Japanese Atrocities in Manchuria

     I have already mentioned some of Japanese atrocities in Manchuria in previous blogs.  Much of the information about these atrocities are well documented and even have living witnesses.  Japanese atrocities during World War Two are just about common knowledge to anyone familiar with World War Two history.  The infamous "Bataan Death March," as well as numerous accounts of inhumane treatment of POWs is common knowledge.  Possibly, the single most horrific event involving Japanese atrocities of World War Two era is the infamous "Rape of Nanking."  In 1937, during about a six week period, the Japanese army ran amok in Nanking (it was the capital of Nationalist China at the time) and raped and murdered innocent civilians while the Commanding General and his staff just stood by.  The estimated number of murdered civilians range from 200,000 to 300,000!  The International War Crimes Committee gave the conservative figure of around 200,000.  The Chinese, using their city census numbers, claim that the figure is above 300,000!  Whatever the true figure, it is absolutely mind-boggling that anyone could commit such an act.  Amazingly, there are some die-hard nationalist politicians in Japan who deny that the "Rape of Nanking" ever took place!  Their reaction is very much like those of Germans who refuse to acknowledge the existence of the concentration camps and the Nazi extermination of Jews during World War Two.
     Manchuria was a place that was somewhat "hidden" from the rest of the world, especially after 1931 and the establishment of the puppet Manchukuo by the Japanese.  Manchuria or Manchukuo, was essentially a large piece of land where Japan could set up factories to produce goods for the Japanese homeland, station their largest and best army, the Kwantung Army, grow opium to provide much needed cash to support their military ambitions, and conduct experiments that they wanted to keep from prying eyes of the world.  Japan's biological and chemical warfare experiments in Manchuria are well known and documented.  Chinese subjects were used to test their biological experiments, injecting the subjects with plague and other infectious vaccines.  Chemical weapons such as mustard gas were used, tested on Chinese subjects.  There were other medical experiments conducted that are too gruesome to describe.  The degree of depravity of these atrocities are such that there aren't sufficient words to adequately describe them!
     But perhaps the most compelling of all Japanese atrocities was subjecting women of conquered territories to become "comfort women," a euphemism that they used to describe women subjected to sexual slavery.  It began in Korea, a country that Japan had colonized earlier.  Korean girls, teenagers, were forcibly taken from their homes and schools and sent to China and Manchuria to become "comfort women" for Japanese soldiers.  The so-called "comfort stations" were established throughout occupied regions of China and in Manchuria.  These girls were brutally treated.  They weren't prostitutes, since they weren't paid.  They were simply raped night after night by Japanese soldiers.  Their purpose was to provide "comfort" to Japanese soldiers.  This was not at all like the official brothels set up by Nazi Germany for their troops.  Italy also had brothels for troops, but they were not official like German brothels.  The Japanese did not bother with brothels, they simply had sexual slavery.
     Korean women constituted the largest number of "comfort women."  It is estimated that there were about 200,000 Korean "comfort women."  Once a region was occupied by the Japanese, they forced women of other nations to become "comfort women" as well and established "comfort stations" in that region.  The Chinese women made up the second largest group, followed by women of Southeast Asia.  Filipino women also made up a large group once Japan conquered the Philippines.  In total, there were about 400,000 "comfort women" during World War Two era.
     Today, the relationship between Japan and Republic of Korea is somewhat strained over the "comfort women" issue.  The Koreans want the Japanese government to acknowledge what they did and apologize to the survivors and pay restitution.  Considering the number of survivors left today, the amount that the Japanese would have to pay would be insignificant!  The main thing is for Japan to acknowledge what it did and offer an apology.  Yet, this has become a major stumbling block.  It seems that the same nationalistic politicians who refuse to accept that the "Rape of Nanking" ever took place, insist that the "comfort women" were all prostitutes and not sex slaves!  Many Japanese scholars are some of the most active supporters of Korea's "comfort women" issue with Japan.  They regularly give TV interviews and participate in anti government demonstrations, demanding that the Japanese government correct the wrong.  There is also a grass-roots movement among Japanese women protesting the government stance on this issue.  Yet, for some incredible and incomprehensible reason, the Japanese government refuses to offer an official apology!
     It is quite clear that the "comfort women" issue is very important to Koreans, and until such time as when Japan officially acknowledges its wrong doing and apologizes, the relationship between the two countries will remain strained.  Yet, it is vitally important now more than ever, for Japan to have a strong ally in South Korea.  North Korea's ability to strike Japan with their missiles is now an established fact, Japan needs an ally on the Korean peninsula!