'Comfort women': anger as Japan

Japan’s oldest English-language newspaper has sparked anger among staff and readers after revising its description of wartime sex slaves from the Korean peninsula.

The Japan Times, whose motto is ‘all the news without fear or favour, ’ said it would alter its description of the comfort women – a euphemism for tens of thousands of girls and women, mainly from the Korean peninsula, who were forced to work in Japanese military brothels before and during the war.

The newspaper noted that it had previously described the victims as “women who were forced to provide sex for Japanese troops before and during world war two”.

But it added: “Because the experiences of comfort women in different areas throughout the course of the war varied widely, from today, we will refer to ‘comfort women’ as ‘women who worked in wartime brothels, including those who did so against their will, to provide sex to Japanese soldiers’.”

The revision has added to concern that sections of the media are bowing to pressure from rightwing politicians and activists to rewrite Japan’s wartime history and portray its actions on the Asian mainland in a more favourable light.

The editorial shift by the Japan Times comes soon after South Korea said it would dissolve a Japanese-funded foundation to support survivors, sparking outrage in Tokyo. The move, which in effect terminated a 2015 agreement to settle the countries’ impasse over sexual slavery, drew an immediate rebuke from Japan.