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Stolen Childhoods: The Untold Stories of Girls in Wartime Sexual Slavery
In times of war, the voices of the most vulnerable are often forgotten. This page remembers the young girls who were forced into the Japanese military "comfort stations" during the Nanjing Massacre. Taken in silence, they endured unimaginable suffering. Today, we share their stories not only to honor their strength but to restore the dignity that was stolen from them. Their silence speaks, and we are here to listen.
Origin of the Japanese "Comfort Woman" System
日本軍「慰安婦」制度の起源
일본군 위안부 제도의 기원
After the Meiji Restoration, with the rapid development of capitalism, Japan gradually embarked on the path of militaristic expansion. From 1918 to 1920, in the process of the Japanese invasion of Siberia, the spread of sexually transmitted diseases seriously affected the fighting capacity of Japanese army.
From then on, Japanese army began to consider recruiting women to "comfort" soldiers. In January 1932, the Japanese Navy designated 4 brothels in Hongkou, Shanghai, including Dalich Saloon as naval "Comfort Stations”.
With the outbreak of the First Shanghai Incident on January 28, 1932, the Japanese army recruited women from Kansai and organized them into the "Comfort Women" for army corps and established "Comfort Stations" in front lines such as Wusong, Baoshan, Miaohang and Zhenru. It was the first systematic action to "comfort" Japanese army.
Nanjing Massacre and Establishment of Japanese "Comfort Woman" System
南京大虐殺 日本軍「慰安婦」制度の確立
난징대학살과 • 일본군 '위안부, 제도의 확립
After the fall of Shanghai in November 12, 1937, the Japanese army trooped into Nanjing through three ways and issued a "local collection" order. Consequently, the military not only "legally" robbed people but also committed atrocities such as rapes and gang rapes.
The first month of the Japanese occupation of Nanjing witnessed more than 20,000 rapes and gang rapes. Encountered with the international condemnation and the worsening sexually transmitted diseases, the Japanese army began to intensify the implementation of the "Comfort Woman" System.
A number of "Comfort Stations" sprung up in Nanjing and Shanghai. Nanjing Massacre has originally encouraged the Japanese thorough implementation of the "Comfort Woman" System.
Youth in the Japanese Military "Comfort Station"
Liji Lane was formerly the residence of Kuomintang Lieutenant General Yang Chungpu. Constructed between 1935 and 1937, the house was a two-story brick-and-wood building designed in a European architectural style. After the Japanese occupation of Nanjing, troops converted the house at No. 2 Liji Lane into the Dongyun Comfort Station, and the house at No. 18 into the Guxianglou Comfort Station. Both sites were operated by a Japanese immigrant named Chida.
At No. 2 Liji Lane, there were 14 rooms on each floor. Room 19 was where Korean “comfort woman” Park Young-sim was detained. On November 20, 2003, Park (Bak) returned to the site to identify the location. On June 7, 2014, the Japanese military "Comfort Station" at Liji Lane was officially designated as a Municipal Protected Historic Site by the People's Government of Nanjing.
She Broke the Silence: Nanjing’s First Public Testimony on the ‘Comfort Woman’ System
Lei Guiying (1928-2007), a native of Jiangning County, Jiangsu Province, was born into a poor family. At 13, she wandered to Nanjing's Tangshan Town, where she became a maid in the Yamamoto "Comfort Station" at Gaotaipo. One year later, she was forced to serve as a "Comfort Woman." Lei was beaten cruelly by Japanese soldiers for resisting their raping, which resulted in disability of her right leg and lifelong scars on her hands, head, and legs. She fled the "Comfort Station" six months later, but lost the ability to bear children forever. In April 2006, encouraged by her adopted son Tang Jiaguo, Lei Guiying decided to expose the truth and became the first Nanjing woman to publicly accuse the Japanese army of its "Comfort Woman" System during World War II.
