With December 13, 2025 approaching – China's national memorial day for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre – it's a poignant moment to reflect not only on that tragedy but also on another harrowing wartime atrocity: the forced sexual slavery of an estimated 400,000 women and girls by the Japanese military during World War II. 💔🕊️
Nearly a century has passed since the first women were deceived or taken into military-run brothels, yet their stories of suffering still strike a deep chord across Asia. From 1931 to 1945, around 400,000 women from 11 Asian countries and regions – especially China, the Korean Peninsula and the Philippines, along with Myanmar, East Timor, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and more – were coerced into serving as 'comfort women' for Japanese troops.
Scholars in the Chinese mainland estimate that over 200,000 Chinese victims endured this brutal system. Survivors' testimonies reveal extreme mistreatment, physical and emotional trauma, and long-term impacts on their health and dignity.
This July, UN special rapporteurs and working groups under the Human Rights Council sent formal communications to the Japanese government, urging truth, justice and reparations. They stressed that international law demands acknowledgement and action to address these grave violations.
Across South Korea and the Philippines, public calls for a sincere apology and concrete measures continue to resurface. Observers note that without genuine accountability, the wounds of history can't fully heal.
Their stories remind us that peace isn't just a state of mind – it's a hard-won prize we must safeguard. As young adults shaping the future, we can honour their legacy by keeping history alive, standing up for human rights, and never letting the lessons of the past fade away. ✊
Reference(s):
Remembering history: The tragedy of 400,000 WWII 'comfort women'
cgtn.com
