월의 미국의회 연설 에서 아베 수상은 인권이라는 보편적 가치, 인간의 안전보장의 중요성, 그리고 타국에 준 고통을 직시할 필요성에 대해 이야기했습니다. 우리는 그런 마음에 찬사를 보내며 그 하나하나에 기반해 대담하게 행동해줄 것을 수상에게 기대 해마지않습니다.
과거의 잘못을 인정하는 과정은 민주주의 사회를 강화하고 국가와 국가 간 의 협력관계를 튼튼하게 합니다. ‘위안부’ 문제의 핵심에는 여성의 권리와 존 엄이 있으며, 그 해결은 일본, 동아시아, 그리고 세계의 남녀동등권을 위한 역 사적인한걸음이될것입니다. 우리의 강의실에서는 일본, 한국, 중국 기타 국가에서 온 학생들이 이 어려 운 문제에 대해 서로 경의를 담아 마음을 다해 논의하고 있습니다. 그들 세대 는 우리가 남길 과거의 기록과 함께 걸어갈 수밖에 없는 운명에 있습니다. 성 폭력과 인신매매가 없는 세계를 그들이 만들기 위해, 그리고 아시아의 평화와 우호를 촉진하기 위해 과거의 잘못에 대해 가능한한총체적이고 가능한한편 견이 없는 청산을이시대의 성과로서 함께 남깁시다.
서명자 일람(성알파벳순):생략
이 성명은 2015년 3월에 시카고에서 개최된 아시아연구협회(AAS) 정기 연차 대회에서의 공개포럼과, 이후 메일회의 형식으로 실시된 일본연구자 커뮤니 티 안에서 폭넓은 논의를 거쳐 만들어졌습니다. 여기에 표명된 의견은 어떤 조 직이나 기관을 대표한 것이 아니라 서명한각연구자들이 뜻을 모은 것일 뿐입 니다.
(번역:후카보리 스즈카深堀すずか, 감수:박유하)
부록 2-2:
2015년 5월 5일 공표된 세계 일본연구자들의 성명(영어판 원문)
OPEN LETTER IN SUPPORT OF HISTORIANS IN JAPAN
The undersigned scholars of Japanese studies express our unity with the many courageous historians in Japan seeking an accurate and just history of World War II in Asia. Because Japan is a second home as well as a field of research for many of us, we write with a shared concern for the way that the history of Japan and East Asia is studied and commemorated.
In this important commemorative year, we also write to celebrate seventy years of peace between Japan and its neighbors. Postwar Japan's history of democracy, civilian control of the military, police restraint, and political tolerance, together with contributions to science and generous aid to other countries, are all things to celebrate as well.
Yet problems of historical interpretation pose an impediment to celebrat- ing these achievements. One of the most divisive historical issues is the so-called “comfort women” system. This issue has become so distorted by nationalist invective in Japan as well as in Korea and China that many schol- ars, along with journalists and politicians, have lost sight of the fundamental goal of historical inquiry, which should be to understand the human condi- tion and aspire to improve it.
Exploitation of the suffering of former “comfort women” for nationalist ends in the countries of the victims makes an international resolution more difficult and further insults the dignity of the women themselves. Yet deny- ing or trivializing what happened to them is equally unacceptable. Among the many instances of wartime sexual violence and military prostitution in the twentieth century, the “comfort women” system was distinguished by its large scale and systematic management under the military, and by its exploi- tation of young, poor, and vulnerable women in areas colonized or occu- pied by Japan.
There is no easy path to a “correct history.” Much of the archive of the Japanese imperial military was destroyed. The actions of local procurers who provided women to the military may never have been recorded. But historians have unearthed numerous documents demonstrating the military’s involvement in the transfer of women and oversight of brothels. Important evidence also comes from the testimony of victims. Although their stories are diverse and affected by the inconsistencies of memory, the aggregate record they offer is compelling and supported by official documents as well as by the accounts of soldiers and others.
