Chinese Comfort Women: Testimonies from Imperial Japan's Sex Slaves

Contemporary Chinese Studies (UBC Press)

by Peipei Qiu, Su Zhiliang, Chen Lifei

During the Asia-Pacific War, the Japanese military forced hundreds of thousands of women across Asia into "comfort stations" where they were repeatedly raped and tortured. Japanese imperial forces claimed they recruited women to join these stations in order to prevent the mass rape of local women and the spread of venereal disease among soldiers. In reality, these women were kidnapped and coerced into sexual slavery. Comfort stations institutionalized rape, and these "comfort women" were subjected to atrocities that have only recently become the subject of international debate.

Chinese Comfort Women: Testimonies from Imperial Japan's Sex Slaves features the personal narratives of twelve women forced into sexual slavery when the Japanese military occupied their hometowns. Beginning with their prewar lives and continuing through their enslavement to their postwar struggles for justice, these interviews reveal that the prolonged suffering of the comfort station survivors was not contained to wartime atrocities but was rather a lifelong condition resulting from various social, political, and cultural factors. In addition, their stories bring to light several previously hidden aspects of the comfort women the ransoms the occupation army forced the victims' families to pay, the various types of improvised comfort stations set up by small military units throughout the battle zones and occupied regions, and the sheer scope of the military sexual slavery-much larger than previously assumed. The personal narratives of these survivors combined with the testimonies of witnesses, investigative reports, and local histories also reveal a correlation between the proliferation of the comfort stations and the progression of Japan's military offensive.

The first English-language account of its kind, Chinese Comfort Women exposes the full extent of the injustices suffered by these women and the conditions that caused them.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, China, Japan, Asia, World War II, Feminism

254 pages, Paperback

First published September 8, 2013

Reviews

[SofiaTorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Im so mad and sad at the same time

I hate men. I hate war. I hate the glorification of the Allied soldiers. I hate everything ok

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for my independent research project in April and I don’t think I’ve ever felt so much suffocating despair for women, to be a woman and that women must suffer in a world of men. The whole point of my project was trying to uncover and remember the experiences of Chinese comfort women in a memory that is generally considered both in research and in general understanding to be a purely Korean tragedy (in its most simple terms lol). This was the ONLY in depth, excellently researched, credible, well referenced book I could find on Chinese comfort women that didn’t erase any of their memory in place of Korean women (a memory equally as important but remembered in PLACE of not as WELL as that of Chinese women). It was deeply, deeply heartbreaking to read such raw accounts of heinous crimes against women. I don’t think I’ve quite recovered from the amount of disgust it made me have towards men and the world. For anyone remotely interested in the topic of comfort women, I highly, highly recommend this - research before 2017 simply does not mention the experiences of Chinese women and it is vital we remember them.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

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"Chinese Comfort Women" provides a fascinating look into the comfort houses, and sex slaves, of Imperial japan. Prior to reading this book I had no idea as to what went on in Japan and China (as well as Japanese territories) regarding their comfort houses and sex slaves. In fact, I'd had no idea that comfort houses had actually existed. After reading this book, I felt that I truly had an understanding of the atrocities that went on in Imperial Japan in regards to their comfort houses.

This book provides a comprehensive history of the comfort houses and the women who were forced to work in them, both from the perspectives of the women and from a purely historical (data) perspective. The first half of this book focuses on purely the historical facts of the comfort houses (it leaves a lot of personal feelings out of the equation) and analyzes a lot of data and information trying to get a grasp on how many women were actually kept in the comfort houses as sex slaves and how many comfort houses were actually in operation during the war years. The second half focuses mainly on the accounts of the comfort women who survived. The book gives there testimonies and verifies that all of their information is factual, in order to give the reader a very clear picture of the atrocities that were committed in the comfort houses.

The firsthand accounts were a really good thing to include in this book. While the stats and information at the beginning were certainly shocking, they didn't drive home the horribleness of the comfort houses for me. I was able to keep myself distanced from the information while just reading straightforward information; that was not the case when the firsthand accounts were presented. Many of the accounts from the women were so awful and touching that I instantly connected with the information, feeling disgust and horror over what had occurred.

The writing in this book is really quite pleasant to read (although I did find a few basic spelling errors). The first half was written factually and scientifically, but the author still inputed some feeling into the writing by expressing exclamations at how atrocious the living conditions were. The second half of the book I thought was especially well written. The author writes down the stories of the women, keeping them as true to the originally text as possible, and inputting brief explanations of concepts that the western reader might not be familiar with. The second half was powerful and extremely easy to read and understand.

