Ianjo

Ianjo (Japanese: 慰安所, Hepburn: Ianjo, English: comfort station) were licensed brothels (Japanese legal term: 貸座敷, Hepburn: Kashizashiki, henceforth referred to as Kashizasik) for Imperial Japanese military forces (personnel and civilian employees), established in garrisons at the front lines and occupied territories.  Licensed prostitution was legal in the Empire of Japan, and kashizasikis were set up in each garrison (naval ports in the navy)  of the Imperial Japanese military of the Empire of Japan.

In 1932, January 28 incident broke out.  The Japanese Imperial Marines stationed in Shanghai used kashizashikis run by Japanese and a Korean as Ianjo for the Marines on the condition that they would attend STD examinations of prostitutes by the consular police officers and Marines.

In July 1937, the front expanded with the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War. In September 1937, the Ministry of the Army revised the field canteen regulation, and decided to set up Ianjo on the front lines. From 1938 onwards, the Army enacted Ianjo regulations (hereafter referred to as the comfort station regulations), and became involved in the establishment and operation of comfort stations under these regulations. The regulations stipulated that the operation of the comfort station and the employment of comfort women shall be governed by domestic law; compliance by the comfort station management, comfort women, and users; those responsible for supervising the accounting, sanitation, and discipline of the comfort station; hours of use, fees, and payment methods; and punishment for violators. The violations were classified as violations of military and criminal law, and misconduct and are recorded by the Military Polices. Records from the North and Central China region show that the number of criminal code violators and persons to misconduct was very few, with the main misconduct acts being the beating of receptionists and comfort women by drunken persons. Also, police reports show that the arrest rate for abductions and kidnappings on the Korean peninsula was nearly 100%.

In 1996, UN Human Rights Commission Special Rapporteur Coomaraswmy reported that the comfort station regulations were evidence that former Korean comfort women were enforced into sex slaves, and in 1998 McDougall also determined that the comfort stations were rape centers. Debate continues today as to whether comfort stations were licensed brothels or sex slave centers.

Licensed Prostitution System of the Empire of Japan

The Licensed prostitution systems to prevent sexually transmitted disease(STD) and maintain social morals were established in 1900 in Mainland Japan, 1906 in Taiwan, and 1916 in Korea.

Women engaged in the adult entertainment business were classified as geigi (Japanese: 芸妓, English: geisha) shakufu (Japanese: 酌婦), and shōgi  (Japanese: 娼妓, English: licensed prostitute), and regulations were established for each. To engage in these businesses, a woman had to appear at the police station with jurisdiction over the workplace, submit an application for permission, attaching a written statement explaining the reason for engaging in the work, a letter of consent from her parental authority, and a copy of the contract with the employer, and obtain permission. Geisha was employed by geisha house (Japanese: 芸妓置屋: Hepburn: geigi-okiya)business operator, shakufu  by ryōri-ya ( Japanese: 料理屋) business operator, and shōgi by  kashizashiki business operator through intermediary (alias: recruiter, broker, pimp ). The contracts were indentured servitude, with an advance payment received by her parental authorities. They were free to terminate their contracts, but were obligated to repay the advance.  To obtain a license of shōgi, the applicant had to be at least 18 years old in Japan, 17 years old in Korea, and 16 years old in Taiwan according to the social customs of each region. Her residents and the place of work were limitted only in kashizashiki , and also required to undergo STD examinations. Geisha and shakufu were allowed to provide sexual services at ryōri-ya by obtaining a shōgi's license. The prefectural governor designated the locations of ryōri-ya, geisha houses, and kashizashiki. This system took root in each society.  On the Korean Peninsula, the number of geisha houses, ryouri-yas,  Kashizasikis, geishas, shakufus, and intermediaries are shown in Table 1, and the number of STD examinations, infection rates, and red light districts in Table 2.

Table１　Control of Licensed Prostitution Business by the Korean Governor-General's Police

Items	1939				1942
	Total number	Japanese	Koreans	Others	Total number	Japanese	Koreans	Others
Ryori-yas	1,833	597	1,154	82	1,616	515	1,007	94
Geisha houses	343	214	129	0	289	209	80	0
Kashizashikis	539	235	303	1	469	219	250	0
Geishas	8,348	2,226	6,122	0	6,287	1,797	4,490	0
Shōgis	3,712	1,845	1,866	1	3,850	1,774	2,076	0
shakufu's	1,796	351	1,145	0	1,616	240	1,376	0
Intermediaries	3,577	197	3,380	0	3,732	194	3,537	0

Table 2 Number of STD examinations and infection rates in Korean Peninsula

Year	Total number			Infection rate(%)			Number of red-light districts	Number of clinics
	Syōgi	Geisha	Syakufu	Syōgi	Geisha	Syakufu
1933	144,547	78,696	67,227	5.8	4.0	4.3	27	246
1934	144,144	83,512	71,645	5.6	3.4	4.6	28	270
1935	163,870	85,988	73,088	5.3	4.2	4.9	28	262
1936	179,911	97,547	89,035	4.9	4.1	4.5	29	302
1937	182,237	112,139	88,068	4.9	4.2	4.7	30	328
1938	176,736	109,377	79,563	4.3	3.6	4.3	29	304
1939	182,568	109,889	78,262	4.5	5.2	3.9	29	292
1940	221,182	110,156	76,111	4.3	3.9	3.9	29	269

Establishment of Ianjos

Purpose

The purpose of establishing Ianjos was to prevent the spread of STDs. The military's biggest concern on the battlefield was the spread of STDs through the use of private brothels. This necessitated the establishment of public brothels that required regular STD examinations.

1932 to 1937: Use private licensed brothels

In 1932, January 28 incident broke out. The Japanese Imperial Marines stationed in Shanghai used kashizashiki run by Japanese and a Korean as Ianjo for the Marines on the condition that they agreed to be present at STD examinations of prostitutes by the consular police officers and Marines. 1938 to 1945: The Military was involved in the establishment and operation.

1938 to 1945: The Military was involved in the establishment and operation

In July 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out, and the front line expanded. In September, recognizing the need for Ianjo, the Ministry of the Army revised the Field Canteen Regulation, adding the following: "Canteen may also provide necessary comfort facilities”. In December, the Police Department of the Consulate-General of Japan in Shanghai, after consultation with relevant organizations, decided to set up Ianjos (de facto kashizashiki) at various locations on the front lines, and established the division of roles and necessary procedures for the organizations concerned to set up Ianjos. Since then, Ianjos have been established throughout China under this division of roles. In August 1941, the Pacific War broke out, and subsequently, Ianjos were established on the fronts and in occupied districts in Southeast Asia.

