"慰安婦"檔案申遺 中日爭端再起

From territorial disputes to war-time atrocities, Japan and China just can't get along.

從之前爆發領土爭端，到現在中國爲本國人民忍受的二戰暴行申遺，中國和日本就是合不來。

The latest spat between the two involves China's recent application to Unesco to preserve archives detailing the abuses that so-called 'comfort women' suffered at the hands of the Japanese military during World War II. If China has its way, documents recording the fate of such women would become part of Unesco's Memory of the World program--a move which Japan has vehemently protested.

中日兩國最近的紛爭，涉及中國近期將二戰時期“慰安婦”相關檔案向聯合國教科文組織(Unesco)申遺一事。如果中國申遺成功，則記錄“慰安婦”命運的檔案將成爲教科文組織世界記憶(Memory of the World)計劃的一部分，而日本則竭力反對這種做法。

The program was established by the United Nations cultural body in 1992 to 'facilitate preservation, by the most appropriate techniques, of the world's documentary heritage.' It currently includes nine relics from China, including ancient literary manuscripts and traditional musical archives as well as such items as film archives from the U.S., a Gutenberg Bible from Germany and deeds from Egyptian sultans and princes. Inclusion on the program's list leads to improved conservation of the items, as its experts help procure resources to preserve and digitize the material.

“世界記憶”計劃是聯合國教科文組織1992年發起的，其目的是使用最適當的技術保存世界文獻遺產。目前中國有九項檔案入選世界記憶名錄，其中包括古代文獻手稿和傳統音樂檔案。該名錄中還包括美國電影資料、德國古騰堡聖經以及埃及提交的蘇丹及王子功績錄。納入世界記憶名錄的文獻資料可以獲得更好的保存條件，項目專家將幫助獲取所需資源來保存檔案，並將材料數字化。

The term 'comfort women' refers to the tens of thousands of women, many of whom were Chinese and Korean , coerced into sexual slavery in brothels used by the Japanese military in the 1930s and 1940s.

所謂“慰安婦”是指上世紀三十年代和四十年代，被日軍強徵充當性奴隸的上萬名婦女，其中很多人都是中國人和韓國人。

On Thursday, Japan summoned China's ambassador in Tokyo to formally lodge a complaint about the application after China on Wednesday rejected a demand from Tokyo to withdraw the application.

在中國週三拒絕東京提出的撤回申報的要求後，日方週四召見了中國駐日本大使，正式對中國將南京大屠殺以及慰安婦問題相關資料申報世界記憶名錄一事提出抗議。

'At a time when efforts are needed to improve Japan-China relations, it is extremely regrettable that China moved to make political use of the Unesco forum and to unnecessarily play up the negative legacy of ties from a period of the past,' Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Wednesday.

日本官房長官菅義偉(Yoshihide Suga)週三表示，在需努力改善日中兩國關係的特殊時期出於政治目的利用教科文組織，對兩國間過去的一段負面遺產做不必要的強調，令人極爲遺憾。

The issue has been a contentious one between Japan and its neighbors, particularly China and South Korea, for years. Earlier this year, Seoul tried to seek a state-funded compensation program acknowledging the Japanese government's role in the coercion as well as a formal apology to the women, fewer and fewer of whom are still alive. (Of the Korean women who have identified themselves as former sex slaves, only 55 remained alive as of April.)

日本及其鄰國，尤其是中國和韓國多年來在該問題上一直存在爭議。今年早些時候，首爾試圖尋求讓日本設立一個國家賠償計劃，承認日本政府在強徵問題上所扮演的角色，並向這些婦女正式道歉。這些女性當中，目前依然在世的越來越少。（在韓國，截至4月份，向政府登記過的性奴隸中，只有55名還在世。）

Japan maintains that the issue of compensation to the women was settled legally as part of a broader 1965 bilateral agreement that addressed Japan's wartime wrongdoing on the Korean Peninsula. Tokyo also says that former leaders have previously apologized to the women. In 1993, the government notes, Japan issued the Kono statement, a document that acknowledges that Japan's 'administrative/military personnel directly took part in the recruitment' of comfort women, and apologizes for such deeds.

日本則堅持認爲，想這些女性進行賠償的問題已根據1965年簽訂的一份涵蓋範圍較廣的雙邊協定從法律程序上得到解決。這份協定解決了日本在戰爭中對朝鮮半島所犯的罪行。東京還稱，日本之前的首相已向她們道歉。日本政府稱，日本已在1993年發表河野談話。這份文件承認日本政府和軍方人員直接參與強徵慰安婦，併爲此種行爲道歉。

But the Kono statement has repeatedly been attacked by Japanese conservatives and nationalists as a document drafted under pressure from the South Koreans. And more recently this year, the government of Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said it would re-examine the evidence and process used to compose the apology, prompting outcry from both South Korea and the U.S.

但河野談話一直不斷受到日本保守人士和民族主義人士的攻擊，認爲起草這份文件是因爲受到了韓國人的壓力。今年較近期的時候，日本首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)說，日本將重新評估這份道歉文件的證據和流程，這一表態引發了韓國和美國的公開抗議。

Japan later backpedaled on the issue, with Mr. Abe saying in March that his administration 'is not thinking about revisiting' the statement, and that he shared with his predecessors the 'heartache' felt over the plight of the wartime prostitutes. Still, the debate further inflamed emotions about the issue.

日本後來在這一問題上軟化了立場，安倍晉三在3月份說，日本政府並沒有想要重新審視這一文件，他與他的諸位前任全都爲戰時妓女的苦難感到心痛。不過，相關辯論進一步激發了人們對於這一議題的情緒。

Those on the Chinese side say that preserving documentation of the women's experiences is important.

支持中方立場的人士說，保留這些女性經歷的記錄非常重要。

China submitted the application to 'prevent this dark history from happening again,' the country's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular press briefing on Thursday. 'This negative legacy should be respected and reflected upon by Japan's government. Japan should face up to this, rather than whitewash its history.'

中國外交部發言人華春瑩週四在例行新聞發佈會上說，中國進行這一申報是爲了防止那段黑暗的歲月重現。她說：“軍國主義侵略是日本的一筆負資產，日方的正確態度應是正視歷史，正確妥善處理有關歷史問題，而不是企圖否認甚至美化歷史。”