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BEIJING - Had it not been for the Sars outbreak earlier this year,
the sex orgy involving close to 300 Japanese tourists probably
would not have turned into a diplomatic embarrassment for both
Tokyo and Beijing.
This is because their company-sponsored 'comfort trip' to the
southern city of Zhuhai would not have been postponed until the eve
of Sept 18, the date which marks the beginning of Japan's
occupation of China during World War II.
News of the three-day sex spree, which broke soon after the
tourists returned to Japan on Sept 18, immediately ignited a wave
of anti-Japanese sentiment across China as it convinced many that
it was timed to humiliate China.
China yesterday jailed 14 people, including two for life, for
organising the sex party for the 288 Japanese tourists, who are
employees of an unidentified Osaka construction company.
The Chinese authorities issued arrest warrants for three employees
of the firm and have also sought Japan's help in detaining them,
reported Xinhua news agency.
But Japan had not decided how to respond to the detention request,
said a Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman in Tokyo. He said the
two governments have no extradition treaty.
Xinhua said the trio - identified as Hirobe Isao, Takahashi Shunji
and Fukunaga Koji - contacted the five-star Zhuhai International
Convention Centre Hotel in March to arrange for a business meeting
there.
But travel plans were postponed due to the outbreak of Sars in
China.
In August, they came to Zhuhai to sign an agreement with the hotel
to arrange for a trip in September and 'clearly requested' sexual
services for the group.
Ye Xiang, assistant to the hotel manager and another employee Ming
Zhu, the main organisers of the event, received life imprisonment.
The other 12 defendants received from two to 15 years in
prison.
Coincidentally, the trial began on Friday as China marked the 66th
anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre, Japan's brutal six-week siege
of the former Chinese capital in which up to 300,000 civilians were
killed.
Although the trial ended a day later, the verdict was announced
only yesterday - amid celebrations held by Japanese embassies
across the globe to mark the Dec 23 birthday of Japanese Emperor
Akihito.
Earlier media reports said 500 Chinese prostitutes were paid to
have sex with the tourists, but Xinhua lowered the figure to less
than 200. It said each Japanese tourist paid up to 1,200 yuan
(S$250) for the party.
While Internet chatrooms are filled with anti-Japanese reactions,
some Chinese say their own country should be feeling just as
ashamed as Japan, reported BBC online.
Unless China wants to acquire a reputation as a sleazy haven for
sex tourists, they said, it should learn from the Zhuhai incident
rather than blame the scandal on the Japanese.
'Japanese men are not the only ones at fault here,' said
Shanghai-based novelist Wei Hui. 'They may have a bad reputation
abroad as womanisers but, after all, it takes two to tango,' she
told BBC. -- AFP, AP