Organizational assignments for the establishment of Ianjos

The standards for establishing Ianjos are as follows:

Consulate

1. Decision of approval or disapproval for business license applicants

2. Identification of comfort women and general contracting procedures for the Business

3. Arrangements for travel convenience

4. Inquiries and responses between relevant government offices regarding the identity of Ianjo operators and comfort women, etc.

5. In principle, they shall not be allowed to stay in the port upon arrival. Still, they shall be handed over to the Military Police immediately after a decision is made as to whether or not to allow them to stay there.

In order to facilitate the procedures, the Consulate established a request for permission to work as a temporary shakufu (Form No. 1), a consent letter to work as a shakufu (Form No. 2), and a shakufu applicant’s research report(Form No. 3).

Military police

1. Transportation procedures for Ianjo operators and comfort women who had been handed over from the Consulate to their work areas.
2. Protection and policing of Ianjo operators and comfort women.

Military Attaché

1. Preparation of the workplace and building. 2 General insurance and STD examinations.

2. Southeast Asia, in July 1942, a new Department of Military Administration of the Southern Command was established within the General Headquarters of the Southern Command, and this department was collectively in charge of operations related to comfort stations.

Comfort station regulations

Before the establishment of Ianjos, the military enacted comfort station regulations to supervise them. The comfort station regulations can be classified into two categories: regulations for establishment and operation, and regulations for use. The military headquarters enacted the former, while the latter were enacted by the unit commander in charge of the location where the comfort stations were established.

Establishment and operation

The establishment and operation of Ianjos, and the employment of comfort women were governed by relevant domestic laws. The regulations for the control of kashizasiki and shōgi  consisted of 45 articles and stipulated the following regarding kashizashiki business operators and shōgi:

For kashizashiki business operators; business license procedures, designation of kashizashiki ‘s locations, requirements for business buildings, matters to be observed, preparation of customer lists, preparation and stamping of loan statements with shōgis, etc.

For shōgis; application procedures and approval conditions, matters to be observed, restrictions on residences and workplaces, obligation to undergo medical examinations, prohibition against working during pregnancy and upon failing a medical examination. etc.

On the employment of comfort women, Imperial Japan (excluding Taiwan, Korea and Kwantung leased territory) had signed the " International Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Women and Children" in 1927.  For this reason, the Ministry of the Interior notified mainland Japanese comfort women traveling to China that the age limit was 21 years or older. Therefore, the age requirements for approval as comfort women were 21 for mainland Japanese, 17 for Koreans, and 16 for Taiwanese.

Use

The contents of these regulations included the nomination of a person responsible for supervising and implementing accounting, hygiene, and discipline, as well as the usage schedule, usage fees, and compliance rules for operators, comfort women, and users.

Appointment of persons responsible for supervision and implementation

General supervisor

The person responsible for general supervision was the commander of the unit where the comfort stations were established. The unit commander appointed the chief accounting officer as the person in charge of accounting, the unit's military physician as the person in charge of hygiene, and the military police commander as the person in charge of discipline.

Supervisor of accounting

The accounting supervisor received monthly reports from Ianjo' business operators regarding Ianjo's sales, profit and loss, and balance sheet with the comfort women, and supervised the accounting status and payment of wages to the comfort women.

Supervisor of hygiene

The hygiene supervisor conducted medical examinations for operators and employees, including comfort women, and supervised the use and management of sanitary facilities in comfort stations.

Supervisor of discipline

The disciplinary supervisor supervised whether the operators, employees, and users of Ianjos violated the regulations and reported any violations to the unit commander, who punished the offenders.

Business hours, holidays, and usage schedule

Table 3 shows the hours of use and fees tables in China as defined by the comfort station regulations, and Table 4 shows the table in Southeast Asia. Business Hours and holidays were not uniform and varied from unit to unit.

Table 3 Ianjo Usage Times and  Fees (China)

Locations			Changzhou			Gedian・ Huarong Town	Dangyang	Shanghai			Doumen	Guangdong
Established			March 1938			November 1939	October 1940	July 1942			1944	May 1994
Usage time
	Soldier	ー	900-1800			1000-1800	1000-1700	1000-1500			1200-1800	930-1530
	non-commissioned officer	ー	900-1800			1900-2100	1700-2200	1610-1840			1200- Evening roll cal	1600-2000
	Officer	ー	1900 or later			ー	2200 or later	1900 or later			Not specified	2030 or later
Fees（yen）
Ethnic name			Japanese	Koreans	Chinese	ー	ー	Japanese	Koreans	Chinese	Chinese	Chinese
	Soldier	30 minutes	ー	ー	ー	1.00	1.00	1.50	1.50	1.00	ー	6.00
		1 hr	2.00	1.50	1.00	ー	2.00	2.00	2.00	1.50	8.00	9.00
	non-commissioned officer	30 minutes	ー	ー	ー	1.20	1.20	1.50	1.50	1.00	ー	9.00
		1 hr	2.00	1.50	1.00	ー	2.40	2.50	2.50	2.00	10.00	11.00
	Officer	1 hr	4.00	3.00	2.00	3.00	3.00	3.00	3.00	2.50	15.00	17.00
		Stay
		2200 or later	ー	ー	ー	ー	15.00	15.00	10.00	ー	ー	2300 or later
		2400 or later	ー	ー	ー	10.00	10.00	10.00	7.00	40.00	40.00	15.00

Table 4 Ianjo Usage Times and Fees (Southeast Asia)

Location		Iloilo	Butuan	Manila		Mandalay	Myitkyina	Manila Air Corps	Rabaul
Established		December 1942	June 1942	February 1943		May 1943	August 1943	August 1994	unkown
Usage time
Soldier		900-1600	1300-1700	1000-2100		1000-1700	1000-1500	1200-1700	800-1800
non-commissioned officer		1600-1900	1700-2100	1000-2100		1700-2100	1500-1700	1200-1900
Officer		1900-2400	2100-2400	2100-2400		2100-2400	2100-2359	1930-2400
		-	2400-0800	2400-0800		2400-0800	2400-0800	-	2200-0600
Fees（yen）
Ethnic name		ー	ー	Japanese	philippines	ー	ー	ー	Japanese	Koreans
Soldier	30 minutes	1.00	1.00	-	-	1.50	-	-	2.00	1.50
	40 minutes	-	-	2.00	1.50	-	-	1.50	-	-
	1 hr	-	2.00	-	-	-	-	1.50	3.50	3.00
non-commissioned officer	30 minutes	1.50	1.50	-	-	-	-	-	2.50	2.00
	40 minutes	-	-	3.00	2.50	2.00	-	2.50	-	-
	1 hr	-	2.00	-	-	-	2.00	-	4.00	3.50
Officer	40 minutes	-	-	-	-	-	-	5.00	-	-
	50 minutes	-	-	-	-	3.00	-	-	-	-
	1 hr	3.00	4.00	5.00	4.00	-	5.00	-	-	-
	2400 or later	-	8.00	10.00	8.00	8.00	10.00	-	10.00	10.00

Business hours

Business Hours were from 9 or 10 a.m. until 8 a.m. the next day.

