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Dozens of people also rallied outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to mark the anniversary, lining up dead dogs’ heads on the ground with pieces of paper in their mouths listing names of Koreans who allegedly collaborated with the Japanese during its 1910-45 colonial rule. Protest organizers said the animals were slaughtered at a restaurant; dogs are regularly consumed as food in Korea.

I swear, nobody protests like they do.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Japan-Sex-Slaves.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

“a) got their paymens and were working on their own will”

I forgot to add some words.

Sorry, my post was confusing. I did’nt mean that “comfort women” in burma had been taken against their will. On the contrary, it seems there are no evidence(yet) that there were any who had been taken against their will.

By the way, my understanding is that in generall “comfort women” a)got their pay or b)were working for debts. And additionaly there were some who c) were deceived or kidnapped and forced to prostitute.

Even when all got some payments (debts reducing included), I think b) and c) would be the trivial case which could be described as “forced prostitution”.

A lot more than the prostitute back home.Ever seen the movie
甹¬ç«”¹Ã©Â?Šè»Â?隊ã€Â?西ãÂ?¸by late Okamoto kihachi in the 60’s?There is a sequence that a Korean comfort woman saids” I’m going to start my own shop in Korea with the money I saved here!”Okamoto is a liberal by the way.

What I found annoying is the use of the ideological driven word “comfort woman” or “sex slaves”. Why not just say simply “forced prostitutes”(強制売春ï¼”°

I hate to nit pick but this is mostly in Thai side of the border and yes there could be some comfort stations there for Japanese.But inside of Burma is another story.

Anyway, by apologizing, Japan has essentially accepted the sex slave arguments, however many may have been “kisaeng”.

Yes.And that could be the motivation of these women came out and speak up.But I still expect them to get fund from Asian Women Fund and I don’t want focus group to flame their resentment and turn it into political propaganda and nationalistic cause like in case of Korea.

Kind of skeptical on Burma.That was a real war zone.No time for such “comfort”.But then again ther is always room for new evidence.

BTW, I’m not sure about Burma- it’s just something I MAY have heard.

At the end of the day, it’s just as easy to get lost in the little picture as to get lost in the big.

I felt this A-bomb victim was kind of intoxificated of talking her victimhood for decades.And many student got so easily effected by her tragedy thus lost historical perspective of A-bomb.Which is,well in my opinion Japan deserved it

It is difficult to take any critical distance if you just listen to the vivid testimony of the actual person who proclaims he or she has first hand experience (normally people do not doubt the accuracy of these testimony especially when you do not know any other knowledge nor alternative viewpoint)thus you accept the ideas of those who set up the testimony in behind,which usually are small focus group with somekind of political intention.Not to say that is wrong nor testimony itself is phony.But I have seen this victim politics over the years.Some were true and others were not.I just have too many questions that are unanswered in this comfort women case.
But then again it is just my opinion.

“. . .and saw some sort of intoxication in her eyes,I’m a bit reluctant to find these “Meet the Victims”Â? kind testimony at face value.”

You didn’t say drunk, but if one assumes intoxication to mean altered by drugs, then alcohol is the likeliest suspect. My comments about comfort women were also a bit sloppy (my attention is divided right now), but they apply equally to someone who lived through Hiroshima or Nagasaki; if BAREFOOT GEN is accurate, I can easily see a survivor having a drinking problem for decades afterward. I wouldn’t wish those kinds of memories on my worst enemy.

“The testimony I’ve heard from Taiwanese and Koreans all tell stories of being tricked in some way and then not being allowed to leave. ”
I hate to be a wise ass,MF.Most people in Asia don’t come out and say”I voluntarily served for the Japanese Imperial Army”.
Especially when your job was a sex worker.And as I wrote in your blog about my experience with talking to A-bomb victim in one of the peace education class and saw some sort of intoxication in her eyes,I’m a bit reluctant to find these “Meet the Victims” kind testimony at face value.

“One of the letter that I mentioned in the blog of yours(and that is used as a proof of official intrusion of the military by the focus groups)is warning for choosing the “right”Â?recruiters when they make contract because some were notorious kidnappers (as rightly you’ve mentioned above)So,tricked maybe,kidnapped I highly doubt about that in case of Japanese ,Taiwanese and Korean comfort women.”
I actually think I read a paper by professor 永五¢Ã¥’Å’ from Kyodai analyzing that letter.

The reports of actual kidnapping by Japanese military that I recall were in Indonesia, Philippines, China, maybe Burma. The testimony I’ve heard from Taiwanese and Koreans all tell stories of being tricked in some way and then not being allowed to leave. Maybe they were beaten in the comfort station, but at least they went peacefully in the beginning because they expected to be working some sort of legitimate job. Obviously these were pretty naive girls, from very poor families.