The Issue of the “Comfort Women” from the Perspective of the Survivors: With a Focus on the Asian Womenʼs Fund

Abstract

The “comfort women” survivors have demanded an official apology and national compensation from the Japanese government for damages resulting from forced sexual slavery associated with the Imperial Japanese Army from the 1990s. The Japanese government established the Asian Women’ s Fund (AWF), which is based on donations from Japanese citizens rather than compensation from the government. Most survivors stated that the AWF would not restore their dignity. A total of 364 “comfort women,” however, accepted the project. Why?

The purpose of this study is to analyze the various approaches that were adopted to resolve this issue, as well as the survivors’ responses to the AWF. The study finds that the decision whether or not to receive the fund depended on each survivor=s situation, which varied by country, society, family relations, and actual damage. That is to say, not all decisions were purely based on individual will. The results of this study show that not only the survivors but also their families suffer the aftereffects of the survivors’ experiences as “comfort women.” The survivors cannot by themselves eliminate their struggles that stemmed from this experience. This is one reason why the survivors have demanded an official apology from the Japanese government. Based on these findings, this study suggests that an atonement to reestablish social relations surrounding these women by restoring their honor is necessary, rather than trivializing the issue of the “comfort women” as simply personal.