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"Memories are forgotten, but trauma remains."
By Ahn Se-hong
Karminda, born around 1926 in East Timor's Tilomar, was mobilized at the age of 16 in 1942 for three years. When visited, Karminda was suffering from severe Alzheimer's, unable to recollect the memories or even engage in conversation. However, when her sister recounted stories from their past, particularly involving the Japanese soldiers, Karminda's face contorted, and she softly murmured "ichi, ni, san" - numbers one, two, three in Japanese.
[An Se-hong Photo]
What lives have the Asian victims of Japanese military sexual slavery led? Over the past 25 years, while seeking Korean victims left in countries like China, I questioned Japan's approach to resolving issues in the Asia-Pacific coastal countries, which suffered from its wars. Within the international perception that views this solely as a Korea-Japan issue, Western countries vaguely side with Japan, preferring to overlook the issue of sexual slavery by Japanese soldiers. Particularly, in the context of Japan concealing the matter amidst its shift to the right, stories of victims from other nations are scarcely heard. To view this beyond historical emotions confined to Korea and Japan, as a history of Asian wars and human rights, I met over 140 local victimized women from East Timor, the Philippines, Indonesia, China, and Korea, capturing their ongoing pain through the lens.
Being abducted, imprisoned, raped, and abandoned, all these have left indelible wounds even after 70 to 80 years. Though Japan's defeat in the war freed them from sexual enslavement, they were left behind, bearing disdainful gazes and religious discrimination, often called "hwangnyon" or facing "honor killings" from neighbors. If we do not remember, such painful history might repeat itself. It should now remain a part of everyone's history and human rights, beyond someone's tears and memories. To foster international empathy, the voices of victimized women across Asia must become more pronounced in both Japanese and Western societies.
"The younger generation must remember."
Born in 1918 in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, Korea, Kim Bok-deok was mobilized at 21 in 1939 to China, the Philippines, among others. Dragged by recruiters from Tongyeong Bay, she spent three years at a brothel in Dalian, China, later moving with the Japanese front line to the Philippines. After the war ended, she traveled by battleship to Nagasaki, then returned to Busan. In her hometown, she lived under the scrutinizing eyes due to rumors about her history as a comfort woman.
"I am the same as a dog or a horse."
Born in 1923 in Suai, East Timor, Fransiska was mobilized at 19 in 1942 for three years. Captured women were treated as war trophies. At the brothel, Japanese soldiers tattooed symbols, presumably military emblems, all over her limbs. Throughout her life, she gazed upon these markings, unaware of their meanings.
"I didn't want to serve Japan."
Born in 1932 in Sulawesi, Indonesia, Cinta was mobilized for six months at 14 in 1945. The tall grass in the background is the remains of the brothel where she suffered. Even after the war, thinking of the past as shameful, she never returned home or married, continuing to live near the site. Memories of her suffering resurface every time she passes by.
"I always dream of being raped."
Born in 1930 in Pampanga, Philippines, Lucia was mobilized for two months at 12 in 1942. She, along with her sisters, was taken to Arayat Central School, used by the Japanese as a garrison, to live as sex slaves. Even now, exposure to the Japanese language on television or the sound of explosions unsettles her. Except for praying before the Virgin Mary, she sees no other way to find solace.
"I had the Japanese soldier's daughter at the comfort station."
Born around 1930 in Beco, East Timor, Ines was mobilized at 13 in 1942 for two years. As Japanese soldiers occupied the village, they used natives for military road construction. Young girls among them were taken as sex slaves at night. During her time at the brothel, Ines became pregnant and bore a daughter. On their way home, the Japanese soldiers took her baby; she never learned its fate.
"They owe me an apology."
Born in 1927 in Sulawesi, Indonesia, Mina endured two years of sexual slavery at 15 in 1942. When resisting rape during military deployment, she was struck in the eye, bleeding profusely, leading to blindness in one eye. She laments living without proper healing from past traumas, insisting Japan owes an apology, though she cannot initiate any resolution herself.
"The child's resemblance to the Japanese soldier made her scorned."
Born in 1920 in Guangxi Province, China, Wei Shao-lan endured three months of sexual slavery at 24 in 1944. Caught carrying her infant daughter by Japanese soldiers, she was taken to the military unit. After escaping three months later, she found her daughter dead from illness and discovered she was pregnant. Her new child faced such contempt that school and marriage were impossible due to community rejection.
"Now, come live with me."
Born in 1922 in Sukcheon County, South Pyeongan Province, Korea, Yi Su-dan endured five years of sexual slavery from 1940 at 19. After the war, she had no means to return, remaining near the brothel. In her youth, she engaged in farming but could not have children. As she aged, she developed schizophrenia and an obsession with having a child, decorating her room with baby photos and treating dolls as her own children.
By Photographer Ahn Se-hong
Since college, Ahn Se-hong has worked on documentary photography focusing on subjects like disability, military sexual slavery by Japan, and human rights. From 1996, he has documented over 140 victimized women across Asia, including Korea, Indonesia, East Timor, the Philippines, and China. Although his exhibition in Tokyo's Nikon Salon in 2012 was abruptly halted by Nikon, he continues his 'Juju Project' to record and support victims, shifting public indifference towards engagement with the issue through public art. He has held over 50 exhibitions and lectures in Japan, Korea, the U.S., Germany, and elsewhere, as a member of the Japan Visual Journalist Association (JVJA). His publications include “Outside the Eye” and the series “Layered Survivors: Testimonies of ‘Comfort Women’ in China” published in Korea and Japan, among others.
