Japan Spends Big to Lobby U.S. Lawmakers

      February 10, 2014 12:13

      The Japanese government has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars lobbying American politicians in campaigns to whitewash its World War II atrocities or other regional issues of contention.

      Political news website The Hill reported on Feb. 6 that the Japanese government hired Washington-based lobbying firms Hogan Lovells and Hecht Spencer & Associates to keep a close eye on what U.S. lawmakers say about women who were forced into sexual slavery by imperial Japan during World War II.

      According to contracts kept by the U.S. Justice Department, Tokyo paid US$523,000 to Hogan Lovells from 2012 to 2013 and $195,000 to Hecht Spencer.

      The lobbying firms kept records of comments from Ed Royce, who chairs the powerful Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives, and Representative Mike Honda, who have been critical of Japan’s refusal to take responsibility for the atrocity and apologize.

      The firms also gathered information on ads, laws and memorials involving the sex slaves.

      Separately, the Japanese Embassy in Washington hired law firm McGuireWoods to lobby against a bill in the Virginia House of Delegates to refer to the body of water between Korea and Japan as both "East Sea" and "Sea of Japan" in future school textbooks. It paid the law firm a cool $75,000 since December last year.

      UN Heavyweight Calls on Japan to Face Up to Sexual Slavery
      Japan Lobbies Against Use of 'East Sea' Name
      U.S. Senators to Pressure Japan Over Sex Slaves
      New York Lawmakers Push for Use of 'East Sea' Name
      'East Sea' Bill Scrapes Through Virginia House Subcommittee
      Virginia Senate Approves Use of Both Names for East Sea
      U.S. County Adopts New Teaching Policy on East Sea
      Pentagon Upsets Patriots by Mislabeling Maps
      U.S. Declines to Adopt 'East Sea' Name
      IHO Puts Off East Sea Decision Until 2017
      Japan Fails in East Sea Bid at IHO
      IHO Bogged Down Over East Sea Name
      83,000 Sign East Sea Petition on White House Website
      'East Sea' Spat Moves to White House Website
      Korea Faces Failure Over Naming of East Sea
      French Encyclopedia Publisher Adopts 'East Sea' Denomination
      Now 'East Sea' Has Sunk, Can 'Sea of Korea' Swim?
      Korea Dropped the Ball Over Int'l Naming of East Sea
      U.S. Backs 'Sea of Japan' for East Sea
      Archaic British Gazette Undermines Japan's Claim to 'East Sea'
      Korea Presses Maritime Body Over Naming of East Sea
      'East Sea' Name Gains International Traction
      Korea, U.S. to Use 'Neutral' Expression for East Sea
      'Cyber Diplomats' Mark 10 Years of Campaigning for Korea
      More Maps Weaken Japan's Claim to Dokdo
      Int'l Call to Use Both 'East Sea' and 'Sea of Japan'
      Seoul Blasts Tokyo Over Latest Dokdo Islets Claim
      Board Showing Dokdo as Korean Territory Found in Japan
      New York Senate Approves 'East Sea' Name
      U.S. Lawmaker Urges Resolution of Sex Slavery Issue
      Students Embark on Global Run to Promote Dokdo Issue
      • Copyright © Chosunilbo & Chosun.com
      Previous Next
      All Headlines Back to Top