The Chinese mainland still has 14 surviving "comfort women", the Research Center for Comfort Women at Shanghai Normal University said on Saturday. 
  
Saturday marked the ninth International Memorial Day for the "Comfort Women," which refers to victims forced into sexual slavery by Japanese troops during World War Two. 

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In May, three "comfort women" were added to the list after researchers confirmed their experiences based on on-site visits and cross-examinations. 
  
"One of the old women trembled and wept at the mention of the past. She is still haunted by nightmares even these days," said Chen Lifei, a professor at Shanghai Normal University and a member of the research team at the center.

The center has set up a fund for "comfort women" research and assistance, which provides assistance to the victims and supports relevant research. 

Previous research showed some 400,000 women in Asia were forced to serve as "comfort women" for the Japanese army during WWII and nearly half of them were Chinese. 

China has urged Japan to treat the "comfort women" issue in an "honest and responsible manner," as many in Japan have long tried to deny the "horrified crimes committed by the Japanese militarist aggressors." 

This year marks the 90th anniversary of the "September 18 incident," the start of Japan's invasion of China. During the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945), China suffered over 35 million military and civilian casualties. 

(With input from Xinhua)