Justice For “Comfort Women” in the 2000 Women’s Tribunal

Scales of justice with faces
In 2000, several organizations in multiple countries banded together to put Japan's Imperial regime on trial for its crimes against women. Here's what happened.

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Trigger Warning: This article contains content covering sensitive and upsetting topics such as rape and physical torture. Please exercise caution if you are triggered by these topics.

On December 8, 2000, close to 1,300 people from Japan and overseas filled the Kudan Kaikan Hall in Tokyo as the Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal commenced. The tribunal opened with an unexpected yet fitting song: American singer-songwriter Pete Seeger’s song “We Shall Overcome.” Women in their 80s and 90s from several countries and speaking different languages all sang or hummed along to this protest song. They all shared one thing in common: they were former “comfort women,” victims of sexual enslavement by the Japanese military during World War II, here in the country of their oppressor to seek justice for their pain and trauma.

The figures accused were notable government and military officials — both living and deceased — as well as Emperor Hirohito. The tribunal didn’t possess the power to legally persecute Emperor Hirohito and noted government officials. But it carried the moral authority to hold these figures accountable — and perhaps shame the present Japanese government into action. More than anything, it afforded the victims a chance to present their stories before an international community long sympathetic to their cause.

Breaking the Silence

The 1946 Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal held by the Occupation authorities failed to address the Imperial Army’s sexual slavery or classify it as a crime against humanity. In fact, those involved did their utmost to shield the Emperor from any and all persecution or blame. The lack of accountability and acknowledgment for what happened to these women rankled many of the survivors.

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It would be some time before they began speaking out. In 1991, Korean former comfort woman Kim Hak Sun was one of the first to travel to Tokyo to bring public awareness to Japan’s atrocious wartime crimes against women. Beginning in January 1992, activists and former comfort women in South Korea began holding “Wednesday Demonstrations” outside the Japanese embassy. The protesters demanded legal acknowledgment of their war crimes, as well as reparations.

The idea for a people’s tribunal was suggested at a 1998 women’s conference in Seoul. There was more than enough evidence in the form of diaries, military documents, Allied Nations reports, and witness testimony. The survivors also wanted some form of justice, not just for themselves, but for those who were no longer alive. The idea quickly gathered traction. Activists and organizers began gathering materials and conducting research into Japan’s wartime sexual slavery.

Matsui Yayori and VAWW-NET

Matsui Yayori (松井やより) (Source: Wikipedia)

One of the main Japanese activists heading the organization effort was former Asahi Shimbun journalist and social activist Matsui Yayori (松井やより). Matsui spent most of her journalist career covering sex tourism in Asia. She first met comfort women during her stint as a correspondent in Singapore in 1981. Her interview with a Korean former comfort woman ran in the Asahi Shimbun in 1984. In 2014, the newspaper published a scathing editorial denouncing the testimony presented in Matsui’s article. Matsui eventually quit journalism and devoted herself full-time to social activism, co-forming the Asia-Japan Women’s Resource Center and the Japanese division of Violence Against Women in War Network (VAWW-NET).

Organizing the Tribunal

Some of the articles I came across focused wholly on Matsui and VAWW-NET as the sole entity responsible for organizing the tribunal. While Japanese activists and groups certainly played a huge role in the tribunal, it wouldn’t have happened without the mass organizing efforts of former comfort women and several Southeast Asian women’s groups. A few of the organizations behind the tribunal include the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, ASCENT-Philippines, and the Indonesian Women’s Coalition for Justice and Democracy.

Organizing the tribunal was a huge undertaking that relied heavily on volunteers. Every effort was made to guarantee the comfort of the victims and their supporters coming to Japan. Most of their travel and boarding costs were covered through donations and crowdfunding. Many of those who had agreed to testify had never before made their experiences public.

Finally, after two years of hard work, the tribunal opened on December 8th, 2000 in Tokyo. It operated under three overarching guidelines. First, the victims could present their claims to the state. Second, those charged with participating in sexual slavery couldn’t weasle their way out of responsibility by using the statute-of-limitations clause. Third, it was crucial that the dignity of these women be restored.

