Trigger Warning: This article contains content covering sensitive and upsetting topics such as rape and physical torture. Please exercise caution if you are triggered by these topics.
On December 8, 2000, close to 1,300 people from Japan and overseas filled the Kudan Kaikan Hall in Tokyo as the Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal commenced. The tribunal opened with an unexpected yet fitting song: American singer-songwriter Pete Seeger’s song “We Shall Overcome.” Women in their 80s and 90s from several countries and speaking different languages all sang or hummed along to this protest song. They all shared one thing in common: they were former “comfort women,” victims of sexual enslavement by the Japanese military during World War II, here in the country of their oppressor to seek justice for their pain and trauma.
The figures accused were notable government and military officials — both living and deceased — as well as Emperor Hirohito. The tribunal didn’t possess the power to legally persecute Emperor Hirohito and noted government officials. But it carried the moral authority to hold these figures accountable — and perhaps shame the present Japanese government into action. More than anything, it afforded the victims a chance to present their stories before an international community long sympathetic to their cause.
Breaking the Silence
The 1946 Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal held by the Occupation authorities failed to address the Imperial Army’s sexual slavery or classify it as a crime against humanity. In fact, those involved did their utmost to shield the Emperor from any and all persecution or blame. The lack of accountability and acknowledgment for what happened to these women rankled many of the survivors.