In the end I rather enjoyed this book, as much as one can enjoy a book about atrocities committed upon women. I would definitely recommend this book to any history buff, or just someone who would enjoy learning more about wartime comfort houses set up by Japan. Comfort houses and the women who were forced to live in them are not something that are widely known about or understood, this book does a fantastic job of educating the reader on what went on and getting the information out there to the world in an easy to read manner.

I received this book for review purposes via NetGalley.

[carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

lo he leído para mi tfg y es absolutamente desgarrador, es verdad que a veces se repite pero explica toda la situación de forma muy clara.

los 12 testimonios te dejan un sabor de boca muy amargo y un sentimiento de frustración importante.

lo recomiendo incluso aunque no te interese el tema, porque es una parte de la historia que merece ser reconocida.

nada me hará no odiar a japón.

[J Yamada · Rating 5 out of 5]

I applaud Professor Qiu's work on the subject. Like she said, the book transcended the boundaries of the nation-states. It is not about politics or national interests. It is about humanity. It is about a history we should not forget.

This book would be a great addition to the document repository at the “Digital Museum: The Comfort Women Issue and the Asian Women’s Fund” (See http://www.awf.or.jp/ for English version see http://www.awf.or.jp/e-guidemap.htm)

Former Prime Minister, Mr. Tomiichi Murayama said it very well in the introduction of the digital museum: “In keeping a record of our awareness of the comfort women issue and of our atonement project so that people can learn a lesson from history, we have decided to establish a digital museum “The Comfort Women Issue and the Asian Women’s Fund”. I sincerely hope that everyone who visits this museum will not forget this history, and will redouble their commitment to reconciliation and cooperation in Asia and the world.”

(Mr. Murayama currently serves as the President of the Asian Women’s Fund.)

There are many heart-wrenching and horrific accounts of the victims in the materials libraried in the Digital Museum. This new book would be a great addition to them.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was new learning for me and I loved it. The book was broken down into three sections: Leading up to the 1)Comfort Stations/Wars; 2)Stories and 3) Follow-up.

The book started to lose me in the final section. While it is a nonfiction history book, the authors tended to include personal perspective on trivial matters. I tend to frown on it in my readings of this. Especially when I felt that there were more important areas where their opinions were omitted although they were needed.

[Yvonne O'Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Important topic, yes, but the format of this means that many outside of academia will not read it and that is a shame. In a more narrative format and non-statistic-laden one, I think it would enjoy a wider audience.

[Jean Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

What the "Great Patriotic War" was to the Soviet Union, the "Resistance War" was to China...a desperate struggle against a ruthless aggressor bent on the annihilation of a country and its people in its determination to acquire an empire. It's estimated that Russia and China each lost at least 20 million soldiers and civilians in these conflicts...and yet, the Resistance War is the much lesser known of the two, although it lasted much longer (Japanese aggression began in 1931 with the invasion of Manchuria; it was the major focus of their attempt to construct a "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" and involved a greater commitment of military forces than any other theater of war). This book joins "The Rape of Nanking" by Iris Chang in showing how the Japanese military attempted to dehumanize and humiliate the Chinese people by forcing young women into "comfort stations" where they endured sexual slavery...months or years of rape, torture and often death. The testimonials by twelve survivors are very hard to read. Also difficult to stomach is the fact that the Japanese government has yet to accept responsibility for what happened all over China in the Resistance War and to make restitution to such survivors as are still alive. (There was a token apology made in 1993, but lately the city of Osaka has decided to sever its "sister city" relationship with San Francisco because the latter has set up a statue to memorialize the comfort women of all nationalities, and the official government position is now to deny that anyone was ever forced into sexual slavery.) While the women have received some assistance, it has come from private individuals or NGO's. About the best that can be hoped for is that their suffering will not be forgotten. And the agonies endured by thousands of women from Korea (occupied by Japan from 1910 until 1945) and the Philippines, as well as a number of Western women unfortunate enough to have been captured when the Dutch East Indies fell to the Japanese early in 1942, must be remembered as well. Though the writing style is somewhat dry and clinical, the book is worth reading as a reminder that civilization, even today, is a very thin veneer and that it wouldn't take much to strip it away and bring on another Holocaust. What is currently going on in Syria and Myanmar, and what happened in the recent past in the Balkans and Rwanda, are prime examples...and unfortunately many others could be cited.