Historians disagree over the precise number of “comfort women,” which will probably never be known for certain. Establishing sound estimates of victims is important. But ultimately, whether the numbers are judged to have been in the tens of thousands or the hundreds of thousands will not alter the fact of the exploitation carried out throughout the Japanese empire and its war zones.
Some historians also dispute how directly the Japanese military was in- volved, and whether women were coerced to become “comfort women.” Yet the evidence makes clear that large numbers of women were held against their will and subjected to horrific brutality. Employing legalistic arguments focused on particular terms or isolated documents to challenge the victims’ testimony both misses the fundamental issue of their brutalization and ig- nores the larger context of the inhumane system that exploited them.
Like our colleagues in Japan, we believe that only careful weighing and contextual evaluation of every trace of the past can produce a just history. Such work must resist national and gender bias, and be free from govern- ment manipulation, censorship, and private intimidation. We defend the freedom of historical inquiry, and we call upon all governments to do the same. Many countries still struggle to acknowledge past injustices. It took over forty years for the United States government to compensate Japanese- Americans for their internment during World War II. The promise of equality for African Americans was not realized in US law until a century after the abolition of slavery, and the reality of racism remains ingrained in American society. None of the imperial powers of the nineteenth and twentieth centu- ries, including the United States, the European nations, and Japan, can claim to have sufficiently reckoned with their histories of racism, colonialism, and war, or with the suffering they inflicted on countless civilians around the world.
Japan today values the life and rights of every individual, including the most vulnerable. The Japanese government would not tolerate the exploita- tion of women in a system like the military “comfort stations” now, either overseas or at home. Even at the time, some officials protested on moral grounds. But the wartime regime compelled absolute sacrifice of the in- dividual to serve the state, causing great suffering to the Japanese people themselves as well as to other Asians. No one should have to suffer such conditions again.
This year presents an opportunity for the government of Japan to show leadership by addressing Japan’s history of colonial rule and wartime ag- gression in both words and action. In his April address to the US Congress, Prime Minister Abe spoke of the universal value of human rights, of the importance of human security, and of facing the suffering that Japan caused other countries. We applaud these sentiments and urge the Prime Minister to act boldly on all of them.
The process of acknowledging past wrongs strengthens a democratic soci- ety and fosters cooperation among nations. Since the equal rights and dig- nity of women lie at the core of the “comfort women” issue, its resolution would be a historic step toward the equality of women and men in Japan, East Asia and the world. In our classrooms, students from Japan, Korea, China and elsewhere dis- cuss these difficult issues with mutual respect and probity. Their generation will live with the record of the past that we bequeath them. To help them build a world free of sexual violence and human trafficking, and to promote peace and friendship in Asia, we must leave as full and unbiased an ac- counting of past wrongs as possible.
SIGNED, •Daniel Aldrich, Professor of Political Science, Purdue University. •Jeffrey Alexander, Associate Professor of History, Univ. of Wisconsin-Parkside. • Anne Allison, Professor of Cultural Anthropology, Duke University. • Marnie Anderson, Associate Professor of History, Smith College. • E. Taylor Atkins, Presidential Teaching Professor of History, Northern Illinois University. • Paul D. Barclay, Associate Professor of History and Asian Studies Program Chair, Lafayette College. • Jan Bardsley, Associate Professor of Asian Studies, University of North Caro- lina, Chapel Hill. • James R. Bartholomew, Professor, Department of History, The Ohio State University. • Brett de Bary, Professor, Asian Studies and Comparative Literature, Cornell University. • Michael Baskett, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Film and Media Studies, University of Kansas • Alan Baumler, Professor of History, Indiana University of Pennsylvania. • Alexander R. Bay, Associate Professor, History Department, Chapman University. • Theodore C. Bestor, Professor of Social