War diaries directly link Imperial Japanese Army to wartime brothels

War diaries directly link Imperial Japanese Army to wartime brothels
War diaries directly link Imperial Japanese Army to wartime brothels

War diaries directly link Imperial Japanese Army to wartime brothels

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For Koreans, the term “comfort women” refers to a group of women—some as young as twelve years old—who provided sexual services to the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. According to some accounts, “comfort women” were kidnapped and sent to “comfort stations” where they were repeatedly raped. Earlier this month the diaries of a Korean man who worked in the wartime brothels were discovered in South Korea. The diaries are believed to be authentic and provide new details about the lives of women in the “comfort stations” and the role of the Imperial Japanese Army in managing the brothels. Bonnie Oh is a professor emeritus of Korean studies at Georgetown University, author/co-editor of East Meets West, Comfort Women of World War II and author of Korean Embassy in America, American Military Government in Korea, 1945-1948. She is also on the executive committee of the Washington Coalition for Comfort Women Issues. She’ll explain what the discovery of the diaries could mean for the “comfort women” who are still living. (Photo: AP Images).