The tribunal was also not without its enemies, both present and noticeably absent. Right-wing and pro-imperialist groups protested outside the tribunal’s venue on a daily basis, threatening organizers and supporters alike. Despite sending out advance notice of the tribunal’s intent to condemn the government, along with invitations to attend, no Japanese government representative was present, a move which spoke volumes about their stance on the tribunal. After all, the tribunal was daring to do what no other trial had done before: confirm Emperor Hirohito’s guilt and force the government to confront its atrocious acts.

“I Am a Leftover of the Japanese”

The Japanese military began setting up “comfort stations” as early as 1931 for soldiers stationed in Shanghai and Manchuria. As the military encroached further into Southeast Asia, more girls and women were manipulated, seduced, and outright abducted into providing sexual services for military personnel. Now in their 70s, 80s, and 90s, many of those former comfort women and their supporters traveled from eight countries to testify about their experiences — Taiwan, Korea, China, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and East Timor. Two former Japanese soldiers also testified and admitted their participation in the “comfort stations” set up by the military.

“I am a leftover of the Japanese. I am asking for justice.”

Tomasa Dioso Salinog, former comfort woman from the Philippines

The stories the women bravely shared detailed horrific violence and degradation. Many were sold or abducted into sexual slavery; others were enticed with jobs and “contracted” under false pretenses. Only one of the victims present at the tribunal could be considered middle-class: the rest came from poor, uneducated social classes. This was intentional: documents presented indicated the purposeful targeting of girls and women from impoverished backgrounds who could be easily recruited with false promises of paid domestic work and independence. Former comfort woman Song Shin-Do shared how she was tricked into working for the military by an older woman. Others were promised jobs working in hotels or restaurants, and many accepted, hoping for a better life or to support their families.

A large number were only prepubescent girls when they were “hired” or taken by the military. Some were abducted due to accusations of involvement in anti-Japanese activities. The soldiers had no qualms killing family members who tried to resist: Tomasa Dioso Salinog of the Philippines watched her father be beheaded for trying to save her.

Arrival at the “comfort stations” was equally traumatic. For many, it was the first time they realized they were there to provide sexual services. All those promises of steady work, good pay, and independence were a sham. Kim Bok-Dong testified that after she was raped for the first time, she and two others attempted suicide.

“It was at this point that I, who had left my home and come so far to work and be independent, first received the inexpressible shock of what I was about to do….”

Former comfort woman Song Shin-Do, upon her arrival at a “comfort station”

Torture and sexual violence numerous times a day was a common theme in all their stories. Other women suffered miscarriages and forced abortions. Some even lost their wombs or had to have them removed. Several women were enslaved for years and shuttled from country to country.

Inhumane living conditions and a lack of medical treatment left many women exposed to diseases like dysentery, malaria, tuberculosis, and sexually transmitted diseases. Those who were caught trying to escape suffered severe physical torture, which only exacerbated their other ailments.

Coupled with the extreme physical and emotional trauma was the theft of their identities. Soldiers and military personnel often gave them Japanese names. Racial slurs were also common, further degrading where these women came from and reducing them to mere objects, void of humanity.

When the war ended, the “comfort stations” were largely abandoned, leaving the women adrift thousands of miles from their homes with few resources. Some made the arduous trek home; others remained in self-imposed exile, too ashamed to face their families. Survivors turned to alcohol, smoking, or drugs to cope with their trauma and ailments. Many couldn’t stand telling the truth to their families and loved ones. They were also forced to contend with a world where marriage and family were the desired niches for women. For those that did marry, telling their husbands the truth was unthinkable. When it came to sexual relations with their spouses, many struggled with a gaping disconnect from their own bodies and admitted losing all interest in sexual pleasure.

“It is so shameful that what we did with our history and pain is dig a deep hole and cover it since justice continues to elude us.”