Holiday

Generally, 1 day a month. Many places were closed on Saturday mornings for STD examinations.

Usage schedule

Platoons were designated for use on each day of the week.

Hours, fees, and payment method

The fees were the highest for officers, followed by non-commissioned officers, and then soldiers, with only officers being allowed to stay overnight. The fees varied by region and ethnicity, reflecting the market prices. In China, there was a sharp rise in fees in 1944 due to inflation. There were two methods of payment for the fees: cash paid at the reception of Ianjo, or tickets purchased by the unit, which were given to the receptionist of Ianjo. Ianjo’s business operators made payments to the comfort women.

Soldiers

Hours of use were 9:00-10:00 to 15:00-18:00. Fees were 1.00-1.50 yen per 30 minutes and 1.50-2.00 yen per hour.

Non-commissioned officers

Hours of use were 16:00-18:00 to 21:00-22:00. Fees were 1.20-1.50 yen per 30 minutes and 2.00-2.50 yen per hour.

Officers

Hours of use were 21:00-22:00 to 8:00 the next day. Fees were 3.00-5.00 per hour, 10.00-15.00 per stay.

Matters to be observed

Business operators

• Strict prohibition of serving customers other than the Japanese military

• Strict observance of business hours

• Clarification of fees and hours of use

• Prohibition of selling alcohol, snacks, food, and drinks

• Display at the room entrance in case of failing the medical examination.

• Maintenance of cleaning facilities and cleaning chemicals after intercourse

• Submission of weekly or monthly sales reports, profit and loss statements for Ianjo, and balance sheets with comfort women.

• Others

Violation of these rules was punished by suspension of business or prohibition of business.

Comfort women

• Carrying a work permit and a medical examination certificate

• Prohibition of serving alcohol, snacks, food, and drinks

• Receipt of periodic medical examinations

• Prohibition from working if failing the medical examination

• Prohibition from going out to places other than the permitted places.

• Others

The violator was suspended from work or dismissed.

Users: military personnel and civilian employees

• Prohibition on entering by drinkers

• Prohibition from bringing alcohol, snacks, food, and drinks

• Strict observance of usage time

• Prohibition from violent acts against operators, comfort women, and other employees

• Use of condoms and washing after intercourse

Violator was punished by being banned from using Ianjo

Management type and personnel composition

Management type

Table 5 shows the locations and numbers of Ianjos in Central China, as well as the number of comfort women and employees at each Ianjo. Ianjo was a common living space for all members, including business operator, comfort women, other employees, and their families. Since the language and lifestyle differed for each ethnic group, Ianjos were established by ethnic group.

Table 5 Number of Ianjos, employees and comfort women by ethnic group in the Jiujiang, Nanchang and Wuhu regions

Date	Classification	Region	Mainland　Japanese					Koreans
			Number of Ianjos	Men		Women		Number of Ianjos	Men		Women
				Adults	Children	Adults	Children		Adults	Children	adults	Children
1938.11.1	Ianjos	Jiujiang	15	42	0	26	1	9	26	1	8	2
	Comfort women					107					143
1939.2.1	Ianjos	Jiujiang	8	23	0	7	1	7	13	0	7	0
	Comfort women					54					67
1939.3.1	Ianjos	Jiujiang	9	26	1	9	1	10	16	2	10	2
	Comfort women					76					123
1939.4.1	Ianjos	Jiujiang	9	35	1	14	1	9	20	1	11	3
	Comfort women					93					95
1939.5.1	Ianjos	Jiujiang	11	38	1	26	1	11	23	1	14	1
	Comfort women					125					104
1939.6.1	Ianjos	Jiujiang	10	37	0	28	1	11	20	1	4	1
	Comfort women					125					99
1939.8.1	Ianjos	Jiujiang	8	27	2	10	0	5	15	0	6	0
	Comfort women					90					68
1939.9.1	Ianjos	Jiujiang	7	24	0	4	0	5	11	1	4	2
	Comfort women					98					50
1939.8.1	Ianjos	Nanchang	3	5	0	3	0	8	19	0	9	1
	Comfort women					8					94
1939.9.1	Ianjos	Nanchang	3	5	0	3	0	8	36	0	14	0
	Comfort women					11					100
1939.4.1	Ianjos Comfort women	Wuhu	4	12	0	50	0	2	5	0	26	0
1939.6.1	Ianjos Comfort women	Wuhu	4	13	1	48	1	2	2	0	22	0
1939.7.1	Ianjos Comfort women	Wuhu	4	11	1	46	1	2	2	0	16	0
1939.8.1	Ianjos Comfort women	Wuhu	4	10	1	31	1	2	2	0	30	1
1939.9.1	Ianjos・Comfort women	Wuhu	6	11	1	32	1	3	5	0	30	0

Personnel structure

An Ianjo consisted of a business operator, receptionists, comfort women, cooks, and servants who took care of all household chores.The official language was Japanese, and the main customers were Japanese people from the mainland. Therefore, business operators and receptionists were required to be able to speak, read, and write Japanese. The business operators and receptionists of Ianjos run by Koreans and Taiwanese, were all fluent in Japanese. On the other hand, in the comfort stations where Southeast Asians were employed as comfort women, the business operators were Japanese residents who could use the local language.

Recruitment and employment of comfort women

Intermediaries recruited comfort women through word of mouth or newspaper advertisements. Ianjo business operators entered employment contracts with comfort women through the intermediaries and employed them.

Contract terms and advance payment

When business operators wanted to employ a comfort woman, they had to apply for and receive approval, submitting consent from the comfort woman herself and her parental authority, as well as a copy of the contract with the comfort woman.

The contract stipulated the term of employment, advance payments, the method and conditions for repayment of the advance payments, distribution of earnings revenue from the comfort women, sharing of expenses necessary for the comfort women's work, and coverage of travel expenses, etc. Once the contract was concluded, the advance was paid to the parental authority.

