EDUCATION FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE FOUNDATION
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          • ESJF Statement on the South Korea Court’s ruling, April 21, 2021
          • ESJF Statement on the South Korea Court’s ruling, January 8, 2021
          • International Joint Statement, August 14, 2019
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            • Kim Hak-Soon Halmoni
        • 2000 Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan’s Military Sexual Slavery
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        • 2017 Special Task Force Report on 2015 "Comfort Women" Agreement between S. Korea and Japan
        • UNESCO and the "Voices of the 'Comfort Women'" >
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        • Historic Lawsuits related to Japanese military sexual slavery before and during WWII >
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          • First Video Footage of Mass Murdered "Comfort Women": Feb. 2018
          • Life as a "Comfort Woman": Story of Kim Bok-Dong
          • Meet Estelita Dy: A Filipino "Comfort Woman" Survivor
          • 2015 "Comfort Women" Agreement and Victims' Reaction
          • 2018 International "Comfort Women" Day
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Basic Questions surrounding the Japanese Military Sexual Slavery System

Although the history of and issues surrounding “comfort women” can be taught solely as one example of total war and war mobilization, the subject is tied to multiple topics, disciplines, and grade levels, extending to the university level. This human tragedy is a deeply relevant history rooted in imperialism, human rights violations, violence, discrimination, as well as distortion and denial of history—fundamental problems that echo across history to today. This chilling and often-overlooked history also serves as a valuable vehicle to address and counter sexual and gender-based violence across history worldwide. Considering the fundamental questions and concerns raised by the history of “comfort women,” this topic extends to critical past and current issues, including the civil rights advocacy of the #MeToo movement, the Black Lives Matter movement as well as other instances of sexual and gender-based violence in conflict or non-conflict. 

Educators who seek to examine this history through a more modern and holistic lens can refer to the following questions regarding “comfort women” and the section Central Themes and Research Topics. The Central Themes and Research Topics section focuses on the connection between human rights violations and imperialism, state-sanctioned violence and discrimination, and ongoing injustice rooted in distortion and denial of history. Educators can also use this section as additional materials to plan their lessons, units, or courses. Increasing students’ awareness and fundamental understanding of the causes and consequences of WWII in Asia seen through the Japanese military sexual slavery system will encourage them to consider the importance of using power for the greater good, bringing them a step closer to making choices to advocate for peace, justice, and empowerment, both today and tomorrow.

