A Report Details How Japan Ran Wartime Brothels

Declassified documents show that the military licensed and oversaw 'comfort stations.'

By K. Connie Kang, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer. December 5, 2003


The Japanese government was directly involved in developing and operating military brothels where hundreds of thousands of Asian girls and women were forced to work as sex slaves during Word War II, according to a recently declassified U.S. report.

Issued by General Headquarters, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers on Nov. 15, 1945, the 36-page report offers the most detailed account yet of how the military brothels — euphemistically called "comfort stations" or "houses of relaxation" — were run during Japan's aggression throughout Asia.

Japan has denied any official approval of the brothels, arguing they were created by civilians. But the report, based on statements of Japanese prisoners of war and documents confiscated by the U.S. military, said operators received licenses from the Japanese military and worked under its direct supervision.



Link/URL... http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-slaves5dec05,1,626997.story?coll=la-home-world

I can totally relate because like about 30 of my former sex slaves have been pestering me and threatening to sue for a few years now.

Other than that, what the fuck does this have to do with our hobby ?? Are you trying to draw some comparison ? If so --- fuck you and the water buffalo you came in on !!

For those historians in the crowd and the merely curious;

A japanese enlisted man during WWII received less than $30 per month in pay. An officer of Captains rank earned less than $80 per month average. Many soldiers stationed on remote islands did not receive pay for months at a time and at the end of the war, the Japanese govt. was not able to pay several million dollars it owed to soldiers for back pay.

Wonder how much they paid for the sex slaves ST??

This is really old news. All they're announcing is that a US government report has been declassified. Whoopee. This stuff has been known for a long time. The comfort woman compensation issue has been in the East Asian media for many years, dating at least to 1991 when I first lived there and read about it.

It may not be front page news, but this is an important issue that has been swept under the carpet by the u.s. and japan. these forced sex camps, at the termination of the war, were kept secret on the advice of MacArthur, because he felt, correctly, that this would negatively impact on his new job as re-builder of Japan, and that other countries and u.s. voters would not want to re-build japan if they knew about this. this normally never would have been de-classified, that is a huge part of this story. when they finally were de-classified the japanese gubment did nothing to corroborate the validity of these reports and took no responsibility. As for the money, how much a japanse infantryman earned during wwII is inconsequential; these were slaves and the imperial command provided these slaves to the warriors to boost their moral free of charge, it had nothing to do with money, military secrets, etc.

Hmmm...perhaps we could learn something here. US-run "comfort stations" thoughout the middle east.

"Why martyr yourself for a few virgins in paradise when we've got hundreds of experienced girls right here, no car-bomb required?"

Innovative new weapon in the secular war against Islam.

Dem Enterprising Gnomes

I disagree that this has been swept under the carpet. This has been common knowledge for a long time . The Japanese have even admitted it took place-- they just refuse to apologize to or compensate the victims. There is absoliutely nothing of interest in this post and I am curious as to why it was posted here. Has nothing to do with the theme of this site. We are not a group that endorses human trafficking.

Oh by the way-- did you hear the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor a few years ago ??

Khun_mor, tut, tut, tut ... Government run brothels is most certainly in keeping with the theme of this site. Unfortunately, it is a sad story (as is any story of sex slavery), but it should indeed be told. If you believe this has not been swept under the carpet, it is only because you are better informed than the average US citizen (who are undoubtedly unaware of the Japanese death railway too).

Now, the Gnomes of Zurich, I think, is on to something here. There are literally hordes of Romanian and Bulgarian babes looking for opportunities out of Eastern Europe. Offer them some petro dollars and a chance to bring about peace in the Middle East, and I’ll bet they’d be lining up by the boatload.

No Wombat, this hasn't been swept under the carpet. It's been known and documented for many, many years, and has been reported in Asian media in most East Asian countries for many, many years. Simply put, the US media didn't pay attention because there wasn't an American angle to it. Now that a US government report has been released, there's an American angle, and viola, interest by the US media.

Touché. I did allude to this ("... you are better informed than the average US citizen..."), but I, too, am fed by the narrowly focused (and closely controlled) US media. It's too easy to forget that what is news here is often common knowledge in less introverted countries.

On a related note, I understand that The Guardian will introduce a US paper.


(Message edited by wombat88 on December 07, 2003)

Now this is totally off topic but it is about another WWII Japanese atrocity that I think is not as well known as the comfort girls.

In December of 1937 Japanese officers completely lost control of their troops in Nanking China and they ran amok brutalizing the citizens of the city. Raped, tortured, and murdered 300,000 people in an orgy of violence. Documented in the "Rape of Nanking" by Iris Chang. It's a fascinating read.

Throughout history, invading troops have brutalized entire cities and countries they have captured. One of Gengis Khans most famous quotes, "rape the women and kill the men"

This is not new news as Mura states. There was a documentary several years ago on this topic and actual interviews with some of the former "comfort women" Many were taken as virgins and were raped many times per day by Japanese officers and enlisted men. Normally, the officers kept the younger girls and virgins for their stables until new ones took their places. If a woman became pregnant, many times they were killed so as not to sow the Japanese blood into other races. I am not abdicating sex slavery or any kind of abuse. Just repeating what has been documented in history.

OK...on to more intriguing issues.....Rio on Wed...YAHOO!

Ldvee
I believe the event was just recently re-enacted with astonishing historical accuracy by a group of Japanese historians in a hotel in China.

AHHH the lessons of history !!

When I took history at the U of I we never had field trips like that !! I might have paid much more attention.