China

As Table 5 shows, in Jiujiang, the number of comfort women per Ianjo ranged from 3 to 16, with an average of about 10.

Southeast Asia

In Myitkyina, there were two Korean Ianjos with 20 women, and one Chinese Ianjo with 21 women. In Southern Celebes, the numbers ranged from 3 to 14, with an average of 7.

Revenues and Number of Customers

Revenues

China

Table 6 shows the number of Ianjos, comfort women, and revenues at Ianjos in the Nanning and Qinzhou areas in June 1940. The average revenue per person per month was about 400 yen.

Table 6 Number of Ianjos, number of comfort women, and revenues at Ianjos in Nanning and Qinzhou areas in June 1940

Region	No. of Ianjyos	No. of comfort women	June revenues （yen・sen）		Average revenues per person per day （yen・sen）
Nanning	32	295	118,274	40	19	47
Qinzhou	11	66	30,311	40	18	12
Total	43	361	148,585	80	18	79

Appendix 1: Revenues at Qinzhou Ianjo and Average Revenues per Person per Day (June)

Name of Ianjos	No. of empoyees			June revenues （yen・sen）		Revenues per person per day （yen・sen）		Healthy people
	Moving in	Moving out	Currently					Health	Illness
Asahi	0	0	6	3,141	00	18	69	5	1
Kagetu	0	0	5	3,063	00	21	88	5	0
Kikusui	3	0	6	3,232	00	12	81	6	0
Totu×	0	0	4	1,920	50	17	15	4	0
Yasenkan	0	0	5	2,012	00	14	57	4	1
Olinpic	0	0	5	3,054	50	21	82	5	0
KObato	3	5	9	3,356	10	19	98	7	2
Ebiya	1	0	11	5,998	60	19	48	10	1
Maneki	0	0	5	2,082	00	18	59	4	1
matukaze	9	0	0	2,451	70	16	45	0	0
Total	16	5	56	30,311	40	181	22	50	6

Appendix 2: Nanning Ianjo Earnings and Average Revenues per Person per Day (June)

Name of Ianjos	No. of employees			JIne eranings （yen・sen）		Revenues per person per day （yen・sen）		Health
	Moving in	Moving out	Currently					Health	Illness
Kotobuki	0	0	7	4,919	90	23	42	7	0
Shinkou	0	0	8	4,863	00	20	26	8	0
Kongou	0	0	13	8,283	50	21	24	12	1
Matunoya	0	4	10	6,310	00	21	03	10	0
Ariake	0	0	8	6,019	25	25	08	7	1
Kinnei	0	0	9	4,059	00	15	03	8	1
Ebisuya	0	3	9	3,330	00	15	85	8	1
Kifuku	0	0	4	1,970	00	16	16	4	0
Hananoya	0	1	8	3,011	75	15	52	7	1
Fuji	2	0	10	6,158	00	19	86	10	0
Fuugetu	1	3	10	2,474	50	19	52	9	1
Chidori	3	3	6	2,695	00	14	92	5	1
Atariya	1	0	11	4,995	50	21	63	7	4
Hinode	0	0	13	6,101	50	19	43	11	2
Kouraku	1	0	8	4,290	00	17	88	6	2
Kagetu	o	0	6	2,432	50	13	51	6	0
Maninichi	0	0	14	7,966	00	21	07	14	0
Ichifuji	0	1	9	4,465	00	16	85	8	1
Seinan	0	0	7	5,705	55	27	17	7	0
Kinnami	1	0	8	3,056	70	11	75	8	0
Hirosimaya	0	11	11	3,502	25	19	89	9	2
Asahi	0	8	8	2,338	00	18	19	6	2
Takaotei	0	9	9	1,950	50	30	47	8	1
Shikishima	0	14	14	1,689	50	13	41	12	2
Fukuoka	0	9	9	1,950	50	30	47	8	1
Sengetu	0	6	6	417	50	13	58	6	0
Takenoya	0	12	12	356	00	19	08	9	3
Sanrakutei	0	6	6	1,256	00	20	93	4	2
Yamatotei	0	9	9	0	0	0	0	9	0
Suehirotei	0	6	6	355	00	35	5	1
Kyoukasou	0	4	4	58	50	14	63	4	0
Jyuugoei	0	0	23	9,844	50	14	27	20	3
Total	9	109	295	118,274	40	19	47	265	32

Southeast Asia

The monthly earnings of Korean comfort women in Myitkyina, Burma, ranged from a minimum of about 300 yen to a maximum of 1,600 yen (including tips) between January and June 1943.

In China, it was prohibited to give tips to comfort women, but in the Southern Army (Article 6 of the employment contract regulations), tips were allowed and counted as the comfort women's income. Excluding tips, the earnings in both areas were roughly the same.

Number of Customers

Mainland Japan

In Ianjos of Okinawa, a ticket system was adopted until the management of Ianjo was on track, and the number of comfort vouchers issued was set at three per day for soldiers and two for non-commissioned officers.

China

In the Nanning and Qinzhou regions of China, the number of comfort women served per day at the Ianjos was equivalent to 3 soldiers (2 yen per hour), 2 non-commissioned officers (2.4 yen per hour), and 1 officer (10 yen for overnight stay).

Southeast Asia

The number of customers in the Korean Ianjo in Myitkyina, Burma, was 80-90 soldiers and non-commissioned officers, and 10-15 officers, for 20 comfort women per day. </nowiki> In China, it was prohibited to give tips to comfort women, but in the Southern Army (Article 6 of the employment contract regulations), tips were allowed and counted as the comfort women's income. Excluding tips, the earnings in both areas were roughly the same.

Supervision of accounting

The business operator submitted a daily income ledger for each comfort woman, a profit and loss statement of the comfort station, and a balance sheet statement with the comfort women to the accounting supervisor of Ianjo every month. The accounting supervisor confirmed the management status of Ianjo, the income of the comfort women, the status of advance payment refunds, and the appropriateness of the fees, and ordered corrective measures when necessary.

Hygiene duties and implementation

Contents

The contents of hygiene work were as follows:

• Conducting regular health check-ups for comfort women and other employees (comfort women undergo STD testing once a week)

• Organizing and checking the cleanliness of comfort stations

• Sun disinfection of bedding and checking its cleanliness

• Checking the condition of STD prevention equipment and medications

• Marking those who fail the health check-up for comfort women

• Others

Implementation

Health examinations for comfort women and other employees were carried out by the medical officer attached to the unit, and the results were reported to the commanding officer responsible for supervising Ianjos. Other items were conducted with the cooperation of the military police.

