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Japan forced to remove history-distorting books from hotels for S. Korean athletes

Xinhua, January 25, 2017 Adjust font size:

Japan's organizing committee of the 2017 Asian Winter Games notified the South Korean counterpart that the history-distorting books would be removed from rooms of a Japanese hotel chain, where South Korean athletes were to stay.

The chairman of the Korean Olympic Committee was quoted by Yonhap new agency as saying that he had received the response from the winter games' organizing committee to remove the ultra-right books from guestrooms in hotels of the APA Group, the Japanese operator of 400-plus hotels.

The Yonhap did not mention whether all of the books will be withdrawn from all hotel rooms, including those for Chinese athletes.

The books, which are forcibly distributed in all hotel rooms, evoked criticism from South Korea and China as it denies the 1937 Nanjing massacre and the sexual slavery of Korean women. It was authored by Seiji Fuji, the pen name of President of APA Group Toshio Motoya.

An official of the South Korean sports committee told Xinhua earlier in the day that the committee had received a phone response last week from Japan's organizing committee to make efforts to resolve the issue.

Despite phone communications, the issue had yet to be resolved, and the South Korean committee has sent a formal letter to the Japanese Olympic Committee and the organizing committee, the official said.

According to the Yonhap reports, the South Korean letter was sent in the morning, and Japan's reply was delivered in the afternoon.

The APA Group initially adhered to its position that it would not remove the books, but Japan's Kyodo news later reported that the books could be withdrawn if the organizing committee formally requests.

The Asian sporting event is scheduled to be held in Japan on Feb. 19-26. Some 2,000 athletes, including those from China and South Korea, will be accommodated by APA hotels in Sapporo.

Among the South Korean sports delegation of about 230 athletes and officials, around 170 have been previously arranged to live in APA Group hotels in northern Sapporo, the sports committee official said. Endit