Chronology: Teaching “Comfort Women” History
San Francisco and California
4/3/1997: San Francisco Board of Education passes a resolution to teach Sino-Japanese War history
1997: SFUSD developes Tenacity and Perseverance of Humanity, Sino-Japanese War 1932–1945
6/18/2013: San Francisco Board of Supervisors passes a resolution condemning statements by former Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto who stated that the Japanese system of military sexual slavery in Asian countries from the 1930s to WWII was a military necessity. He claimed to find no proof that the system was involuntary and coerced by Japanese authorities
By 2014: The history of “comfort women” is included in the revision of the 2017 History-Social Science Framework (California)
9/22/2015: San Francisco passes a resolution to install a “comfort women” memorial—Eric Mar
10/13/2015: San Francisco Board of Education passes a resolution to teach “comfort women” history to 10th grade students —Sandra Fewer
Jan. 2016: Sung Sohn and parents (later Education for Social Justice Foundation, ESJF) launch a support letter campaign to implement resolution to teach the “comfort women” history to 10th graders in SFUSD
4/26/2016: San Francisco Board of Education passes a resolution in support of the inclusion of the “comfort women” history into the statewide history curriculum—Sandra Fewer and Hydra Mendoza-McDonnell
5/19/2016: Public hearing at California State Board of Education on first draft of “comfort women” history for 2017 framework (California)
7/14/2016: California State Board of Education finalizes inclusion of “comfort women” history in framework with the 2015 agreement between South Korea and Japan (California)
10/8/2016: Teachers 4 Social Justice (T4SJ) Conference includes a workshop on “comfort women” history
12/5/2016: Russ Lowe and Sung Sohn deliver materials on “comfort women” history and issues to SFUSD
June 2017: Education for Social Justice Foundation (ESJF)founded
9/29/2017: San Francisco Board of Supervisors passes a resolution declaring “Comfort Women” Day in San Francisco
10/5/2017–10/6/2017: ESJF holds symposium, Examining the “Comfort” Station System and Crimes Against Humanity
10/7/2017: T4SJ Conference—ESJF holds workshop, Justice for “Comfort Women,” WWII Japanese Military Sex Slaves
11/22/2017: Mayor Ed Lee signs Resolution No. 415-17, authorizing the San Francisco Arts Commission to accept Women’s Column of Strength and maintain it for the next twenty years
March 2018: ESJF publishes “Comfort Women” History and Issues: Teacher Resource Guide
3/29/2018–3/30/2018: Association for Asian American Studies 2018 Conference includes “Comfort Women” Solidarity Action
Aug. 2018: ESJF publishes “Comfort Women” History and Issues: Student Resource Guide
9/15/2018: ESJF and Facing History and Ourselves hold all day workshop on “comfort women” history and issues and Nanjing Massacre
9/17/2018–9/22/2018: ESJF and the Korean Council organize a multimedia traveling exhibition Truth & Justice: Remembering “Comfort Women” in San Francisco
10/6/2018: T4SJ Conference—ESJF holds workshop, Addressing Unresolved “Comfort Women” History and Issues through Photos and Memorials
Jan. 2019: ESJF’s second joint workshop with Facing History and Ourselves on “comfort women” history and issues and Nanjing Massacre
April 2019: ESJF publishes “Comfort Women” History and Issues: Teacher Resource Guide, 2nd ed.
Oct. 2019: T4SJ Conference—ESJF holds workshop, Sexual Slavery and Sex Trafficking through the Lens of “Comfort Women”
July 2020: ESJF publishes “Comfort Women” History and Issues: Teacher Resource Guide, 3rd ed. and “Comfort Women” History and Issues: Student Resource Guide, 2nd ed.
Beyond San Francisco and California
8/14/1991: Hak-Soon Kim makes the first public testimony as a former Japanese military sex slave (South Korea)
1993: Korea Chongshinddae’s Institute and the Korean Council publishes True Stories of the Korean Comfort Women, Vol.1 『강제로 끌려간 조선인 군위안부들 I』(South Korea)
1997: Japanese government begins incorporating “comfort women” history in middle school textbooks (Japan)
Feb. 1997: Shinzo Abe (future Prime Minister of Japan) serves as the Executive Director (事務局長) of the Association of Young Diet Members for Japan’s Future and Historical Education (日本の前途と歴史教育を考える若手議員の会) and leads them to promote a nationalistic view of the history of Japan. (Japan)
12/8/2000–12/12/2000: Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan’s Military Sexual Slavery convenes (Japan)
2001: British Columbia Ministry of Education and BC ALPHA jointly develop curriculum guide on WWII in Asia, Human Rights in the Asia Pacific 1931–1945 (Canada)
2005: Canada ALPHA (later ALPHA Education in 2014) develops The Search for Global Citizenship: The Violation of Human Rights in Asia, 1931–1945 (Canada)
2006: Content on “comfort women” is mostly removed from Japanese middle school textbooks (Japan)
2007: House Resolution 121 passes (U.S.)
