`Imperial Japan disguised Korean sex slaves as nurses`

A Korean government probe has found that Korean sex slaves mobilized by Japan to Southeast Asia and other regions soon after World War II were disguised as military nurses.

Analysts also say imperial Japan tried to systemically cover up the existence of the sex slaves.

A committee on investigating damage from Japan’s forced mobilization of Koreans and assisting victims of Koreans mobilized abroad released Tuesday a report on the list of women sent to Indonesia.

The report was based on interviews with Korean sex slaves that Japan mobilized to Indonesia and on-site inspections, thus confirming Tokyo`s bid to disguise such women.

According to the report, the Japanese military, which kidnapped Korean sex slaves and sent them to Indonesia, designated them temporary nurses or the lowest-ranking civilian components on three occasions, namely August 1, 22 and 30, 1945.

Tokyo suggested that 301 Korean women were registered as nurses on three lists of hospital staff for Japan’s southern military unit, which was deployed to Indonesia in World War II.

Kang Jeong-suk, a committee member who prepared the report, said, “Korean women stood little chance of staying in Indonesia other than as sex slaves in 1945,” adding, “Most women who were admitted as nurses are believed to have been sex slaves for the Japanese military.”

Some of the Korean women who were disguised as nurses did nurse soldiers by day the report said. An elderly woman who was taken to Sumatra and Kutaraja in Indonesia said, “Women at the comfort hall worked as nurses by day and provided sex to soldiers by night.”

Another old woman said, “After the war ended, we wore nurse uniforms and Red Cross armbands,” adding, “Such a practice was believed to be an attempt (by Japan) to hide the existence of the sex slaves.”

According to testimonies by surviving sex slaves, more than a few of the women underwent training as nurses and worked as such.

An 87-year-old woman said, “Japanese soldiers even gave each Korean woman a Japanese sword, and ordered us to stab Allied troops even in nursing training.”

A committee member said, “The Japanese military has attempted to disguise its identity to hide the existence of the sex slaves, which constitutes a war crime, while securing nursing staff that they were lacking.”

jmpark@donga.com