Abstract:
In the last few months the so-called ‘comfort women’ issue has come to the notice of the general public in Japan. Many recently discovered official records reveal the fact that thousands of Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese and Filipino women were conscripted into prostitution for the Japanese Imperial Army during the Second World War. Some surviving Korean ‘comfort women’ also appeared in public, condemning the inhumane treatment of women from colonies then occupied by Japan. Initially the Japanese Government tried to avoid taking any responsibility by claiming that recruitment of the women and management of the brothels were carried out privately and that the Japanese Imperial Forces had never been directly involved in this matter. However, last month more government documents were discovered which proved otherwise, and the Government had to admit its responsibility. On 23 July a leading Japanese newspaper, the Asahi, disclosed yet further evidence to prove that some Dutch female POWS were conscripted into brothels and several Australian nurses detained in Sumatra were told to work in the brothels.
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