A Guide to Understanding Comfort women Controversy

Abstract

Abstract; A Guide to Understanding Comfort women Controversy
Anyone who wishes to arrive at an accurate understanding of the comfort-women controversy needs to be aware of five basic facts. I am referring not to opinions or perceptions, but to irrefutable, objective, social facts. Furthermore, they convey important information, ignorance of which is certain to render debates about the comfort-women problem speculative, or worse, fraudulent. The five basic factors are as follows:
1. Until the latter half of the 20th century, prostitution was legal in Japan and houses of prostitution could be found in every entertainment district. Military brothels were established in overseas war zones.
2. The majority of comfort women were Japanese; Korean comfort women received the same remuneration and treatment, and had the same responsibilities
3. “A ‘comfort girl’ is nothing more than a prostitute or ‘professional camp follower;” this description of the comfort women in Report No. 49, issued by the US Office of War Information, is remarkably accurate.
4. The comfort women were extremely well paid; receiving 30 to 100 times more than the salary of a private first class (10 yen per month)
5. Involvement of Japanese military authorities was obligatory