Anthropology, Harvard University. • Victoria Bestor, Director of the North American Coordinating Council on Japa- nese Library Resources. • Davinder Bhowmik, Associate Professor of Asian Languages and Literature, University of Washington. • Herbert Bix, Professor Emeritus of History and Sociology, Binghamton University. • Daniel Botsman, Professor of History, Yale University. • Michael Bourdaghs, Professor of Japanese Literature, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago. • Thomas Burkman, Research Professor of Asian Studies Emeritus, SUNY Buffalo. • Susan L. Burns, Associate Professor of History, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago. • Eric Cazdyn, Distinguished Professor of Aesthetics and Politics, Department of East Asian Studies & Centre for Comparative Literature, University of Toronto. • Parks M. Coble, Professor of History, University of Nebraska, Lincoln. • Haruko Taya Cook, Instructor of Languages and Cultures, William Paterson University. • Theodore F. Cook, Professor of History, William Paterson University. • Bruce Cumings, Professor of History, University of Chicago. • Katarzyna Cwiertka, Professor of Modern Japanese Studies, Universiteit Leiden. • Charo D'Etcheverry, Associate Professor of Japanese Literature, University of Wisconsin-Madison • Eric Dinmore, Associate Professor of History, Hampden-Sydney College. • Lucia Dolce, Chair, Centre for the Study of Japanese Religions, University of London, SOAS. • Ronald P. Dore, Honorary Fellow, London School of Economics. • John W. Dower, Professor Emeritus of History, MIT. • Mark Driscoll, Professor of East Asian Studies, UNC, Chapel Hill. • Prasenjit Duara, Raffles Professor of Humanities, Nat'l University of Singapore. • Alexis Dudden, Professor of History, University of Connecticut. • Martin Dusinberre, Professor of Global History, University of Zürich. • Peter Duus, Professor of History (Emeritus), Stanford University. • Steve Ericson, Associate Professor of History, Dartmouth College. • Elyssa Faison, Associate Professor, University of Oklahoma. • Norma Field, Professor Emerita of East Asian Studies, University of Chicago. • W. Miles Fletcher, Professor of History, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. • Petrice R. Flowers, Associate Professor Political Science, University of Hawaii. • Joshua A. Fogel, Professor of History, York University, Toronto. • Sarah Frederick, Associate Professor of Japanese and Comparative Literature, Boston University. • Dennis J. Frost, Wen Chao Chen Associate Professor of East Asian Studies, Kalamazoo College. • Sabine Fruhstuck, Professor of Modern Japanese Cultural Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara. • James Fujii, Associate Professor, East Asian Languages and Literatures, Univer- sity of California, Irvine. • Takashi Fujitani, Professor of History, University of Toronto. • Sheldon M. Garon, Professor of History and East Asian Studies, Princeton University. • Timothy S. George, Professor of History, University of Rhode Island. • Christopher Gerteis, Chair, Japan Research Centre, SOAS, University of London. • Carol Gluck, Professor of History, Columbia University. • Andrew Gordon, Professor of History, Harvard University. • Helen Hardacre, Professor of Religions and Society, Harvard University. • Harry Harootunian, Emeritus Professor of History, New York University; Ad- junct Professor of Japanese History, Columbia University. • Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, Professor of History, Univ. of California at Santa Barbara. • Akiko Hashimoto, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Pittsburgh. • Sally A. Hastings, Associate Professor of History, Purdue University. • Tom Havens, Professor of History, Northeastern University. • Kenji Hayao, Associate Professor, Political Science Department, Boston College. • Laura Hein, Professor of History, Northwestern University. • Robert Hellyer, Associate Professor of History, Wake Forest College. • Manfred Henningsen, Professor of Political Science, Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa. • Christopher L. Hill, Assistant Professor of Japanese Literature, Univ. of Michigan. • Katsuya Hirano, Associate Professor of History, UCLA. • David L. Howell, Professor of Japanese History, Harvard University. • Douglas Howland, Professor of History, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. • James L. Huffman, H. Orth Hirt Professor of History Emeritus, Wittenberg University. • Janet Hunter, Saji Professor of Economic History, London School of Economics and Political Science. • Akira Iriye, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University. • Rebecca Jennison, Professor, Department of Humanities, Kyoto Seika University. • William