By: Kellie Rose Kordinak                                                                                                               Date: May 6, 2024

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The following paper was originally written for a Senior Capstone Seminar Project. A downloadable PDF version is available to be used as a resource.

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Abstract

The history of “comfort women” and the “comfort station” system during and after World War II has brought pain, discomfort, and unease to many directly and indirectly involved with past government-sponsored sexual slavery. Although World War II and the use of “comfort stations” significantly ended (as remnants of the system were utilized afterwards) in September of 1945, the pain, trauma, and tragedy caused during this time remains up to the present day. The issue of “comfort stations” and the victimization of “comfort women” as we, in the 21st century, perceive it today, has grown from a lengthy period of research. By seeking a better understanding of the complex history between Japan, China, Korea, and other global countries amidst World War II and political chaos, modern historians and political leaders might gain a more holistic perspective of the impact such exploitative systems had, and still have, on “comfort women” victims and survivors. The history of “comfort women” and delivery of the redress demanded by survivors today has been muddied and tainted with political, militaristic, judicial, and international biases to name a few. By utilizing testimonials as oral histories from “comfort women”, primary sources pertaining to the “comfort stations” system during World War II and after, and through various forms of research, this paper aims to contribute to the documented evidence that the “comfort station” system was a form of sexual exploitation of Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and women of other ethnicities perpetrated by the Japanese government, recruiters, and military personnel during World War II. Such perpetrators should be extended to include the U.S. military and other Allied troops during military occupation shortly after the war. Although the extended perpetrators, particularly American soldiers, are not the primary focus of the paper, their involvement in sexual exploitation during occupation in Japan eventually led to Japanese-backed U.S. military prostitution through the Recreation and Amusement Association (RAA) with licensed prostitution, pan-pan girls, and sexual fraternization throughout the country from 1945 - 1952. The issue of the military-prostitution complex continues on from the targeted “comfort women” victims during World War II; however, this remains one of this paper’s research boundaries.