**** review by Chuck Graham ****

[Zi · Rating 4 out of 5]

a book i stumbled upon in one of sf’s bookstore.

this was yet another painful book to read… perhaps more painful than “China in 10 words” by Yu Hua.

and it is perhaps the first book that made me believe nothing can be as ugly as history.

while reading, i couldn’t help but ask:
- “how on earth did all of this happen?”
- “what could explain the cause of these events?”
- “what does history tell us about present day?”
- “what should one do with this understanding of history?”
- “what, exactly, is human nature?”

there are likely no straight forward answers to these questions, but i found this passage from the book to be the closest to a satisfying answer:

“The violence perpetrated by Japanese troops described here is so brutal that it is difficult to comprehend. Yet similar incidents were reported frequently during the war. In searching for explanations of the Japanese military men’s atrocious behaviour, scholars have considered various factors, such as battlefield psychology, sexual starvation, and the lack of effective discipline. While all these factors might have played a part in causing the brutality, they cannot fully explain why it was so widespread among Japanese soldiers who, presumably, were not born evil. In analyzing the different atrocities perpetrated by Japanese troops on the bodies of Chinese men and women, Timothy Brook offers the following:

[…] Men of fighting age were shot or conscripted for labor because they were, or stood in for, the soldiers of the nation. Women of childbearing age were raped or forced into prostitution because they were, or stood in for, the body of the nation. So rape was widely performed as a gesture of conquest, but not simply as a release for male sexual starvation; it was an act of humiliation. Japanese soldiers performed this act on the bodies of Chinese women, but the target of the humiliation was Chinese men: it was proof of their impotence in all ways.”

[Anya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very important topic, yes, I urge anyone to research about the topic, to acknowledge the tragedy, to try to understand the pain of the survivors, to freaking damn try not to repeat the same mistakes (of the atrocities and the neglect / denials afterward). The book is very well researched, but I found many repetitions unnecessary (these are hard topics and I am paying attention, so repetitive materials are not necessary, I still remember them without having to be reminded again). The efforts done to interview survivors and to verify the facts are very much appreciated though.

[xiaochengzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a crucial English-language account of one of the worst atrocities ever committed. The way that the book laid out the background of information, organizations, and work already being done in China in regards to preserving the history and stories of the “comfort women,” to the deeply personal accounts of what happened from the victims themselves, to the call to see ourselves as more than just citizens of a nation-state, but as citizens of the world and humanity- all of it was amazing.

This book has been the single most informative, invaluable book I have read this year. It might throw people off that it’s an academic text, but didn’t find it challenging to get through. Not only did it provide essential and personal testimony from Chinese Comfort Women, but it also provided essential geopolitical context in both China and the countries involved internationally. It laid out the foundations of the war and the following studies of the comfort women issue in light of the redress movement starting in Korea, the context as to why this issue has not generally been widely spoken about in China, the lives of the women afterwards and the political and social context of that, and why so little is known about Chinese Comfort Women in the Western World. Long thought of as primarily as an event that mainly affected Korean women, this book is a pioneering text explaining the studies in China and just how brutal the Japanese were to the Chinese. Because Japan saw China as an enemy state, oftentimes they would r*pe, murder, and torture Chinese comfort women at an unseen of rate. And, because Chinese comfort women were enemy nationals rather than colonial subjects of Imperial Japan, they went largely uncounted in data collected by the official comfort stations run by the Imperial Japanese military, and the many makeshift, unofficial comfort stations set up by individual units. Overall I can’t recommend this book enough. It is an essential book to understand the comfort women issue on a largely previously undiscussed aspect of the war (in English-speaking and non-Chinese countries).

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A difficult, but important book to read.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

A difficult but important read.

[Katelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for my research paper and more people need to learn about the comfort women!

[Janet Holt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.75
Read for WSGS 201

[Shuya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking that women cannot find justice anywhere—even when it is so blatantly obvious the femicide that happened by the Japanese.

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

In spite of what this title sounds like, this is not a salacious “tell-all” book full of spicy anecdotes about the sexual adventures of potentially glamorous prostitutes during the ‘30s-‘40s in mainland China. It is not about the acts themselves (though some accounts of horrific sexual violence and murder are included lest the reader suspect that these were merely “victimless crimes” as the sex trade is so often erroneously portrayed in today’s culture. Rather, this book (as the volume I purchased with it) a tale of Japanese war crimes (and implicit Chinese collaborators whether willingly for profit or under duress for the safety of the rest of their families) and a follow-up to my study on technological development in these Japanese-occupied territories (aka the then Japanese Empire) during this era.

Subjects like the use of “comfort women,” both in China and Korea are often those kinds of things that you think you know about. Then, when you open your eyes, you discover far more than you ever wanted to know about human depravity and cruelty. This particular subject is extremely topical as we have, on one hand, a statement of regret from the imperial party and, on the other, an entire culture of denial that such things happened on a large scale.