Johnston, Professor of History, Wesleyan University. • John Junkerman, Documentary Filmmaker. • Ikumi Kaminishi, Associate Professor of Art and Art History, Tufts University. • Ken Kawashima, Associate Professor of East Asian Studies, Univ. of Toronto. • William W. Kelly, Professor of Anthropology, Yale University. • James Ketelaar, Professor of History, University of Chicago. • R. Keller Kimbrough, Associate Professor, University of Colorado at Boulder. • Miriam Kingsberg, Assistant Professor of History, University of Colorado. • Jeff Kingston, Director of Asian Studies and Professor of History, Temple University Japan. • Victor Koschmann, Professor of History, Cornell University. • Emi Koyama, Independent Scholar, Japan-U.S. Feminist Network for Decolonization (FeND). • Ellis S. Krauss, Professor Emeritus, University of California, San Diego. • Josef Kreiner, Professor Emeritus, Rheinische Freidrich-Wilhelms Universität Bonn. • Shigehisa Kuriyama, Reischauer Institute Professor of Cultural History, Harvard University. • Peter Kuznick, Professor of History and Director, Nuclear Studies Institute, American University. • Thomas Lamarre, James McGill Professor, East Asian Studies , Art History and Communications Studies, McGill University • Andrew Levidis, Fellow, Reischauer Institute, Harvard University. • Ilse Lenz, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany. • Mark Lincicome, Associate Professor, Department of History, College of the Holy Cross. • Sepp Linhart, Professor Emeritus of Japanese Studies and Sociology, University of Vienna. • Yukio Lippit, Professor of History of Art and Architecture, Harvard University. • Angus Lockyer, Lecturer in the History of Japan, Department of History, SOAS, University of London. • Susan Orpett Long, Professor of Anthropology, John Carroll University. • David B. Lurie, Associate Professor of Japanese History and Literature, Colum- bia University. • Vera Mackie, Professor of Asian Studies, University of Wollongong. • Wolfram Manzenreiter, Professor of Japanese Studies, University of Vienna. • William Marotti, Associate Professor of History, UCLA. • Y. Tak Matsusaka, Professor of History, Wellesley College. • Trent Maxey, Associate Professor of Asian Languages and Civilizations and His- tory, Amherst College. • James L. McClain Professor of History, Brown University. • Gavan McCormack, Professor Emeritus of History, Australian National University. • Melissa McCormick, Professor, Harvard University. • David McNeill, Journalist and Professor, Sophia University. • Mark Metzler, Professor of History, University of Texas at Austin. • Ian J. Miller, Professor of History, Harvard University. • Laura Miller, Ei’chi Shibusawa-Seigo Arai Endowed Professor of Japanese Stud- ies, University of Missouri-St. Louis. • Janis Mimura, Associate Professor, State University of New York, Stony Brook. • Richard H. Minear, Professor of History(Emeritus), Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst. • Yuki Miyamoto, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, DePaul University. • Barbara Molony, Professor of History, Santa Clara University. • Yumi Moon, Associate Professor of History, Stanford. • Aaron Moore, Lecturer in East Asian History, The University of Manchester. • Tessa Morris-Suzuki, Professor of Japanese History, Australian Nat'l University. • Aurelia George Mulgan, Professor of Japanese Politics, Univ. of New South Wales. • R. Taggart Murphy, Professor, International Political Economy, University of Tsukuba, Tokyo Campus. • Tetsuo Najita, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Chicago. • Miri Nakamura, Associate Professor of Japanese Literature, College of East Asian Studies, Wesleyan University. • John Nathan, Takashima Professor of Japanese Cultural Studies, UC, Santa Barbara. • Christopher Nelson, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, Univer- sity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. • Satoko Oka Norimatsu, Editor, Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. • Markus Nornes, Professor of Asian Cinema, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. • David Tobaru Obermiller, Associate Professor, Department of History & Japa- nese Studies Program, Gustavus Adolphus College. • Eiko Otake, Visiting artist, Wesleyan University. • Simon Partner, Professor of History, Duke University. • T.J. Pempel, Jack M. Forcey Professor of Political Science for Study of East Asian Politics, University of California, Berkeley. • Matthew Penney, Associate Professor, Concordia University. • Samuel E. Perry, Associate Professor of East Asian Studies, Brown University. • Catherine Phipps, Associate Professor, University of Memphis • Leslie Pincus, Associate Professor of History, University of