Yamato Nadeshiko (installation, 2002), installation shots from Experimentica Festival at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff in 2003
During Japan’s ambitious expansion throughout East and South Asia in the 1930s, the behaviour of soldiers stationed abroad for long periods became increasingly problematic. In response, the Japanese Armed Forces set up so called ‘comfort stations’ attached to military bases. From 1932 until the end of WWII, the Japanese military enslaved around 200,000 women from Korea, China, the Philippines, Indonesia and Holland, and forced them to serve as sexual slaves to the Japanese soldiers, receiving 25 – 40 visits a day. Towards the end of WWII, comfort women were murdered or left to die by retreating Japanese troops. Back in Korea former comfort women received little or no support or recognition from government, society, or family for a long time. The issue is still not resolved to this date.
During Japan’s ambitious expansion throughout East and South Asia in the 1930s, the behaviour of soldiers stationed abroad for long periods became increasingly problematic. In response, the Japanese Armed Forces set up so called ‘comfort stations’ attached to military bases. From 1932 until the end of WWII, the Japanese military enslaved around 200,000 women from Korea, China, the Philippines, Indonesia and Holland, and forced them to serve as sexual slaves to the Japanese soldiers, receiving 25 – 40 visits a day. Towards the end of WWII, comfort women were murdered or left to die by retreating Japanese troops. Back in Korea former comfort women received little or no support or recognition from government, society, or family for a long time. The issue is still not resolved to this date.