Maintaining and enforcing discipline

Contents

Discipline maintenance duties are as follows:

• Enforcement of violations of military law, criminal law, and comfort station regulations by business operators, comfort women, and users.

• Admonishing violators and reporting the violations to their unit commanders (unit commanders would punish according to the violation).

• Preparation of monthly enforcement reports categorizing violations into military law, criminal law, and delinquency, and submission to the district military police commander.

Implementation

The enforcement of discipline at Ianjos, except for those under the supervision of the consulate police and local government, was carried out by the military police in charge of that unit.

Location and number of Ianjos

Locations

Within the Japanese Empire

Fortresses were built on Okinawa,  Chichijima in the Ogasawara Islands, and Sakhalin, which were the frontlines of Japan's defense, and Ianjos were established for these troops. The reason was that there were few residents in these areas, and no kashizashiki available for military personnel.

China

Ianjos were set up in various locations in the eastern region, including Shanxi Province, Henan Province, Hubei Province, Hunan Province, and Guangxi Province, where the Japanese military was stationed.

Southeast Asia

Ianjos were established in various places where the Japanese military was stationed, such as the Philippines, Indonesia, French Indochina, Burma, Malaysia, the British-controlled Andaman Islands, and the South Sea Islands which were under the mandate of the Japanese Empire.

Number of Ianjos

There are no documents that can specify the number of Ianjos. The number of comfort women varies from 20,000 to 360,000 depending on the researcher, and there is no reliable basis. The number of comfort women in each Ianjo also varies, so it is impossible to specify the number of Ianjos.

Life in Ianjos

Living conditions

Ianjos were part of the field canteen and traveled with the troops they belonged to. The living conditions of comfort women varied depending on the environment in which they were established. In urban areas where public order was stable, women were free to go out, but in areas where public order was unstable, going out was strictly restricted to ensure their safety, including for ordinary Japanese nationals (mainland Japanese, Koreans, and Taiwanese).

Daily life

Life in Ianjo was the same as living in a kashizashiki in the Empire of Japan. Meals, laundry, cleaning, etc. were all done by the maidservant. The comfort women themselves were obliged to bathe and clean themselves every day, and to wash their areas locally after each sexual service to prevent STDs.

The range of activities for the comfort women was the same as that of other employees, including the business operators.

Military Police Report

The supervisor of discipline at Ianjo reports the results of control at Ianjo, along with other violations of military discipline and criminal law, to the Military Police Headquarters every month. The Military Police Commander compiles a monthly report on the results of control of all units under his jurisdiction and reports it to the Commander-in-Chief. The Commander-in-Chief distributes this monthly report to the Cabinet and all units, and the military shares this information.

Crime and misconduct against comfort women

Military police reports are accompanied by lists of crimes and misconduct by military personnel, which provide information on the number and details of crimes and misconduct at Ianjos. From July 1941 to March 1942, the number of crimes that occurred at Ianjos in Nanjing, Suzhou, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Taixian, Jiujiang, Hankou, and Xuzhou was one case of stealing money from a comfort woman. Misconduct mainly consisted of men being drunk and being refused service, leading to the beating of comfort women, with the number of such cases ranging from 0 to 5 per month.

Controversy over Ianjos and comfort women

How the claim that comfort women were sexual slaves arose

The claim that comfort women were sex slaves arose after more than 50 years post-war, starting in 1990.

In November 1990, a South Korean non-governmental organization, the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, was established with the mission of solving and remembering the Japanese military sexual slavery issue.

In August 1991, Kim Hak-sun came forward as a former comfort woman. In December 1991, Kim Hak-sun and two other former comfort women filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government at the Tokyo District Court, seeking an apology and compensation alongside 32 former Korean military personnel and civilian employees.

On January 11, 1992, the Asahi Shimbun ran an article on the front page of its morning edition, stating, "Military comfort women: In the 1930s, there were many cases of rape by Japanese soldiers in China, so Ianjos were established to suppress anti-Japanese sentiment and prevent sexually transmitted diseases. According to testimony from former soldiers and military doctors, from the time the stations were established, about 80% of the women were Korean. When the Pacific War began, mainly Korean women were forcibly taken away under the name of the Volunteer Corps. The number of comfort women is said to be between 80,000 and 200,000."

In August 1993, the Japanese government issued the Kono Statement based on the results of the Government study. It explained that "It has become clear that “Japanese military was, directly or indirectly, involved in the establishment and management of the comfort stations and the transfer of comfort women”, and “The recruitment of the comfort women was conducted mainly by private recruiters who acted in response to the request of the military.”, and “in many cases they were recruited against their own will, through coaxing coercion, etc.”, and “at times, administrative/military personnel directly took part in the recruitments.”, and “ life in the comfort stations was miserable under coercive conditions,". As to the origin of those comfort women who were transferred to the war areas, excluding those from Japan, those from the Korean Peninsula accounted for a large part. The Korean Peninsula was under Japanese rule in those days, and their recruitment, transfer, control, etc., were conducted generally against their will, through coaxing, coercion, etc.

In January 1996, Radhika Coomaraswamy, a special rapporteur for the United Nations Human Rights Commission, reported that "approximately 200,000 Korean comfort women were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military and that the comfort stations were sexual slavery facilities."

In June 1998, another Special Rapporteur, Gay J. McDougall, reported that "comfort stations were rape centers, and Southeast Asian comfort women were similarly treated as sexual slaves."[

In July 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives passed House Resolution 121, which called for "the Japanese government to acknowledge and officially apologize for forcing comfort women into sexual slavery."

In December 2014, the Asahi Shimbun retracted its January 11, 1992, article along with all articles about Yoshida Seiji, stating that it had "confused comfort women with the Women's Volunteer Corps, the number of comfort women was unclear, and the content of the article was inaccurate"

In May 2021, a petition was launched calling for the retraction of a paper by J. Mark Ramseyer that discussed advance payment agreements in the prostitution industry, with approximately 3,700 signatures. The journal that published the paper has not responded to the request to retract it.

As of April 2025, the number of comfort women recognized by the government of the Republic of Korea was 240 , but the basis for this is not disclosed.

Coomaraswamy UN Report

Basis

The Rapporteur claimed that "documentary evidence that approximately 200,000 Korean women were forcibly taken away, multiple rapes on an everyday basis and severe physical abuse, that women victims had to endure during their forced prostitution (para. 10) was provided by the books by G. Hicks and Seiji Yoshida, and was supported by the testimony of 16 former Korean comfort women and the claims of the North Korean government. These regulations were some of the most incriminating documents that survived the war (para. 20).”