Historical background on “comfort women” history  ​
Primary source documents 
Secondary source documents 
​
Survivors’ testimonies 
Who were “comfort women”?
  • What was their socio-economic status?
  • Are the disparities between rich and poor narrowing or widening today? How do these disparities affect society at large?
  • How old were they? Were there any minors? What were the international laws pertaining to sex trafficking in the 1930s and 40s?
  • What were the living conditions of “comfort women”?
  • What values were lacking among the soldiers and leaders who organized and operated the military sexual slavery system? Why do you think these values were absent?
Where were they from?
  • How did the Japanese government justify its invasion of neighboring countries to its own people? 
  • What were the actual reasons for their invasion of neighboring countries?
How were women and girls forced into the state-sponsored military sexual slavery system?
  • Depending on the degree of control that the Imperial Japanese government had on each of its neighboring   countries, young girls and women were recruited, coerced, conscripted, or forced into military sexual        slavery. Various methods—including kidnapping, deceptive recruitment, pressure on families, and human trafficking—were used to operate the military sexual slavery system against international treaties. 
Why did the Japanese Imperial Armed Forces run the “comfort stations” throughout Asia?
  • Yoshimi Yoshiaki said that according to the Japanese Armed Forces, “comfort stations” were established to reduce the random sexual assault of villagers in occupied nations, the spread of STIs among soldiers,   and espionage, as well as providing comfort to the troops.
  • How do patriarchal judgments of female worth factor into the reasoning above?
  • How do the experiences of Yazidi and Rohingya women and girls differ from those of Japanese military sex slaves before and during WWII? How are they similar?
  • In addition to the military sexual slavery system, what are other war crimes Japan committed against humanity? 
What happened to “comfort women” after WWII, a total war with the highest death toll in history?  
  • How does war impact human behavior? Consider these key distinctions: history versus propaganda and national chauvinism versus patriotism. 
  • How do cycles of discrimination, oppression, and violence manifest in war? 
What is the significance of evidence against perpetrators? 
  • How were various pieces of evidence discovered? 
  • What is the significance of primary and secondary sources? 
  • How has the Japanese government taken different positions regarding this history, and what is the Abe administration’s approach?
  • How do Japan’s efforts to expunge the identities of those they colonized compare to America’s violence against indigenous people?
  • What specific skills do you find most useful to gain a deeper and comprehensive understanding of evidence?
What is the significance of the 2017 H-SS Framework mentioning the agreement that has been denounced by the victims?
What is the significance of learning this history?
  • What other historically unresolved issues continue to affect our local and global communities? 
  • What is the role of collective activism?
  • What is the difference between a political resolution and a human rights resolution?
  • What is power? How is it used in politics and in local and global economies?
  • What are the challenges in arriving at a shared understanding of history?
What do you think is the significance of carrying on the history and legacy of the victims?
  • What is the relationship between Hak-Soon Kim’s testimony in 1991 and the #MeToo movement?
What are some ways for us to support survivors’ fight for justice?
What can we do to promote peace and to prevent war?
  • What are some of the reasons that countries start and engage in war?
  • What does war achieve? Who usually benefits the most? Who usually suffers the most? Other consequences?
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  • Home
    • About Us >
      • Social Justice Education
      • Advocacy >
        • International Community Outreach >
          • Chiba Korean Elementary Middle School >
            • Our First Advocacy
            • ESJF Student Art Competition
            • ESJF Statement: “After ‘Lack of Freedom of Expression?’” Shut Down to Suppress Freedom of Expression
            • Letter to Aichi Prefectural Triennale Promotion Office
          • Days for Girls International
        • Civil Society
    • Blog
    • Interviews and articles
  • Educator Resources
    • Sexual and Gender-based Violence >
      • Japanese military sexual slavery system >
        • Brief Historical Background
        • Lesson Plans and Worksheets >
          • ​In Their Own Words
          • Resistance & Collective activism
          • Denial of legal and historical responsibility
          • ​Remembering and honoring "comfort women"
          • Global plague
          • Contemporary movements towards justice
          • Worksheets
          • Puzzles
        • 2017 CA H-SS Framework >
          • Basic questions surrounding the Japanese Military Sexual Slavery System
        • Map of "Comfort Women" Memorials in the United States
        • Survivors' Testimonies & Legacies >
          • Korea
          • China
          • Philippines
          • Indonesia
          • Japan
          • Netherlands
        • Primary Source Documents: "Comfort Women" History and Issues >
          • Concerning the Recruitment of Women for Military Comfort Stations
          • Psychological Warfare Interrogation Report No. 49
          • Psychological Warfare Interrogation Bulletin No. 2
          • SEATIC Psychological Warfare Bulletin No. 182
          • G-3 Daily Dairy
          • C.B.I. Roundup
          • Allied Translator and Interpreter Section (ATIS) No. 470
          • Research Report No. 120: Amenities in the Japanese Armed Forces
          • San Francisco Local History >
            • Resolutions >
              • Resolution 158-25A1
            • Chronology: Teaching "Comfort Women" History from the 1990s to Present
          • Images
        • Secondary Source Documents and ESJF Statements >
          • Secondary Resource References
          • ESJF Statement on the South Korea Court’s ruling, April 21, 2021
          • ESJF Statement on the South Korea Court’s ruling, January 8, 2021
          • International Joint Statement, August 14, 2019
          • International Joint Statement, March 1, 2019
          • International Joint Statement, October 6, 2018
          • International Joint Statement, January 7, 2018
        • Reflections on Collective Activism in SF >
          • Reflection and Chronology: Eric Mar
          • Reflection: Steven Whyte & Ellen Wilson
          • Reflection: Sung Sohn
        • International "Comfort Women" Day >
          • 30th Anniversary of Kim Hak-Soon Halmoni's public testimony >
            • Kim Hak-Soon Halmoni
        • 2000 Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan’s Military Sexual Slavery
        • 2015 "Comfort Women" Agreement
        • 2017 Special Task Force Report on 2015 "Comfort Women" Agreement between S. Korea and Japan
        • UNESCO and the "Voices of the 'Comfort Women'" >
          • Timeline
          • 2021 Youth Artwork Competition
          • 2021 Young Adult Online Campaign
        • Historic Lawsuits related to Japanese military sexual slavery before and during WWII >
          • Sung Sohn's Essay with commentaries and statement
        • YouTube >
          • First Video Footage of Korean "Comfort Women": July, 2017
          • First Video Footage of Mass Murdered "Comfort Women": Feb. 2018
          • Life as a "Comfort Woman": Story of Kim Bok-Dong
          • Meet Estelita Dy: A Filipino "Comfort Woman" Survivor
          • 2015 "Comfort Women" Agreement and Victims' Reaction
          • 2018 International "Comfort Women" Day
        • Wednesday Demonstration
        • Peace Statue
      • Sexual and medical violence against Black Americans >
        • Lesson Plans >
          • Medical Experimentation on Enslaved Women
          • Nurse Rivers
      • Conflict-related SGBV in Tigray and Afghanistan
      • Reports and Papers on SGBV & Gender Justice
    • History of and Issues Surrounding Asian Diaspora in the United States >
      • ESJF >
        • 19th Century >
          • Lesson Plans
        • 20th Century >
          • Lesson Plans
        • Today >
          • Lesson Plans
      • TACT >
        • K-5
        • 6-8
        • 9-12
      • Facing History and Ourselves
      • Fred T. Korematsu Institute
      • San Francisco Asian Art Museum
      • Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
    • Medical Atrocities and Use of Banned Weapons >
      • United States >
        • Lesson Plans
      • Asia >
        • Lesson Plans
        • Video Footage for Classroom
        • Primary Source Documents: Medical Atrocities and Ethics
        • Secondary Source Documents: Medical Atrocities and Ethics
      • Europe >
        • Lesson Plans
    • Resistance and Collective Activism >
      • U.S. Slavery
      • Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
  • ESJF Publications
    • "Comfort Women" History and Issues >
      • Teacher Resource Guide >
        • How to Order
      • Student Resource Guide >
        • How to Order
    • Medical Atrocities and Use of Banned Weapons
  • ESJF Professional Development opportunities
  • Get Involved
    • Join Our Email List
    • Donate
    • Contact Us >
      • Workshop and Lecture Request