Japan Army demanded one 'comfort woman' per 70 soldiers: Report

Wartime documents have revealed that the Imperial Japanese Army had asked the government to provide one 'comfort woman' for every 70 soldiers, as reported by a Japanese news agency. The document sheds fresh light on Tokyo's involvement in the inhumane practice where many women -- most of them Korean -- were forced into prostitution at Japanese military brothels. 

Japan's relations with South Korea have been tense for the same. In a report on December 6, the agency wrote that a dispatch from the consul general of Qingdao in China's Shandong province to the foreign ministry in Tokyo revealed the aforementioned information.

Another dispatch from the consul general of Jinan, also in Shandong province, notes "at least 500 comfort women must be concentrated there" as the Japanese forces made further advances, the agency reported.

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Documents confirm Japan's involvement

The actions were acknowledged by the Japanese authorities in the 1993 Kono Statement, named after then-Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono. Yet, disputes continued over the degree of involvement of the Japanese Government.

Yoon Mi-Hyang, head of the Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan said in a statement to the media that the latest development has given detailed information on the operation of the brothels -- how many soldiers were so-called assigned to a comfort woman.

Hence, it is clear that Japanese government is accountable for forcefully recruiting Korean women for sexual enslavement, Mi-Hyang added.

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Japan had to compensate South Korea's comfort women

The agency reported that Japan's Cabinet Secretariat which collects official documents concerning comfort women did not give a statement to the media.

In 2015, Japan came to a settlement with South Korea over the issue by providing 1 billion yen ($9 million) towards a fund to help these women. Since South Korea's top court ruled in favor of its citizens seeking compensation from Japanese firms for wartime forced labor, the bilateral relations between the neighbouring island nations have deteriorated.

Japan claims that the aim of facilitating comfort stations was the prevention of rape crimes committed by Japanese army personnel and thus preventing the rise of hostility among people in occupied regions.

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(With inputs from agencies)

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