Criticism

The book by Seiji Yoshida, which was used as the documentary basis for the forced abductions, is fiction. The sources of information for G. Hicks' book include a collection of testimonies by former comfort women, the book by Kim Il Ben, the book and testimony of Seiji Yoshida, and the rumor at the time that "if you join the Volunteer Corps, you will be made into a comfort woman." The quoted parts in the report are from the testimonies of former comfort women, but no evidence to support them is presented.

Of the former comfort women interviewed, five testimonies are included. The testimonies of Chong  Ok Sun (para. 54), Hwang So Gyun (para. 55, 57) occurred before 1938, when the Japanese military became involved in the operation of comfort stations, and are therefore unrelated to the Japanese military. Regarding the testimony of Kum Ju Hwang (para. 56), rape by soldiers was a violation of the criminal law and violators were arrested by the Military Police and punished through a military court martial. Also, the testimony of "I was never paid for my services" was a violation of the comfort station regulations, and business operators were banned from operating the comfort stations. The testimony of Bok Sun Kim (para.58) that "most soldiers refused to use condoms" was also a violation of comfort station regulations, and violators were subsequently banned from using Ianjos. This report is based on books without supporting historical records and the testimonies of former comfort women.

In U.S. POW Interrogation No.49, the interrogator described "comfort women as prostitutes or professional camp followers assigned to the Japanese army", and in No.78, "If the Japanese had directly recruited Korean women, they would have risen against them, young and old, and out of anger would have killed them without regard to the consequences." Table 7 shows the criminal law crime records related to the comfort women's testimonies in 1939 and at the end of 1942 . Both crimes have high arrest rates, negating the credibility of the former comfort women's testimony.

Table 7 Record of kidnapping and abduction crimes in Korean Peninsula

Year	Number of crimes	Number of arrests	Number of persons arrested
			Total number	Japanese	Koreans	Others
1927	1,836	1,896	2,882	60	2,814	8
1930	2,035	2,075	3,227	43	3,168	16
1938	1,123	1,136	1,709	10	1,699	0
1939	1,191	1,188	1,865	16	1,849	0
1940	943	951	1,470	16	1,454	0
1942	513	514	747	1	748	0

US House of Representatives Resolution

Basis

The argument that the Japanese military used comfort women as sexual slaves is based on the books of Seiji Yoshida and Yuki Tanaka, Japanese Prisoner of War Interrogation Record No. 49, the Kono Statement, and the testimonies of one Dutch woman and two Korean women who were former comfort women.

Criticism

The book by Yoshida Seiji, which purports to be evidence of forced abductions, is fiction. The testimonies of Southeast Asian women in the book by Yuki Tanaka provide no evidence to support these. War crimes, including sexual violence, committed by the Japanese military were punished in postwar trials, and the IWG investigation, which was finalized in April 2007, found no new evidence regarding sexual violence. No. 49 states that all former comfort women were over 17 years old, as required by domestic law, employed under contract, and received high wages as advertised in the recruitment newspapers. In 1942, the average monthly wage for women working as servants was about 11 yen, as shown in Table 8. On the other hand, the wages for comfort women were advertised to be over 300 yen (after deducting living expenses, the share for the comfort women was half of that). This wage was extremely high, and it was a common social understanding that the work of comfort women was in the sex industry. The Kono Statement, cited as evidence that Korean comfort women were in the majority, is a misquote; the Kono Statement states that the majority was Japanese, followed by Koreans. The case of the Dutch women was a violation of military discipline, and when superior officers learned of this, they immediately closed the comfort stations. Those involved were found guilty and punished in trials after the war. The testimony of former self-proclaimed Korean comfort women violated domestic law (for the crimes of rape, assault, abduction and kidnapping) and the comfort station regulations.

Table 8 Wages of manservants and maids in the Korean Peninsula (yen)

Year	1939				1942
Job Type	Manservants		Maids		Manservants		Maids
Ethnic name	Japanese	Koreans	Japanese	Koreans	Japanese	Koreans	Japanese	Koreans
Average	21.02	11.57	15.07	8.33	15.89	13.56	17.52	11.07
Seoul	-	8.00	15.00	8.75	-	-	21.50	13.50
Daejeon	-	10.00	15.00	7.00	-	10.00	15.00	7.00
Mokpo	10.00	5,00	7.00	4.60	10.00	5.00	7.00	6.00
Daegu	16.66	7.00	10.66	5.33	-	18.00	-	15.00
Busan	20.00	10.00	15.00	8.00	22.00	14.00	18.00	14.00
Pyongyang	25.00	18.00	17.50	9.60	-	15.00	20.00	10.00
Sinuiju	-	20.00	25.00	15.00	-	20.00	25.00	15.00
Wonsan	-	12.00	15.00	8.00	-	14.00	20.00	10.00
Chongjin	-	12.00	12.00	7.00	15.00	12.50	13.75	9.10

Kono Statement

Basis

The basis for claims such as "employed against their will" and "living a miserable life" was based on a collection of testimonies from 19 former comfort women compiled by the Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery, and was confirmed by the testimonies of 16 former Korean comfort women selected from the Association of Families of Pacific War Victims, which were kept confidential. Out of consideration for the feelings of the former comfort women, no investigation or comparison of testimonies was conducted. However, the statement that “…administrative/military personnel directly took part in the recruitments" applies to the case of Dutch women, not Koreans

Criticism

After analyzing the testimonies of 19 former Korean comfort women, including Kim Hak-sun, Lee Yong-soo, and Mun Ok-ju, Tsutomu Nishioka points out that none of them were forcibly taken,  and criticizes the Statement for being misleading and for needing to be rewritten.

The foreword to the Asian Women's Fund report on comfort women states, "The term "comfort women" refers to those who were forced to provide sexual services to officers and men of the former Japanese military at "comfort stations" during wartime in the past." In this report, the definition of 'comfort women refers to “women who came forward claiming they were forced into sexual service against their will,” not all women who worked in the comfort stations. Under the Japanese Empire's Prostitution Control Regulation, only women with their own and their parents' consent were permitted to engage in sex work, and those without consent violated the regulation. The women who came forward were victims who had fallen through the crackdown on violations by the police.

Based on these testimonies, the Kono Statement merely acknowledged that there were cases of violations of domestic law at the time, but did not mention that these violations were systematic. The basis for the claim that all comfort women were sex slaves and comfort stations were sex slave facilities is the Coomaraswamy Report, and it is inappropriate to cite the Kono Statement as evidence of sex slaves.