2010: NJ-ALPHA develops The Nanjing Massacre and Other Japanese Military Atrocities, The Asia Pacific War 1931–1945 (U.S.)
Oct. 2010: McGraw-Hill publishes Traditions & Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past, 5th ed. and includes two paragraphs on “comfort women” (U.S.)
Nov. 2014–Dec. 2014: The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) requests that McGraw-Hill and Professor Ziegler of University of Hawaii—who authored the two paragraphs on “comfort women” in Traditions & Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past, 5th ed.--
correct or erase what they considered to be “inaccurate expressions” in the book (Japan & U.S.)
2015: McGraw-Hill publishes Traditions & Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past, 6th ed. (U.S.)
3/15/2015: Twenty American historians issue a Letter to the Editor entitled “Standing with Historians of Japan” (U.S.)
3/17/2015: Group of nineteen Japanese historians issue “Requesting Correction of Factual Errors in McGraw-Hill Textbook” (Japan)
4/29/2015: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe makes a speech before a joint session of the U.S. Congress and fails to make a direct apology regarding the Pacific atrocities by Japan: “Our actions brought suffering to the peoples in Asian countries. We must not avert our eyes from that.” (U.S.)
5/5/2015: Online humanities and social sciences portal, H-Asia/H-Net, publishes a statement issued by 187 Japanese studies scholars, urging the Japanese government to acknowledge past wrongs, including the “comfort women” system
5/11/2015: Open Letter in Support of Historians in Japan UPDATED—an additional 464 scholars sign the letter (U.S.)
5/25/2015: Joint Statement by Associations of History History Scholars and Educators in Japan on the “Comfort Women” Issue—Twenty associations demanded that that politicians and media stop denying the operation of wartime military sexual slavery by the Japanese government (Japan)
9/4/2015: “50 Japanese Academics’ Rebuttal of the twenty American Historians’ statement” (Japan) 5/30/2016: Joint Statement from Japanese Historians and History Educators on Recent Developments in the Japanese military’s “comfort women” Issue—Fifteen associations sign the letter underscoring problems with the 2015 agreement and the dismissal of Yoshimi Yoshiaki’s defamation suit against former Diet representative Sakurauchi (Japan)
Dec. 2016: Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul National University Human Rights Center publish “Comfort Women” Stories Seen Through Documents, Photos, and Testimonies 『문서와 사진, 증언으로 보는 일본군 ‘위안부’ 이야기』(South Korea)
2/10/2017: Association for Asian American Studies passes a resolution, “Supporting Remembrance of ‘Comfort
Women’ and their Endangered History” (U.S.)
