Evading 'comfort women' guilt blocks Japan's reconciliation with Asia

Editor's note: Cao Cong, a special commentator for CGTN, is a doctoral candidate at the School of Global and Regional Studies, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

August 14 marks the International Memorial Day for "Comfort Women." The day commemorates the victims of sexual violence perpetrated by Japanese militarism during World War II (WWII), upholds the dignity and rights of survivors, and reminds the world to cherish peace and prevent the tragedies of war from recurring.

Yet Japan's right-wing forces have long sought to downplay the country's history of aggression and have even systematically promoted historical revisionist narratives represented by the so-called Yasukuni view of history.

On the issue of "comfort women," the Japanese government has sought to dilute its wartime responsibility, obstruct the establishment of memorials overseas, and alter relevant descriptions in history textbooks. Such actions reveal a continued lack of sincere and thorough reflection on Japan's history of aggression.

Historical facts cannot be rewritten. During WWII, the wars of aggression launched by Japanese militarism inflicted immense suffering on people across Asia. The "comfort women" system constituted one of the gravest crimes committed as part of Japan's wartime aggression.

Extensive historical archives, testimonies from victims and postwar investigations have established that the Japanese military operated a system of "comfort stations" under military control and subjected large numbers of women to sexual slavery and severe physical and psychological abuse through coercion, deception, intimidation and violence.

China was one of the major areas victimized by the "comfort women" system. During Japan's invasion of China, the Japanese military established "comfort stations" throughout occupied areas and subjected Chinese women to systematic sexual violence.

On the Korean Peninsula, 35 years of Japanese colonial rule and wartime mobilization resulted in large numbers of Korean women being forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military. Victims in The Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar and other parts of Southeast Asia also left extensive and painful testimonies.

Although the then Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono issued the Kono Statement in 1993, acknowledging the involvement of the Japanese military in the recruitment of "comfort women," the Japanese government did not provide state compensation to the victims.

Right-wing forces in Japan subsequently continued to dilute or even deny this historical understanding, rejecting both military responsibility and the coercive nature of the system. The Japanese government's position has also grown increasingly conservative, failing to sustain meaningful reflection based on historical facts.

Japan's attempts to suppress the historical memory of "comfort women" are also evident in its responses to criticism from the international community. UN bodies including the Human Rights Council and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women have long raised concerns over the issue and called on Japan to further address its historical responsibility and protect the rights of victims.

However, the Japanese government has repeatedly questioned relevant descriptions and disputed the accounts of forced recruitment, in an attempt to deny the direct responsibility of the Japanese military for this issue.

Japan's interference with overseas memorials has also drawn widespread concern. Whenever communities around the world have sought to establish memorial statues for "comfort women," the Japanese government has repeatedly attempted to intervene.

In 2017, Japan exerted intense pressure over a memorial in San Francisco, but failed to prevent its installation, after which Osaka terminated its sister-city relationship with San Francisco. In 2018, a memorial statue in Manila was removed only four months after its installation. Following the unveiling of a Statue of Peace in Berlin in 2020, the Japanese government repeatedly called for its removal. In 2026, a proposed memorial in Auckland was also halted amid opposition and pressure from the Japanese side.

Similar controversies have occurred in Canada and Australia. Through persistent diplomatic pressure, the Japanese government has sought to constrain the preservation and public expression of historical memory. Such diplomatic pressure against overseas "comfort women" memorials suggests that Japan has yet to genuinely pursue historical reconciliation. Instead, it has repeatedly sought to restrict public expressions concerning Japan's wartime responsibility.

Within Japan, public discussion of the "comfort women" issue has also faced sustained pressure from right-wing groups. Exhibitions, academic events and cultural projects dealing with wartime responsibility have encountered protests and intimidation, while some public institutions have adopted cautious or even evasive positions for fear of political controversy. As a result, the voices of wartime victims have faced growing constraints in public discourse.

Education is another area in which wartime memory has been weakened. Through its textbook screening system, the Japanese government has influenced how history is presented.

After new high school curriculum guidelines took effect in 2022, references to the "comfort women" issue were further reduced in some history textbooks, while descriptions of Japan's wartime responsibility became increasingly vague.

The Japanese government had previously also sought to restrict the use of terms such as "forcible mobilization" in textbook screening. Such practices risk preventing younger generations from gaining a comprehensive understanding of the historical devastation caused by Japanese militarism.

More alarming is the fact that Japan's retreat in its understanding of wartime history has proceeded alongside changes in its security policy.

Since Sanae Takaichi took office, Japan has continued to erode its postwar pacifist constraints, move forward with revisions to its three key security documents, increase defense spending, and strengthen long-range strike capabilities, intelligence integration and military capabilities in emerging domains.

The combination of inadequate historical reflection and accelerating remilitarization has fueled serious international concerns over the resurgence of a new form of militarism in Japan.

Commemorating the "comfort women" is not about perpetuating hatred. It is about safeguarding peace. The suffering of victims must not be obscured by political interests, nor should the wounds inflicted by war be allowed to fade into oblivion with the passage of time.

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