McGraw-Hill Textbook Controversy

On November 18, 2014, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had requested that McGraw-Hill High School Textbooks correct factual errors in their descriptions of comfort women.

On January 2, 2015, 20 scholars affiliated with the American Historical Association issued a "Statement in Support of Japanese Scholars."

On January 15, 2015, the Wall Street Journal reported, "US Textbooks Reject Japanese Government Request to Correct Comfort Women Descriptions."

In March 2015, 19 Japanese historians pointed out eight factual errors in the 26-line description of comfort women in the McGraw-Hill textbook, and recommended that McGraw-Hill take the initiative to correct them.

In May 2015, the statement by the 20 scholars was revised, and a new "Statement in Support of Japanese Historians" by 50 scholars was issued.

In July 2015, Jason Morgan pointed out that in response to the statement by 20 American Historical Association scholars, they should not cling to their past historical understanding and should stop excluding those who have different opinions as "conservative" or "right-wing," citing the fact that he had read Hata Ikuhiko's book, that Yoshimi Yoshiaki also publicly admitted that there were no documents showing forced abduction of Koreans, and that the Asahi Shimbun had retracted all related articles in 2014, citing that Yoshida Seiji's claim that forced abductions were not true.

On September 4, 2015, 50 Japanese historians refuted the statement by the 20 American Historical Association scholars, stating that " 20 American historians would never be able to find a single Japanese academician with whom they could stand, and that American Historical Association scholars were ignoring the IWG report that found no new materials."

In December 1, 2015, in response to Naoko Kumagai's point that there are no official documents showing forced abductions, Alexis Dudden and others argued that the evidence is in the Kono Statement.

In the end, the scholars from the American Historical Association did not refute the factual errors in the McGraw-Hill textbook. Their only rebuttal was their assertion that the documentary evidence of forced abductions was Kono Statement.

Controversy over retraction of Ramseyer's paper

Reasons for demanding withdrawal

The reasons for the withdrawal are:

• no evidence that the former Korean comfort women signed the contract

• no evidence that the former comfort women agreed to the contract,

• no evidence that the former comfort women were able to quit their jobs or receive the advance payment,

• There is no evidence that the Japanese military and government were not responsible.

Therefore, those calling for the withdrawal argue that, based on game theory in economics, "it is impossible to prove that there was no violent exploitation or plundering."

Rebuttal

Professor Ramseyer pointed out the following:

• Harvard University Japanese history professor Andrew Gordon and Korean history professor Carter Eckert spread the idea that "he talks about a contract but has not presented any actual contracts or equivalent evidence."

• In their books, they cite the book by G. Hicks, which states that "80% of the 100,000 to 200,000 former comfort women were Korean, and they were deceived and conscripted at bayonet point," and "women as young as 12 years old were conscripted, 80% of whom were Korean."

And, Professor Ramseyer countered by saying that the North Korean government claims 200,000, that the majority of comfort women were Japanese, that Hicks' book is based on hearsay, that the source of the forced abduction is a fabricated book by Yoshida Seiji, and that there is no evidence that Korean women were forcibly taken. Although no actual contracts exist, he presented 18 historical documents equivalent to them. As evidence that former Korean comfort women had gone out of business, he cited "Memoirs of Moon Ok-ju" and "Diary of a Korean Ianjo receptionist." In addition, Nishioka Tsutomu pointed out 11 factual errors in the statement calling for the paper's withdrawal.

Five organizations in Japan stated support for the paper’s withdrawal, pointing out the following three points:

• Ianjos are a unique system of the Japanese military that has nothing to do with the licensed prostitution system. Many women were forced to become “comfort women” through fraud, violence, and human trafficking, without any written contract. In POW Interrogation Report No.49, there is a statement that 703 Korean “comfort women” were taken to Burma by kidnapping or trafficking for several hundred yen without knowing what kind of work they were to do, but Prof. Ramseyer completely ignores this.

• Prof. Ramseyer claims that Osaki understood the nature of her work, but ignores the fact that the book he cites contains information that contradicts his claim, such as Osaki protesting to her master, "You're a liar!", making this an arbitrary quote.

• This paper lacks the perspective of women's human rights and the patriarchal power that has constrained women. It ignores the accumulated research that shows that the Japanese Ianjo system, along with the licensed prostitution system, was a form of sexual slavery in the sense that women lacked their freedom to reside, go out, quit their jobs, or refuse sexual intercourse.

Documentary evidence that former Korean comfort women consented to and signed contracts with their employers includes Prostitution Control Regulations and their police enforcement records, the Comfort Station Regulations, and POW Interrogation Report No. 49, as shown below:

• The Prostitution Control Regulation was enacted in 1916, prohibiting the working of sexual services by persons who did not have written consent from themselves and their parents and a written contract with their employer. The contract method was indentured servitude based on an advance payment, which was paid to the parents when the contract was concluded. There were approximately 3,500 Korean recruiters who mediated between applicants for permission to work in sexual services and employers, proving that this system was well established in Korean society.

• Newspaper advertisements recruiting comfort women called for an advance payment of up to 3,000 yen and a minimum monthly salary of 300 yen (half of this amount after deducting living expenses such as meals). At the end of 1942, a maid's monthly salary, including meals, was about 11 yen. It was common knowledge in society that such high-paying work for women was sexual service.

• The comfort station regulations stipulated the ratio of the comfort women's earnings to that of their employers, and the military required employers to submit balance sheets with the comfort women every month (Article 10 of the Prostitution Control Regulation), and confirmed the status of payments to the comfort women and the return of advance payments. In effect, comfort stations were kashizashikis based on the Prostitution Control Regulations, and comfort women were shōgis (licensed prostitutes) as defined by the same regulation.

• The interrogation report No. 49 states that all 20 Korean comfort women were employed under contracts with advance payments, that they were 17 years of age or older as required by the Prostitution Control Regulations, and that their wages were 300 yen or more per month as advertised in newspapers. This fact proves that they were shōgis.

As shown above, there is no evidence from the former comfort women who testify that there was no contract to support the fact that they were actually comfort women, either institutionally or from third-party evidence.

