Abominable `Comfort Woman Mobilization` in Japanese Imperialism

When Japan mobilized Korean women as `comfort women` for the Japanese army, it is reported that they did not care whether the woman was married or unmarried, and used fraudulent incentives and methods such as offering employment, kidnapping and abduction.

This fact was disclosed by `statistical data book of testimony of comfort women of the Japanese army` which was published by the `War and Woman`s Human Rights Center` on 3rd affiliated with The Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan.

The center investigated 192 former comfort women who reportedly survived for 10 years.

This data book that was published with the help of the Ministry for Gender Equality is the first comprehensive investigation report on the Korean Comfort women and incorporates the history of comfort women, which was known partially through individual testimonies.

According to the data book, among 192 comfort women who were forcibly abducted, 87 percent were unmarried (167), 5.7 percent (11) were married, 3.6 percent (7) were divorced, 0.5 percent (1) were widowed. Summarily, 10.3 percent (20) were married woman or had been married.

Cases of mobilization by `employment fraud` or by bait of employment constituted 44.2 percent (98), `kidnapping` made up 29.4 percent, and `pressure from military` comprised 21.7 percent.

However, the number of women (64, 33.3 percent) mobilized by Korean recruiters was the greatest than those recruited by soldiers (20.6percent) or the police (20.6percent).

There were some cases where the women spent 14 years as a comfort woman, and 8 women had more than 11 years of stay in a comfort center.

Most women reported that they suffered violence such as assault and torture.

14.8 percent (28) could not meet their family ever again after coming back, and only 99 (51.6 percent) got married legally.

In addition, 44.3 percent (85) among respondents are suffering from arthritis and 25 percent (48) are suffering from mental diseases such as obsessive-compulsive disorder or nervous disorders.

Normal life is difficult for these women and 85 percent (163) are fully relying on governmental support.

Young-A Soh sya@donga.com