Michigan. • Morgan Pitelka, Associate Professor and Director of the Carolina Asia Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. • Janet Poole, Associate Professor of East Asian Studies, University of Toronto. • Roger Pulvers, Author and Translator, Sydney, Australia. • Steve Rabson, Professor Emeritus of East Asian Studies, Brown University. • Fabio Rambelli, Chair, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies and Professor of Japanese Religions and Cultural History, University of California, Santa Barbara. • Mark Ravina, Professor of History, Emory University. • Steffi Richter, Professor of East Asian Studies, Universität Leipzig. • Luke Roberts, Professor of History, University of California Santa Barbara. • Jennifer Robertson, Professor of Anthropology and History of Art, University of Michigan. • Jay Rubin, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University. • Ken Ruoff, Professor of History and Director of the Center for Japanese Stud- ies, Portland State University. • Jordan Sand, Professor of History, Georgetown University. • Wesley Sasaki-Uemura, Associate Professor of Japanese History, Univ. of Utah. • Ellen Schattschneider, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Women’, Gen- der and Sexuality Studies, Brandeis University. • Andre Schmid, Associate Professor of East Asian Studies, University of Toronto. • Amanda C. Seaman, Associate Professor of Japanese and Director of Compara- tive Literature, University of Massachusetts Amherst. • Ethan Segal, Associate Professor of History, Michigan State University. • Wolfgang Seifert, Professor Emeritus of Japanese Studies, Univ. of Heidelberg. • Mark Selden, Senior Research Associate, Cornell University; Editor, Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. • Franziska Seraphim, Associate Professor of History, Boston College. • Sayuri Guthrie Shimizu, Professor of History, Rice University. • Eiko Maruko Siniawer, Associate Professor of History, Williams College. • Patricia Sippel, Professor, Toyo Eiwa University. • Richard Smethurst, Professor Emeritus of History, University of Pittsburgh. • Kerry Smith, Associate Professor of History, Brown University. • Daniel Sneider, Associate Director for Research, Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Re- search Center, Stanford University. • M. William Steele, Professor of History, International Christian University. • Brigitte Steger, Senior Lecturer in Modern Japanese Studies, Univ. of Cambridge. • Stefan Tanaka, Professor of Communication, Univ. of California, San Diego. • Alan Tansman, Professor of Japanese Literature, Univ. of California Berkeley. • Sarah Thal, Associate Professor of History, University of Wisconsin-Madison. • Michael F. Thies, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, UCLA • Mark Tilton, Associate Professor of Political Science, Purdue University. • Julia Adeney Thomas, Associate Professor of History, Univ. of Notre Dame. • John Whittier Treat, Emeritus Professor, Yale University; Professor, Ewha Wom- ans University. • Hitomi Tonomura, Professor of History, University of Michigan • Jun Uchida, Associate Professor of History, Stanford University. • J. Keith Vincent, Associate Professor of Japanese and Comparative Literature, Boston University. • Stephen Vlastos, Professor of History, University of Iowa. • Ezra F. Vogel, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University. • Klaus Vollmer, Professor of Japanese Studies, LMU Munich University. • Anne Walthall, Professor Emerita of History, University of California, Irvine. • Max Ward, Assistant Professor of History, Middlebury College. • Lori Watt, Associate Professor of History, Washington University in St. Louis. • Gennifer Weisenfeld, Professor, Duke University. • Michael Wert, Associate Professor, Marquette University. • Kären Wigen, Professor of History, Stanford University. • Tomomi Yamaguchi, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Montana State University. • Samuel H. Yamashita, Henry E. Sheffield Professor of History, Pomona College. • Daqing Yang, Associate Professor, George Washington University. • Christine Yano, Professor of Anthropology, University of Hawaii at Manoa. • Marcia Yonemoto, Associate Professor of History, Univ. of Colorado Boulder. • Lisa Yoneyama, Professor of East Asian Studies, University of Toronto. • Theodore Jun Yoo, Associate Professor of History, University of Hawaii. • Takashi Yoshida, Professor, Western Michigan University. • Louise Young, Professor of History, University of Wisconsin-Madison. • Eve Zimmerman, Barbara Morris Caspersen Associate Professor of Humanities & Associate Professor of Japanese, Wellesley University. • Reinhard Zöllner, Professor of Japanese and Korean Studies, Univ. of Bonn.