Former comfort woman Maxima Regula de la Cruz

“The Emperor Knew or Should Have Known”: The Judges’ Findings

After hours of hearing witness testimony and supporting statements from lawyers, psychologists, and historians, the tribunal adjourned on December 12, 2000. The four judges found Japan responsible for the crimes of sexual violence. Emperor Hirohito’s guilty verdict was met with cheers and loud applause.

判決概要 [女性国際戦犯法廷 証言]

Uploaded by fightfor justice on 2013-06-30.

The judges hand down their final decision of guilt. (Jump to 2:50 for Emperor Hirohito’s guilty verdict).

The tribunal had accomplished many things, most notably a catharsis for those who had long suffered in silence and shame. In a shrewd move, the judges placed their findings with the United Nations. This effectively left the responsibility of a final judgment with the international community, rather than individual governments, including Japan. If the Japanese government wanted to stay in the good graces of the UN, they would have to accept whatever judgment came. In December 2001, the final judgment was presented at the International Court of Justice at the Hague, and Emperor Hirohito’s guilt was confirmed.

“Full reparations are largely impossible due to the passage of time. The
government of Japan must take vigorous measures to restore the women’s dignity.”

Justice Argibay in her closing remarks

Altering the Narrative: The NHK Lawsuit

Unfortunately, the history of the comfort women continued to suffer malicious revisions by the Japanese government. In January 2001, NHK aired a program covering the tribunal’s proceedings. However, key footage was cut. Matsui and the VAWW-NET Japan filed a lawsuit in July 2001 and demanded that NHK and two other subsidiary companies pay compensation fees. The lawsuit argued that NHK trimmed the 44-minute documentary to erase footage of the guilty verdict of Emperor Hirohito and the Japanese government, as well as interview footage with a victim and former Imperial Army soldier.

Unsurprisingly, it was revealed that political pressure influenced NHK’s handling of the documentary. In 2005 Abe Shinzo admitted to pressuring NHK to alter the “clearly biased” documentary. The Tokyo High court ordered NHK and the other involved production firms to pay reparations. But Japan’s Supreme Court reversed this ruling and dismissed the lawsuit altogether in June 2008. It was a disappointing outcome. But, as VAWW-NET representative Nishino Rumiko stated, “I don’t take the ruling as a defeat… because this lawsuit revealed what happened [at NHK].”

Will True Justice Ever Become a Reality?

It’s been almost twenty years since the tribunal, but it should surprise no one that the Japanese government continues to hem and haw over reparations and official apologies. The Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan is still hosting their weekly Wednesday Demonstrations outside the Japanese embassy, and full redress still remains a goal for many former comfort women. In a 2018 interview with Asian Boss, comfort woman Kim Bok-Dong said, “They [the Japanese government] should say, ‘What we did was completely wrong, and we’ll correct our history books.’ And say to us, ‘We sincerely apologize.'”

Life As A “Comfort Woman”: Story of Kim Bok-Dong | STAY CURIOUS #9

If you consider yourself a true fan of Asian Boss, become a member of our community to join the cause: https://asianboss.io *UPDATE* Madame Kim passed away on January 28, 2019, making this interview possibly the last sit-down interview of her 92 years on earth.

The fight for justice may be ongoing. But we shouldn’t dismiss the tribunal as a failure. it reaffirmed what victims, activists, historians, and researchers already knew: that what was done to these women constituted a crime against humanity — and that gender-based sexual violence should no longer go unpunished.

Sources

Dudden, Alexis. “We Came to Tell the Truth”: Reflections On The Tokyo Women’s Tribunal, Critical Asian Studies, 33:4, 591-602, 2001. DOI: 10.1080/146727101760107451

Lévy, Christine. “The Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal, Tokyo 2000: a feminist response to revisionism?”, Clio [Online], 39 | 2014. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/cliowgh/508

VAWW RAC. The Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal. http://vawwrac.org/war_crimes_tribunal

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