Victims of forced sexual abuse and sex slavery known as “comfort women”, these girls and women suffered an irreversible trauma as sex slaves before and during the World War II by the Japanese Imperial Army.

Coming mainly from Korea and other countries such as Indonesia, Taiwan, the Netherlands, Australia and others, thousands of girls and women were lured into provide by force sex services to Japanese soldiers.

After decades of silence, remaining former victims stepped forward in the early 90s, revealing the horror they had experienced and asking for a sincere apology from the government of Japan.

"We had to serve over 5,000 Japanese soldiers as sex slaves every day — up to 40 men per day. Each time I protested, they hit me or stuffed rags in my mouth. One held a matchstick to my private parts until I obeyed him” said Chong Ok Sun in her testimony (Bales, 2007, p. 117)

As a response, on 4th of August 1993, the Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono released a statement commonly known as “Kono statement” apologizing and taking responsibility for the Japanese government’s unlawful activities. However, the statement was criticized by many conservatives in Japan including political figures such as Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, climaxing the controversies over the issue of “comfort women”. In 2007, during his first term as Prime Minister, Abe denied that comfort women were sex slaves and claimed that “there was no evidence to prove there was coercion as initially suggested."

On December 28, 2015 Japan and South Korea officially reached an agreement over this long lasting dispute, with Japanese government willing to pay $8.3 million in compensation and apologize officially for its past war crimes. The re-elected Prime Minister Shinzō Abe expressed his “sincere apologies and remorse from the bottom of his heart to all those who suffered immeasurable pain and incurable physical and psychological wounds as ‘comfort women.”.  

In the agreement, it is also being asked by the Japanese government to remove the “comfort women” statue in front of the Japanese Embassy in South Korea. Even though this issue has not been settled yet, activists and human rights groups have been angered calling this request inappropriate.

Although the agreement will ease the tension between the two countries (both really important US allies), many argue that the agreement does not represent the voices of the women who suffered and call the agreement more of a “diplomatic move” rather than justice.

As the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery said "the statement lacks the acknowledgment of the fact that the colonial government and its military had committed a systematic crime, […] The government had not just been simply involved but actively initiated the activities which were criminal and illegal" (as cited in CNN news).

Citizens Rights Watch (CRW) welcomes the agreement between the two countries and considers it an important initial step forward.

However, we note and support that this agreement should only be considered the beginning and not the end!

We disagree with the removal of the “comfort women” statue and we ask the voices and will of “comfort women”, not only from South Korea but from all around the world , to be heard and be taken into consideration in the agreement!

We would also like to express our admiration and support for the living “comfort women” survivors who until now continue to fight, take action and raise awareness, inspiring us and reminding us the real value of human rights, and human dignity!

Sources:

Bales K, Ending Slavery: How We Free Today’s Slaves, University of California Press, 2007

Joyce C, 2007 “Japanese PM denies wartime 'comfort women' were forced” The Telegraph

SANG-HUNDEC C, (2015) “Japan and South Korea Settle Dispute Over Wartime ‘Comfort Women” New York Times’

Statement by the Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono on the result of the study on the issue of "comfort women". Available at: http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/women/fund/state9308.html

Yan H, et al, (2015) “South Korea, Japan reach agreement on 'comfort women’” CNN