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This statement emerged from an open forum held at the Association for Asian Studies annual meeting held in Chicago during March 2015, and from subsequent discussions on line among a wide range of Japan scholars. It represents the opinions only of those who have signed it and not of any organization or institution.
부록 2-3:
2015년 5월 5일 공표된 세계 일본연구자들의 성명(일본어판 원문)
日本の歴史家を支持する声明
下記に署名した日本研究者は、日本の多くの勇気ある歴史家が、アジアでの第二次世界大戦に対する正確で公正な歴史を求めていることに対し、心からの賛意を表明するものであります。私たちの多くにとって、日本は研究の対象であるのみならず、第二の故郷でもあります。この声明は、日本と東アジアの歴史をいかに研究し、いかに記憶していくべきなのかについて、われわれが共有する関心から発せられたものです。
また、この声明は戦後七〇年という重要な記念の年にあたり、日本とその隣国のあいだに七〇年間守られてきた平和を祝うためのものでもあります。戦後日本が守ってきた民主主義、自衛隊への文民統制、警察権の節度ある運用と、政治的な寛容さは、日本が科学に貢献し他国に寛大な援助を行ってきたことと合わせ、全てが世界の祝福に値するものです。
しかし、これらの成果が世界から祝福を受けるにあたっては、障害となるものがあることを認めざるをえません。それは歴史解釈の問題であります。その中でも、争いごとの原因となっている最も深刻な問題のひとつに、いわゆる「慰安婦」制度の問題があります。この問題は、日本だけでなく、韓国と中国の民族主義的な暴言によっても、あまりにゆがめられてきました。そのために、政治家やジャーナリストのみならず、多くの研究者もまた、歴史学的な考察の究極の目的であるべき、人 間と社会を支える基本的な条件を理解し、その向上にたえず努めるということを見失ってしまっているかのようです。
元「慰安婦」の被害者としての苦しみがその国の民族主義的な目的のために利用されるとすれば、それは問題の国際的解決をより難しくするのみならず、被害者自身の尊厳をさらに侮辱することにもなります。しかし、同時に、彼女たちの身に起こったことを否定したり、過小なものとして無視したりすることも、また受け入れることはできません。二〇世紀に繰り広げられた数々の戦時における性的暴力と軍隊にまつわる売春のなかでも、「慰安婦」制度はその規模の大きさと、軍隊による組織的な管理が行われたという点において、そして日本の植民地と占領地から、貧しく弱い立場にいた若い女性を搾取したという点において、特筆すべきものであります。
「正しい歴史」への簡単な道はありません。日本帝国の軍関係資料のかなりの部分は破棄されましたし、各地から女性を調達した業者の行動はそもそも記録されていなかったかもしれません。しかし、女性の移送と「慰安所」の管理に対する日本軍の関与を明らかにする資料は歴史家によって相当発掘されていますし、被害者の証言にも重要な証拠が含まれています。確かに彼女たちの証言はさまざまで、記憶もそれ自体は一貫性をもっていません。しかしその証言は全体として心に訴えるものであり、また元兵士その他の証言だけでなく、公的資料によっても裏付けられています。
「慰安婦」の正確な数について、歴史家の意見は分かれていますが、恐らく、永久に正確な数字が確定されることはないでしょう。確かに、信用できる被害者数を 見積もることも重要です。しかし、最終的に何万人であろうと何十万人であろうと、いかなる数にその判断が落ち着こうとも、日本帝国とその戦場となった地域において、女性たちがその尊厳を奪われたという歴史の事実を変えることはできません。
