In his recently published Chinese edition of On Taiwan (
"It simply takes an investigation to bring the whole truth to light, so why has Japan not conducted any probe into the event?" Kobayashi quoted Shi as asking. The Japanese government has only made the uproar bigger by blindly offering apologies, according to Shi. Tsai Kuan-tsan (
I really hope those statements did not come from Shi's and Tsai's lips, but were an absurd drama staged by Japanese right-wingers who dare not face history.
The plight of World War II comfort women came to light in the 1990s. In December 1991, the Japanese government began an extensive probe into archives at institutions both at home and abroad, as well as interviews with the then military and government officials, comfort women, managers of comfort stations, nearby residents and historians. The results were released on July 6, 1992. Then chief Cabinet secretary Yohei Kono, now foreign minister, reiterated the investigation results on Aug. 4, 1993, and admitted: "Comfort stations were operated in response to the request of the military authorities of the day, that the Japanese military was, directly or indirectly, involved in the establishment and management of comfort stations and the transfer of comfort women.
"The recruitment of comfort women was conducted mainly by private recruiters at the request of the military. The government study revealed that in many cases they were recruited against their will, through coaxing or coercion, and that, at times, administrative and military personnel directly took part in the recruitment. Those women lived in misery at comfort stations under a coercive atmosphere. Undeniably, this was an act, with the involvement of the military authorities of the day, that severely injured the honor and dignity of many women.
"The Government of Japan would like to take this opportunity once again to extend its sincere apologies and remorse to all those, irrespective of place of origin, who suffered immeasurable pain and incurable physical and psychological wounds as comfort women.
"We shall face squarely the historical facts as described above instead of evading them, and take them to heart as lessons of history. We hereby reiterate our firm determination never to repeat the same mistake by forever engraving such issues in our memories through the study and teaching of history."
For those atrocities, former prime minister Kiichi Miyazawa apologized at the Japan-Korea summit in January 1992. Former prime minister Tomiichi Murayama again expressed sincere regrets and apologies at an event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of the war. These statements were recorded in the reports made by the Japanese government and sent to the UN's Human Rights Committee.
In a letter addressed to comfort women, former prime ministers Ryutaro Hashimoto and Keizo Obuchi said, "The issue of wartime comfort women, with the involvement of the Japanese military, deeply injured the honor and dignity of many women. I, as Japanese prime minister, express again my sincere apologies and repentance to all those who suffered immeasurable pain and incurable physical and psychological wounds as comfort women. We shall not evade the heavy burden of the past, and must shoulder future responsibilities. The government of Japan has deeply sensed its moral obligation and is determined to face the past with its apologies and introspection. We shall correctly teach the history to our future generations and never repeat the mistake. Furthermore, we must be positively committed to solving the various issues, such as violence, which have to do with the honor and dignity of women."
Yoshinori could not have been ignorant of the investigations and statements. He distorts the truth, however, and is extremely proud of the fact that, "In the past, the seven textbook publishers included the history of comfort women in the editions they submitted for government approval ... [now] only three publishers keep the issue [in their textbooks]! In addition, the number of publishers which include the number of deaths in the Nanking Massacre [in their textbooks] has decreased from six to one. The phrase `military comfort women' has disappeared from textbooks! Apparently we are getting results in the movement we have been promoting!" How shameless.
It is true that the Japanese military mainly recruited prostitutes when it first set up comfort stations, but they could not meet the demand after the war zones expanded and the number of soldiers increased to approximately 3 million. Women in Japanese colonies and war zones therefore became their prey. As long as they were locked up in comfort stations, they had to have sex with an average of 29 soldiers a day. They had no freedom and no right to say no. Historian and professor Su Chih-liang (蘇智良) said, "In the minds of the comfort women, they were prisoners in hell forever. It was hell during the day, and also at night. Unless they could leave the comfort stations, there was nothing else except hell."
Women from Taiwan were forced to go overseas, without the slightest chance to escape. Those who were lucky enough to return dared not tell their family or talk about marriage. Even if they married, some were cast off and sent back home once the husband's family found out the truth. Many of them became infertile. They did not distinguish themselves by working as comfort women, but instead had their dignity trampled on. Shi and Tsai should have been aware of the fact that Taiwan has been conducting investigations and assisting comfort women for nine years. If they did say that nonsense to a Japanese right-winger, it is truly a tremendous humiliation for people in Taiwan.
We offer the same sympathy to those Japanese women who were forced to perform sexual services for US soldiers. We also hope that the Japanese and US governments can help them win the justice that is due to them. Above all, I sincerely hope the violent act of collective torture and humiliation of women by force of government authority will never happen again.
Wang Ching-feng is an attorney.
Translated by Jackie Lin and Francis Huang
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