What Is the Comfort Women Issue? The Kono Statement and 2015 Deal
Wartime sexual slavery and compensation issues
The comfort women issue refers to the wartime crime in which the Imperial Japanese military systematically mobilized women from across Asia as sexual slaves during WWII. The number of victims is estimated between tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands.
In the 1993 Kono Statement, the Japanese government acknowledged military involvement and coercion, but subsequent politicians' remarks have shown regression. The 2015 Korea-Japan comfort women agreement was concluded but became controversial in Korea for not reflecting victims' opinions.
Key Timeline
1930s~40s: Operation of comfort stations and forced mobilization of women
1991: Kim Hak-sun's first public testimony
1993: Kono Statement — Japan's official acknowledgment
2015: Korea-Japan comfort women agreement
Present: Aging victims and challenge of preserving historical records