歴史家の中には、日本軍が直接関与していた度合いについて、女性が「強制的」に「慰安婦」になったのかどうかという問題について、異論を唱える方もいます。しかし、大勢の女性が自己の意思に反して拘束され、恐ろしい暴力にさらされたことは、既に資料と証言が明らかにしている通りです。特定の用語に焦点をあてて狭い法律的議論を重ねることや、被害者の証言に反論するためにきわめて限定された資料にこだわることは、被害者が被った残忍な行為から目を背け、彼女たちを搾取した非人道的制度を取り巻く、より広い文脈を無視することにほかなりません。
日本ｰの研究者・同僚と同じように、私たちも過去のすべての痕跡を慎重に天秤に掛けて、歴史的文脈の中でそれに評価を下すことのみが、公正な歴史を生むと信じています。この種の作業は、民族やジェンダーによる偏見に染められてはならず、政府による操作や検閲、そして個人的脅迫からも自由でなければなりません。私たちは歴史研究の自由を守ります。そして、すべての国の政府がそれを尊重するよう呼びかけます。
多くの国にとって、過去の不正義を認めるのは、未だに難しいことです。第二次世界大戦中に抑留されたアメリカの日系人に対して、アメリカ合衆国政府が賠償を実行するまでに四〇年以上がかかりました。アフリカ系アメリカ人への平等が奴隷制廃止によって約束されたにもかかわらず、それが実際の法律に反映されるま でには、さらに一世紀を待たねばなりませんでした。人種差別の問題は今もアメリカ社会に深く巣くっています。米国、ヨーロッパ諸国、日本を含めた、十九・二〇世紀の帝国列強の中で、帝国にまつわる人種差別、植民地主義と戦争、そしてそれらが世界中の無数の市民に与えた苦しみに対して、十分に取り組んだといえる国は、まだどこにもありません。
今日の日本は、最も弱い立場の人を含め、あらゆる個人の命と権利を価値あるものとして認めています。今の日本政府にとって、海外であれ国内であれ、第二次世界大戦中の「慰安所」のように、制度として女性を搾取するようなことは、許容されるはずがないでしょう。その当時においてさえ、政府の役人の中には、倫理的な理由からこれに抗議した人がいたことも事実です。しかし、戦時体制のもとにあって、個人は国のために絶対的な犠牲を捧げることが要求され、他のアジア諸国民のみならず日本人自身も多大な苦しみを被りました。だれも二度とそのような状況を経験するべきではありません。
今年は、日本政府が言葉と行動において、過去の植民地支配と戦時における侵略の問題に立ち向かい、その指導力を見せる絶好の機会です。四月のアメリカ議会演説において、安倍首相は、人権という普遍的価値、人間の安全保障の重要性、そして他国に与えた苦しみを直視する必要性について話しました。私たちはこうした気持ちを賞賛し、その一つ一つに基づいて大胆に行動することを首相に期待してやみません。
過去の過ちを認めるプロセスは民主主義社会を強化し、国と国のあいだの協力関係を養います。「慰安婦」問題の中核には女性の権利と尊厳があり、その解 決は日本、東アジア、そして世界における男女同権に向けた歴史的な一歩となることでしょう。
私たちの教室では、日本、韓国、中国他の国からの学生が、この難しい問題について、互いに敬意を払いながら誠実に話し合っています。彼らの世代は、私たちが残す過去の記録と歩むほかないよう運命づけられています。性暴力と人身売買のない世界を彼らが築き上げるために、そしてアジアにおける平和と友好を進めるために、過去の過ちについて可能な限り全体的で、でき得る限り偏見なき清算を、この時代の成果として共に残そうではありませんか。
署名者一覧（名字アルファベット順）: 생략
この声明は、二〇一五年三月、シカゴで開催されたアジア研究協会（AAS）定期年次大会のなかの公開フォーラムと、その後にメール会議の形で行われた日本研究者コミュニティ内の広範な議論によって生まれたものです。ここに表明されている意見は、いかなる組織や機関を代表したものではなく、署名した個々の研究者の総意にすぎません。