THE TRUTH OF THE JAPANESE MILITARY “COMFORT WOMEN”

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Preface Throughout World War II, innumerable women were forced to serve as sex slaves in brothels set up by the Japanese military in China, Southeast Asia, and the South Pacific. The Japanese referred to them as “comfort women.” Although most of these women are no longer alive, those who survived are still suffering from the physical and psychological trauma inflicted upon them more than seventy years ago. In response, these women have been demanding an official apology and compensation from the Japanese government. In Seoul, South Korea, a group of such women, assisted by supporters, have held demonstrations in front of the Japanese embassy for over twenty years. In their “Wednesday demonstration,” so called because it takes place every Wednesday, these women have been demanding an official apology and proper compensation from Japan for the atrocities and cruelties committed against the “comfort women.” Yet the Japanese government’s response has not only fallen short of expectations, Tokyo has also added insult to injury through its words and actions. The crimes committed against these women are an unresolved international issue, with increasing demand for redress by Japan. The debate came to the forefront in 2007, in part because of the passing of the United States House of Representatives House Resolution 121, which declared that the system of forced military prostitution by the Japanese Government was “unprecedented in its cruelty” and “one of the largest cases of human trafficking in the 20th century.” The Resolution also called on the Japanese government to educate present and future generations about this inhumane war crime. In 2008, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights recommended for the third time, following the calls in 2001 and 2005, that Japan take action. The state legislatures of Illinois, New York, and New Jersey also passed comfort women resolutions in 2013. Local assemblies in Japan, including Kyoto City, Takarazuka City, and Shimane Prefecture, passed resolutions beginning in 2007. Overall, from 2007 to 2013, 55 comfort women resolutions were passed in Japan, the United States, Australia, the Netherlands, Canada, the Philippines, and Taiwan, and by the European Union. While 41 local Japanese assemblies have acted, the Japanese central government has refused to engage in discussions on this issue with the Korean government. Who were the comfort women? Why should people demand that Japan acknowledge its crimes and take action now?

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