NHK Chairman To Face Diet Over "Comfort Women" Comments

Above, the National Diet Building in Tokyo where the NHK chairman will be grilled Friday. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If you thought "foot-in-mouth disease" is just only prevalent with President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and commentators over at MSNBC, guess again.

The new head of Japan's NHK Broadcasting is in hot water over comments concerning World War II "comfort women".

According to Japan Today:

TOKYO —Japan’s public broadcaster was defending itself Friday over claims of political interference in its coverage of the Tokyo governor election, as its chief readied for a Diet grilling over his comments on “comfort women”. 

Publicly-funded NHK admitted it had asked an academic to avoid talking about nuclear power during his radio slot ahead of next month’s election, which is effectively a contest between a candidate backed by the pro-nuclear government, and a former premier who wants all of Japan’s reactors permanently shuttered. 

But the broadcaster said Friday it had only done so because it was not able to book a pro-nuclear guest to balance professor Toru Nakakita’s opinion. 

The furor comes as the corporation’s new chairman is embroiled in a row over comments he made at his first press conference, when he claimed the system of sexual slavery used by Japan’s imperial army in World War II was “common in any country at war”. 

Critics say the view—which finds echoes among supporters of right wing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe—makes him unfit to lead an organization that should uphold the highest standards of truth in its journalism. 

Katsuto Momii is due to face a Diet committee later Friday over his comments.

To read the full story, go here.