An Uncomfortable Topic

[Unkotare]

Prince Yi Wu, grandson of Emperor Gojong, was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Japanese Imperial Army throughout the war.

He died due to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. His body was immediately returned to Korea for a royal funeral attended by many Japanese dignitaries on the same day that Japan officially surrendered. His passing was considered that important.

His aide, a Japanese army officer, committed suicide shortly after his funeral out of guilt at failing to protect him.

 

[mikegriffith1]

I think the truth about the comfort women in the Japanese army is far removed from South Korea's portrayal. There were some cases of coercion and abuse, but not nearly as many as critics claim. I think Dr. Ikohiko Hata's research is the best available on the subject.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GRGZCRB/?tag=ff0d01-20

200,000 South Korean Wartime Sex Slaves is 'Fake News,' says Historian; An Interview with Dr. Ikuhiko Hata

Japan said Monday, April 3, it would send its ambassador back to South Korea after a diplomatic row prompted his recall in January. A comfort women statue had been erected outside the Japanese consulate in Busan in late 2016—the latest in unlawful statues built across the Japanese embassy and...

japan-forward.com

[BOOK REVIEW] ‘Comfort Women and Sex in the Battle Zone’ by Ikuhiko Hata

By June Teufel Dreyer Perhaps no issue in the history of post-World War II Japanese relations with Korea and China has been more contentious than that of the comfort women. Arguments have raged about the culpability of the Japanese military then — and the responsibility of the Japanese...

japan-forward.com

 

[TheParser]

1. In 2020, the United States is one of the few countries that still make a big deal about prostitution.

a. Every year, thousands of men are arrested through entrapment. It's an easy arrest for cops.

2. Formerly, Americans were much more grownup about this matter.

a. I have read that during World War II, the Army in Hawaii set up brothels for soldiers. After all, they were going into battle and might never return.

3. And even though gay love was illegal and viewed with absolute horror, I have read that the federal government set up a gay brothel in New York City in World War II. Its clients were gay/bisexual sailors who worked on merchant ships. The goal was to get any helpful tidbits from them about the movements of the Axis powers.