Navigating Memory Wars: A Research Journey Through the Politics of "Comfort Women" Commemoration

The spread of “Comfort Women” memorials across different cities and countries offers insights into both possibilities and the limits of memory activism, especially in an era when the world continues to confront the legacies of colonialism, racism, and historical injustice.

• 2026-05-20
• Dr. Daniel Schumacher

“Comfort Girls”: The Forgotten Tragedy of Child Exploitation

The “Comfort Women” system was not only a violation of women’s rights, but also a grave infringement of children’s rights. In this article, Professor Ñusta Carranza Ko examines how imperial Japanese authorities systematically violated the rights of underage girls, in direct contravention of international conventions of the time, reframing the issue as a case of child rights violations.

• 2025-08-05
• Ñusta Carranza Ko

The Unique and Irreplaceable “Voices of ‘Comfort Women’”

The history of the Japanese Military “Comfort Women” issue has challenged long-standing conservative cultural norms regarding women and sexuality in Asia by amplifying the voices of the victims. Moreover, it has contributed to the establishment of globally significant norms and values related to women’s human rights. This means that the records documenting the Japanese Military “Comfort Women” issue and related activities meet the criteria of “world significance.”

• 2024-08-19
• Hye-in Han

The supranational nature of the 'comfort women' issue and the ‘glocalization’ of memories, Part 2

Written by Shin Ki-young, Professor at Ochanomizu University, Japan

• 2019-03-18
• Shin Ki-young

A History of Defeat, Yet a Triumph of Solidarity for “Human Dignity”

Legal experts and “Comfort Women” movement activists reflect on the 34-year legal struggle to resolve the Japanese Military “Comfort Women” issue.

• 2026-03-26
• Editorial Team of Webzine <Kyeol>