Contrasting the bases for claims of Korean comfort women as sex slaves and licensed prostitutes

Between 1946 and 1948, those involved in forced prostitution and rape by the Japanese military were punished by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, which the United States, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Australia, the Philippines, and China conducted. The U.S. Congress, in response to criticism that these trials were insufficient, declassified documents and thoroughly investigated new war crimes records, including those involving comfort women, but no new evidence was found. Therefore, testimonies from women from China, the Netherlands, and Southeast Asia who claim to have been newly enslaved as sex slaves after the Far East Trials lack supporting documentary evidence. Table 9 shows a comparison of the bases for claims of Korean comfort women as sex slaves or licensed prostitutes.

Table 9 Contrasting claims of Korean comfort women as sex slaves and licensed prostitutes

Point of discussion		Sexual slavery claims		Licensed prostitute claim
		Contents	Bases	Contents	Bases
Historical recongnition
	Japan-Korea Annexation Treaty	Illigal: Korean and North Korean governments	Constitution	Legal: Japanese government	International law
	Marger period	Under occupation	Same as above	Enacting laws and administrating	Government General of Korea administration annual report
	Public moral	Following one's will:Democratic society	Postwar education	Following parent' will:patriarchal society	Prewar education
	Prostitution Control Regulation	Sexual Slavery System: Five Organizations in Japan	Human trafficking through loans in advance, no freedom of residence or closure	Public prostitution system	Individual and parental consent, contract signing required
Ianjos
	Military Involvement	Rulemaking and Enforcement	Army Documents	Same as left	Same as left
	Character	Sexual slavery facilities: UN report	Comfort women testimony	Licensed brothels	Comfort station regulations
	Rules	Sexual slavery regulations: Same as above	Comfort women testimony	Compliant with Prostitution Control Regulation	Same as above
	Locations	Korea, Taiwan, mainland Japan, China, Southeast Asia	Same as above	Okinawa, Chichijima and Sakhalin in mainland Japan, China, Southeast Asia	Military documents
Comfort women
	Total number	80,000-200,000: Asahi Shimbun	Reporter's opinion	No evidence to support	Article retracted
		About 200,000: UN Report	North Korean government	Same as above	No data available to confirm the number
	Ethnic majority	80% Korean: Asahi Shimbun, Hicks' book	military doctor's testimony	Same as above	Article retracted
		Koreans: US House of Representatives Resolution	Kono Statement	Misquote: The majority were Japanese	Kono Statement
		Majority were Koreans: Yoshimi's book	Data on the number of ethnic groups that were the source of STD	Impossible to estimate the number of comfort women	Including private prostitutes. There were many private prostitutes
	Employment method	Conscripted under the National Mobilization Law: Yoshida's book	Personal experience	Fabricated	No evidence. Canceled newspaper article
		Forced abductions under the name of the Volunteer Corps: Asahi Shimbun, Hicks' book	Reporter's opinion, Korean comfort women testimony	Misinformation: confused with comfort women	Article retracted
		Forced abductions by authorities/military: American scholar	Kono Statement	Misinterpretation: Forcible abductions were the case of Dutch women	Government General of Korea statistical Annual Report, Military Police Report, etc.
		Forced abduction like slave hunting: Hicks' book	Comfort women testimony	Documentary evidence denies: Arrest rate for kidnapping and abduction was almost 100%	Government-General of Korea Statistical Annuar Report
		Falsely employed as cooks, laundry maids, etc.: Hicks' book	Korean comfort women testimony	Same as above	Same as above
		Employment by deception: US House of Representatives resolution, 5 organizations in Japan	POW Interrogation Report No. 49	Comparing with the wages of a maid: Social consensus was that High-paying jobs were sex work	Korean maid' wages
	Contract signed	No: UN Report	Korean comfort women testimony	Yes: Those without contracts were not employed	Comfort station regulations
	Receipt of advanced payment	No: Same as above	Same as above	Yes: Her parent received	Same as above
	Age	11 to 27 years old: Korean Council	Same as above	Those under 17 were in violation of Prostitution Control Regulation	Prostitution Control Regulation
		14 to 18 years old: Hicks's book	Same as above	Same as above	Same as above
		Majority between 14  to 18 years old: UN report	Yoshida's book	Fabricated	No evidence. Canceled newspaper article
Reward		Rare: UN Report	Korean comfort Women testimony	Paid	Comfort Station Regulations
Life in Ianjos
	General	Painful under coercive circumstances: Kono Statement	Korean comfort women testimony	Only third-party source is POW Interrogation Report No. 49	Same as left
	Violence	Everyday: UN report	Same as above	Very few: main cause was alcohol intoxication	Military Police Reports
	Sexual services	Against the will of the individual: UN Report	Same as above	With consent: contract	Comfort Station Regulations
	Number of customers	60 to 70 men per day: UN Report	Same as above	Around 5 men per day	Army documents, Amenities in the Japanese Armed Forces
	Going out	Severely restricted: UN report	Same as above	Location dependent: For security in enemy territories	Army documents

Contradictions and doubts about the sexual slavery claim

Exclusion of Japanese comfort women

In a survey by the Japanese government, the majority of comfort women were identified as Japanese. Except for age restrictions, there was no difference in the conditions of employment for comfort women between Japanese and Koreans. The comfort station regulations show that, except for differences in fees in some areas, there was no discrimination in the treatment of either group. It is a fact that both groups worked under the same rules, and the claim that only Koreans were sexual slaves cannot be made if the existence of Japanese comfort women is acknowledged.

No reason to discriminate between domestic prostitutes and comfort women

The licensed prostitution system was established in Korean society, and Japanese military personnel and civilian employees were important customers for the prostitution industry. The work of comfort women is no different from that in Korea, except that the workplace is in overseas war zones and the safety risks were higher than in the Korean Peninsula. When the customers were Japanese military personnel and civilian employees overseas, there is no reason to claim that they were forcibly taken against their will, deceived into being employed, or that they were employed without a contract.

No reason to use violence against Korean comfort women

Koreans were members of the Imperial Japanese military and police. There was no reason to use violence against Korean comfort women in their employment or within the comfort stations.

No evidence to support the testimony

There is no evidence to support the testimony of comfort women who claim to have been sexual slaves. The evidence that does exist (laws, military regulations, police and military police records, and Allied interrogation records) refutes these testimonies. Scholars from the American Historical Association claim that the Kono Statement is evidence of sexual slavery. Still, the Kono Statement is also based on the testimony of former Korean comfort women.

A gap of about 50 years after the war

The parties involved in the employment of comfort women were the parents. The parents consented to the employment and received the advance payment. At the time, the virtue was "children obey their parents. In other words, the will of the child was the will of the parents." The claim that it was "against the will of the person" is a result of postwar democratic education, and all testimonies were given after the death of the parents, who were the parties involved.

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