The statistics and evidence, even from Japanese military records themselves, prove startling, unsettling, and uncomfortable. One could say that my understanding “benefitted” from this volume, but one can also say that it might have been a rock better left unturned (at least, for me). One assumes the sex crimes; one doesn’t necessarily factor in the murders and suicides as a result. For example, I was horrified at the specific Japanese military command instructing soldiers “…to kill rape victims by beating rather than by using a bayonet or gun in order to avoid leaving incriminating evidence.” (p. 48, loc. 1185) Sometimes, the death of resistant or uncooperative comfort women would be multiples of ten fifty were killed on the same day near Tayang Bridge in Hainan (p. 49, loc. 1188).

I was surprised (perhaps “bemused?”) by the elaborate infrastructure for providing these “comfort women.” It was intriguing to read the euphemisms associated with these houses of forced sexual activity: “The Imperial Military Guest House” (p. 51, loc. 1224), “Lotus Corps” (p. 51, loc. 1225), “Yangjiazhai Entertainment Centre” (p. 52, loc. 1246), “Soldier’s Paradise” (p. 51, loc. 1221), and, most commonly, “Soldiers’ Clubs” (p. 57, loc. 1329).

The key portion of the book included the horrific tales of the victims themselves. Although most have died since they courageously offered their testimonies, these women who so often took on a stigma as “collaborators” or “prostitutes” for the benefit of the enemy risked even more disgrace in order to seek justice—not just monetary, but that holy grail of apology from the Japanese government. The LDP in Japan has officially sponsored publications to dispute the historical veracity of wartime atrocities (p. 162, loc. 3072) and even in the month in which I was actively reading this volume, the Japanese government refused to issue an apology for the wartime atrocities. The Japanese government insists (in spite of the few military records which survived its organized destruction—p. 169, loc. 3234) that government and military involvement was minimal (p. 161, loc. 3063), but these women not only didn’t usually see payment for their “services,” but on rare occasions when they often had to pay back for their minimal sustenance much like the crooked company stores of U.S. mining towns or their families paid ransoms to get them back (sometimes, not getting them back after ransoms were paid).

Why were these crimes not prosecuted in the war crimes tribunals after WWII, even though 43 of those who had confessed to rape, gang-rape, and murder were not prosecuted (p. 154, loc. 2941)? I like this important phrase: “Because victory in warfare is an overly masculinized concept, victor’s justice is also marked by the absence of gender justice.” (p. 153, loc. 2923) I won’t type any of the horrific descriptions of the working conditions and consequences for these poor women. At times, reading them made me physically sick. My daughter’s research on the Nanjing Massacre was frightening enough; this additional research for my history class was even worse. It is a valuable book, but only recommended to those who are truly interested or ready to face viscerally, toxic descriptions of a dark time in human history.

[Keira · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.7

[Петър Стойков · Rating 2 out of 5]

Когато Япония е воювала с Китай преди и по време на Втората световна война, японските войници са отвличали млади китайски момичета и са ги заставяли да проституират в специално изготвените публични домове в услуга на армията. Тия момичета са наричани "comfort women" и като цяло животът им не е бил особено приятен, нито продължителен.

Освен да изброява различните обстоятелства, за които се знае в момента, че това се е случвало, книгата не прави нищо друго интересно, а по-голямата част от нея е пълна с празни приказки, чиято цел е да се спомене всяка организация, благотворителна или не, имаща нещо общо с работата по темата, да се наприказват модерните напоследък приказки за сексизъм, расизъм, империалистическа експлоатация и т.н.

Реалната информация, която някой би искал да научи по темата, е с обем за 1 статия и ако се интересувате, по-добре да прочетете такава.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a very sad read. But it is definitely a necessary book if you are interested in reading about WWII and conflicts in Asia. The first part was fine and quite interesting, getting the background on the events. The second part is was really got me, the firsthand accounts of the comfort women themselves. DISCLAIMER: This section can get quite graphic. The main problem I had with this book is that there were not nearly enough sources. If you're writing a historical work, you should definitely have plenty of sources in the footnotes/endnotes to back up your work.

[Chuck Knudsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book paints a dark picture of the Second Sino-Japanese War, and the atrocities committed by the Japanese upon the Chinese (and Japanese, and Korean) population. At some point, someone looked at the first war, and said "All of this reported rape and widespread VD is making our army look bad. Let's keep women onsite to use and discard/kill."

Comfort women is a ludicrous misnomer. History is dark and disturbing.

[Teresa Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important and very real story that should be read by all. I cried for the women in this book and for the unfortunate circumstances of their lives and for the beauty of human nature that is revealed in the telling.

[Lenore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not an easy book to read but, I think, contains stories that needed to be told.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well. Definately not a fun read. Sad, shocking and a not uncommon situation, then and now.