What "comfort women" problem is

Some countries, mainly South Korea, insist that Japan committed atrocity as;

'At the time of WW2, mainly in the Korean Peninsula, 200,000 women were abducted by the Japanese military and forced to be sex slaves. Japan has committed extremely big crime against humanity.'

The point of their insistence is that the upper echelons of Japan systematically did that. However, Japanese government denies that. Japanese government acknowledges there only were rare criminality by lawless soldiers.

As a result of my evaluating the facts shown by both sides, I came to the conclusion that Japanese government's assertion is appropriate. I, Japanese, know many media in the world believe the assertion of the South Korea. One of its reason is don't-rock-the-boat principle of the Japanese government. They have neglected refuting the assertion of the South Korea.

Many people have expressed various truth they believe from various standpoints. It's my pleasure many people are concerned with this theme. Please search and verify materials and find out the truth you believe.

References

Standing to South Korean side

- Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences. Economic and Social Council, UN January 4, 1996.

- Japanese Military's "Comfort Women" System. Larry Niksch April 3, 2007.

- United States House of Representatives House Resolution 121

- Open Letter in Support of Historians in Japan UPDATED

- Comfort Woman - Wianbu (YouTube)

- "Herstory" Comfort Women Animation - English (YouTube)

- Comfort women (Wikipedia)

Standing to Japanese side

- Demythologization of the myth of the Comfort Women: Part1. What actually happened (YouTube)

- Demythologization of the myth of the Comfort Women: Part2. What actually didn't happen (YouTube)

- RESPONSE TO THE UPDATED VERSION OF THE OPEN LETTER IN SUPPORT OF HISTORIANS IN JAPAN

- EndangeredJapan: Book2: Sex, Lies, and Comfort Women (YouTube)

- Nazi War Crimes & Japanese Imperial Government Records Interagency Working Group, Final Report to the United States Congress. April 2007. ( Search for "comfort women" part. Criminality about "comfort women" was not found in Japan.)

- Testimony about 'forcible taking away of women on Jeju Island': Judged to be fabrication because supporting evidence not found

- Agreement Between Japan and the Republic of Korea Concerning the Settlement of Problems in Regard to Property and Claims and Economic Cooperation 1965 ( On the way of making this agreement, the "comfort women" issue was not claimed specially. It means that was one case of universal problems about sex and human traffic coming from wars, poverty and so on.)

- Responses to the List of Issues and Questions ( CEDAW - Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women 63 Session (15 Feb 2016 - 04 Mar 2016)) ( see the Question 9 and its answer )

Standpoint of Japan

"Comfort women" is one case of universal problems about sex and human traffic(*1) coming from wars, poverty, old native habits and so on. It always exists even now in the world. Brothels for the U.S. military at the Korean War and the Vietnam War, sexual violation by PKO staff, prostitution by poverty in many countries,....

So it has been settled in a general way. For example, the agreement with the South Korea(1965) included the settlement of this matter. Japanese politicians often say "It was legally settled". This means the agreement. On the other hand, Japan has an idea to do humane support for the activity related to the former "comfort women". This is the reason of the settlement with the South Korea at December 28, 2015.

It's magnificent activity if every country deals their own problems in cooperation with others. But it's unfair Japan is made the scapegoat.

(*1) human traffic: In case of the "comfort women", it was by parents of them, by brokers(mainly Koreans).