The Big Breakfast Blog - Leaner, Meaner, Funnier It was on this day in 1992, following a front page article in the Japanese daily newspaper Asahi Shimbun titled ‘Japanese Army abducted comfort women’, that the Japanese government, represented by Chief Cabinet Secretary, Koichi Kato, was forced to publicly acknowledge some of the facts that same day. This lifted the lid on a controversy that had been raging for well over 50 years. Prior to the outbreak of WW2 the Japanese government recruited Japanese prostitutes to service its soldiers. The official reason given was to prevent the committing of rape crimes by its military personnel. These brothels were rather benignly referred to as comfort stations and the prostitutes were referred to as ‘comfort women’. This picture shows a very young ‘comfort woman’ being questioned by a British officer after her camp was liberated by the Allies. Click through to read their tragic and horrifying story It was otd in 1992, following a front page article in the Japanese daily newspaper Asahi Shimbun titled ‘Japanese Army abducted comfort women’, that the Japanese government, represented by Chief Cabinet Secretary, Koichi Kato, was forced to publicly acknowledge some of the facts that same day. This lifted the lid on a controversy that had been raging for well over 50 years. Prior to the outbreak of WW2 the Japanese government recruited Japanese prostitutes to service its soldiers. The official reason given was to prevent the committing of rape crimes by its military personnel. These brothels were rather benignly referred to as comfort stations and the prostitutes were referred to as ‘comfort women’. However as Japan continued its military expansion during WW2 the military found itself short of Japanese volunteers, and turned to the local population to coerce women into serving into these stations. Many women responded to calls for work as factory workers or nurses, but instead were pressed into sexual slavery. It is estimated that as many as 400 000 women from all over SE Asia were forced by the Japanese military into prostitution. Don’t be lulled by the phrase ‘comfort women’ – the abuse suffered by these women has been well-documented. Many of them were expected to service between 25 and 35 men a day. It is estimated that only 25 percent of the comfort women survived and that most were unable to have children as a consequence of the multiple rapes or the diseases they contracted. To date the Japanese Government has acknowledged its involvement in the setting up of ‘comfort stations’, but has yet to acknowledge any direct involvement in the actual procurement – against their will – of the ‘comfort women’. You can read more on the attempts of former ‘comfort women’ to get the Japanese government to accept responsibility here: BBC World - Korean WW2 sex slaves fight on
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