"History of Blood and Tears"... Publication of 'Japanese Military Comfort Women' Book in Taiwan

Book Launch Held on International Women's Day Addresses Japanese Military 'Comfort Women' Issue
Experts Unite in Appeal for Justice and Human Rights

On the 8th, International Women's Day, a book dealing with the issue of Japanese military comfort women held its first publication commemorative event in Taiwan.

Taiwanese media such as United Daily News and Liberty Times reported on the 9th that the Taiwan Women's Rescue Foundation (TWRF) and the Taiwan-Japan Comprehensive Research Institute held a book launch event at the TWRF office in Taipei the day before, titled "We Will Never Give Up Pursuing Responsibility for the Imperial Japanese Army's Comfort Women."

Scholars attending the event. Taiwan Women's Rescue Foundation (TWRF)

According to the reports, the foundation's book is the first academic professional publication jointly written by experts from Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and China, discussing the comfort women issue to enhance historical justice and human rights awareness.

Additionally, the book provides an in-depth discussion, legal analysis, field investigations, and oral histories of survivors regarding the comfort women system established by the Japanese Empire during World War II. Through this, local media reported that the intentionally concealed war history of that period was revealed, and ways to realize historical justice were explored.

Furthermore, it was explained that the significance lies in urging the Japanese government to carefully consider uncovering the truth and seeking possibilities for reconciliation through discussions from various research directions and perspectives by domestic and international scholars.

The scholars who participated in the writing unanimously stated, "There remains a history of blood and tears of many comfort women in each occupied region, including Taiwan, Korea, North Korea, China, and Southeast Asia." They emphasized that the book is not only a work of historical research but also an appeal for justice and human rights.

On the day, Yeh Deran, the director of TWRF, said, "This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II," adding, "However, some postwar issues remain unresolved, especially the responsibility for the comfort women."

Taiwanese media revealed that Taiwan began registering comfort women victims in 1992, and the total number of registered Taiwanese comfort women victims with the government is 58. However, in May 2023, the last surviving Taiwanese woman who identified herself as a 'Japanese military comfort woman' passed away in Taiwan. At that time, the foundation pointed out that with the death of Grandma Chai, it is no longer possible to receive an official apology and compensation from the Japanese government.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.