Feb. 2018: Taken, Abandoned, Now Standing Before Us, 2 vols.『끌려가다, 버려지다, 우리 앞에 서다 I, II』 (South Korea)
Feb. 2018: The U.S. Records on the Japanese Military “Comfort Women,” 3 vols.『일본군 ‘위안부’관계 미국 자료 I, II, III』 (South Korea)
6/25/2018: Mitsuko Hirai publishes San Francisco’s Girl Statue (Japan)
Aug. 2018: Ministry of Gender Equality and Family establishes Research Institute on Japanese Military Sexual Slavery Issue (South Korea)
2019: Mee-Hyang Yoon publishes 25 Years of Wednesdays (South Korea)
6/17/2019: First international teacher workshop, “Legacy to Future Generation: How do we educate on the Japanese military sexual slavery issue?”—The Korean Council (South Korea)
Nov. 2019: Research Institute on Japanese Military Sexual Slavery Issue publishes Names Found from Overpainted Records,『덧칠된 기록에서찾은 이름들』and Korean Translations of Japanese Military Sexy Slave Related Documents 『일본군 ‘위안부’관련 번역자료집』, 2 vols. (South Korea)
4/3/1997: San Francisco Board of Education passes a resolution to teach Sino-Japanese War history
1997: SFUSD developes Tenacity and Perseverance of Humanity, Sino-Japanese War 1932–1945
6/18/2013: San Francisco Board of Supervisors passes a resolution condemning statements by former Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto who stated that the Japanese system of military sexual slavery in Asian countries from the 1930s to WWII was a military necessity. He claimed to find no proof that the system was involuntary and coerced by Japanese authorities
By 2014: The history of “comfort women” is included in the revision of the 2017 History-Social Science Framework (California)
9/22/2015: San Francisco passes a resolution to install a “comfort women” memorial—Eric Mar
10/13/2015: San Francisco Board of Education passes a resolution to teach “comfort women” history to 10th grade students —Sandra Fewer
Jan. 2016: Sung Sohn and parents (later Education for Social Justice Foundation, ESJF) launch a support letter campaign to implement resolution to teach the “comfort women” history to 10th graders in SFUSD
4/26/2016: San Francisco Board of Education passes a resolution in support of the inclusion of the “comfort women” history into the statewide history curriculum—Sandra Fewer and Hydra Mendoza-McDonnell
5/19/2016: Public hearing at California State Board of Education on first draft of “comfort women” history for 2017 framework (California)
7/14/2016: California State Board of Education finalizes inclusion of “comfort women” history in framework with the 2015 agreement between South Korea and Japan (California)
10/8/2016: Teachers 4 Social Justice (T4SJ) Conference includes a workshop on “comfort women” history
12/5/2016: Russ Lowe and Sung Sohn deliver materials on “comfort women” history and issues to SFUSD
June 2017: Education for Social Justice Foundation (ESJF)founded
9/29/2017: San Francisco Board of Supervisors passes a resolution declaring “Comfort Women” Day in San Francisco
10/5/2017–10/6/2017: ESJF holds symposium, Examining the “Comfort” Station System and Crimes Against Humanity
10/7/2017: T4SJ Conference—ESJF holds workshop, Justice for “Comfort Women,” WWII Japanese Military Sex Slaves
11/22/2017: Mayor Ed Lee signs Resolution No. 415-17, authorizing the San Francisco Arts Commission to accept Women’s Column of Strength and maintain it for the next twenty years
March 2018: ESJF publishes “Comfort Women” History and Issues: Teacher Resource Guide
3/29/2018–3/30/2018: Association for Asian American Studies 2018 Conference includes “Comfort Women” Solidarity Action
Aug. 2018: ESJF publishes “Comfort Women” History and Issues: Student Resource Guide
9/15/2018: ESJF and Facing History and Ourselves hold all day workshop on “comfort women” history and issues and Nanjing Massacre
9/17/2018–9/22/2018: ESJF and the Korean Council organize a multimedia traveling exhibition Truth & Justice: Remembering “Comfort Women” in San Francisco
10/6/2018: T4SJ Conference—ESJF holds workshop, Addressing Unresolved “Comfort Women” History and Issues through Photos and Memorials
Jan. 2019: ESJF’s second joint workshop with Facing History and Ourselves on “comfort women” history and issues and Nanjing Massacre
April 2019: ESJF publishes “Comfort Women” History and Issues: Teacher Resource Guide, 2nd ed.
Oct. 2019: T4SJ Conference—ESJF holds workshop, Sexual Slavery and Sex Trafficking through the Lens of “Comfort Women”
July 2020: ESJF publishes “Comfort Women” History and Issues: Teacher Resource Guide, 3rd ed. and “Comfort Women” History and Issues: Student Resource Guide, 2nd ed.
Beyond San Francisco and California
8/14/1991: Hak-Soon Kim makes the first public testimony as a former Japanese military sex slave (South Korea)
1993: Korea Chongshinddae’s Institute and the Korean Council publishes True Stories of the Korean Comfort Women, Vol.1 『강제로 끌려간 조선인 군위안부들 I』(South Korea)
1997: Japanese government begins incorporating “comfort women” history in middle school textbooks (Japan)
Feb. 1997: Shinzo Abe (future Prime Minister of Japan) serves as the Executive Director (事務局長) of the Association of Young Diet Members for Japan’s Future and Historical Education (日本の前途と歴史教育を考える若手議員の会) and leads them to promote a nationalistic view of the history of Japan. (Japan)
12/8/2000–12/12/2000: Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan’s Military Sexual Slavery convenes (Japan)
2001: British Columbia Ministry of Education and BC ALPHA jointly develop curriculum guide on WWII in Asia, Human Rights in the Asia Pacific 1931–1945 (Canada)
2005: Canada ALPHA (later ALPHA Education in 2014) develops The Search for Global Citizenship: The Violation of Human Rights in Asia, 1931–1945 (Canada)
2006: Content on “comfort women” is mostly removed from Japanese middle school textbooks (Japan)
2007: House Resolution 121 passes (U.S.)
2010: NJ-ALPHA develops The Nanjing Massacre and Other Japanese Military Atrocities, The Asia Pacific War 1931–1945 (U.S.)
Oct. 2010: McGraw-Hill publishes Traditions & Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past, 5th ed. and includes two paragraphs on “comfort women” (U.S.)
Nov. 2014–Dec. 2014: The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) requests that McGraw-Hill and Professor Ziegler of University of Hawaii—who authored the two paragraphs on “comfort women” in Traditions & Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past, 5th ed.--
correct or erase what they considered to be “inaccurate expressions” in the book (Japan & U.S.)
2015: McGraw-Hill publishes Traditions & Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past, 6th ed. (U.S.)
3/15/2015: Twenty American historians issue a Letter to the Editor entitled “Standing with Historians of Japan” (U.S.)
3/17/2015: Group of nineteen Japanese historians issue “Requesting Correction of Factual Errors in McGraw-Hill Textbook” (Japan)
4/29/2015: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe makes a speech before a joint session of the U.S. Congress and fails to make a direct apology regarding the Pacific atrocities by Japan: “Our actions brought suffering to the peoples in Asian countries. We must not avert our eyes from that.” (U.S.)
5/5/2015: Online humanities and social sciences portal, H-Asia/H-Net, publishes a statement issued by 187 Japanese studies scholars, urging the Japanese government to acknowledge past wrongs, including the “comfort women” system
5/11/2015: Open Letter in Support of Historians in Japan UPDATED—an additional 464 scholars sign the letter (U.S.)
5/25/2015: Joint Statement by Associations of History History Scholars and Educators in Japan on the “Comfort Women” Issue—Twenty associations demanded that that politicians and media stop denying the operation of wartime military sexual slavery by the Japanese government (Japan)
9/4/2015: “50 Japanese Academics’ Rebuttal of the twenty American Historians’ statement” (Japan) 5/30/2016: Joint Statement from Japanese Historians and History Educators on Recent Developments in the Japanese military’s “comfort women” Issue—Fifteen associations sign the letter underscoring problems with the 2015 agreement and the dismissal of Yoshimi Yoshiaki’s defamation suit against former Diet representative Sakurauchi (Japan)
Dec. 2016: Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul National University Human Rights Center publish “Comfort Women” Stories Seen Through Documents, Photos, and Testimonies 『문서와 사진, 증언으로 보는 일본군 ‘위안부’ 이야기』(South Korea)
2/10/2017: Association for Asian American Studies passes a resolution, “Supporting Remembrance of ‘Comfort
Women’ and their Endangered History” (U.S.)
Feb. 2018: Taken, Abandoned, Now Standing Before Us, 2 vols.『끌려가다, 버려지다, 우리 앞에 서다 I, II』 (South Korea)
Feb. 2018: The U.S. Records on the Japanese Military “Comfort Women,” 3 vols.『일본군 ‘위안부’관계 미국 자료 I, II, III』 (South Korea)
6/25/2018: Mitsuko Hirai publishes San Francisco’s Girl Statue (Japan)
Aug. 2018: Ministry of Gender Equality and Family establishes Research Institute on Japanese Military Sexual Slavery Issue (South Korea)
2019: Mee-Hyang Yoon publishes 25 Years of Wednesdays (South Korea)
6/17/2019: First international teacher workshop, “Legacy to Future Generation: How do we educate on the Japanese military sexual slavery issue?”—The Korean Council (South Korea)
Nov. 2019: Research Institute on Japanese Military Sexual Slavery Issue publishes Names Found from Overpainted Records,『덧칠된 기록에서찾은 이름들』and Korean Translations of Japanese Military Sexy Slave Related Documents 『일본군 ‘위안부’관련 번역자료집』, 2 vols. (South Korea)
