And they sit together, side-by-side, under the persimmon tree, and watch the setting sun turn blood red.
####
AUTHOR’S END NOTE
Saving the Soul of a Nation
If we don’t learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it.”
-- George Santayana
Every Wednesday at noon, a group of elderly women march on the Japanese embassy in Seoul, South Korea. They march in the pouring rain, bitter cold and stifling humidity that only Seoul can dish out. They have not missed a single Wednesday in over twenty-one years. They are the last of an army of comfort women—women the Japanese military raped and tortured as sex slaves during World War II. They are all more than 80 years old now and many are in their 90s. The Koreans call them “grandmothers,” a term of honor and respect.
Their ranks are dwindling fast.
The estimated number of women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese varies depending on who is doing the counting. Some Japanese nationalists say there were fewer than 20,000 and that they were former prostitutes or willing volunteers. But the evidence supports a much higher number. Today most historians agree there were more than 200,000. 200,000 women serving an army of over seven million. That’s one woman for every thirty-five soldiers. They were Filipino, Chinese, even Dutch, but the vast majority were Korean. Some were as young as 13.
As the women march, you can still see the pain and humiliation in their faces seventy years later. The Japanese raped these women, these grandmothers, up to 40 times per day. They were repeatedly beaten and tortured. They suffered horribly from venereal disease and the Japanese forced them to have crude abortions when they got pregnant. Many were executed. And many committed suicide. The Japanese government has never formally apologized to them. And as the grandmothers march, the blinds on the Japanese embassy remain closed.
The Empire of Japan formally surrendered on September 2, 1945. Since then, it has issued a number of mostly informal apologies for its actions during the war. Many apologies were insincere at best. For example, on September 6, 1984, thirty-nine years after the war ended, a famously disingenuous ‘apology’ delivered to Korean President Chun Doo Hwan by Emperor Hirohito was stated as follows:
“It is indeed regrettable that there was an unfortunate past between us for a period in this century, and I believe that it should not be repeated again.”
In the early 1990’s, after a few comfort women finally found the courage to come forward, the Japanese issued a series of informal apologies. But just like the Hirohito apology, many were disingenuous. They often used the word owabi for “apology”—a word in Japanese only slightly weightier than “excuse me.” But the outrage grew around the globe and finally bowing to the pressure, the Japanese government set up the Asian Women’s Fund in 1995. The fund was a quasi-public organization to collect donations from Japanese citizens (there were no government contributions) to distribute compensation to comfort women. Run by volunteers (not the government) the fund collected less than $5 million and distributed it to only 285 of the 200,000 comfort women. The Japanese government closed it in March of 2007.
In 2006 in a special election, the Japanese Diet elected Shinzo Abe as Japan’s prime minister. Abe, the first prime minister born after World War II and a right-wing nationalist, is a historical revisionist. On the homepage of his website before he was prime minister, he questioned the extent to which the Japanese used coercion toward comfort women. Then, in March of 2007, Abe publicly stated that there was no evidence that the Japanese government had kept sex slaves. Abe also led the Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform that published the New History Textbook that whitewashes the criminal actions of Japan during World War II. Schools throughout Japan use the textbook today.
Abe served as prime minister for two years, and was forced to resign after several scandals in his administration. But in the 2012 general election, he was reelected prime minister. And it appears that Japan is finally digging out from a two-decade-long economic slump. Under Abe, Japan might again become the leading economic and political global force it once was. But, given that Abe is a historical revisionist, it seems they will not take with them lessons from the past.
So outside the Japanese embassy the grandmothers march. They have simple demands.
1. Admit the drafting of the Japanese military's "comfort women
2. Apologize officially
3. Reveal truths about the war crimes
4. Erect memorial tablets for the victims
5. Pay restitution to the victims or their families directly from the government
6. Teach the truth in public schools, so the events are never again repeated
7. Punish the war criminals
These seem reasonable. However, it’s unlikely Japan will ever meet them, especially with Shinzo Abe sitting in the Prime Minister’s office. It’s a shame—a tragedy really. Meeting these simple demands before all the grandmothers die could help restore a modicum of the dignity stolen from them seventy years ago.
But just as importantly, it would restore Japan’s own honor and save its very soul.
William Andrews
For more information or to donate, go to: http://www.comfort-women.org
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
This book is a work of fiction. Nevertheless, it is based on historical facts. To learn more about comfort women and Korea, see the following books.
On Comfort Women
1. Wallace Edwards. Comfort Women: A History of Japanese Forced Prostitution During the Second World War, Amazon Digital Services, 2013
2. George Hicks. The Comfort Women: Japan’s Brutal Regime of Enforced Prostitution in the Second World War. W. W. Norton & Company, 1997.
3. Dai Sil Kim-Gbson. Silence Broken: Korean Comfort Women, Mid-Prairie Books, 1999.
4. Korean Council for Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan.True Stories of the Korean Comfort Women, Cassell, 1996.
5. Jan Ruff-O’Henne. Fifty Years of Silence: The Extraordinary Memoir of a War Rape Survivor, Random House, 2008.
6. Peipei Qui.Chinese Comfort Women: Testimonies from Imperial Japan's Sex Slaves, Oxford University Press, 2014.
7. C. Sarah Soh. The Comfort Women: Sexual Violence and Postcolonial Memory in Korea and Japan University of Chicago Press, 2009.
8. Yoshimi Yoshiaki. Comfort Women, Columbia University Press, 2002.
9. Yuki Tanaka. Japan's Comfort Women, Routledge, 2001.
10. Yuki Tanaka. Hidden Horrors: Japanese War Crimes In World War II, Westview Press, 1997.
On Korean History
1. Michael Breen. The Koreans. Who They Are, What They Want, Where Their Future Lies. Thomas Dunne Books, 2004.
2. Bruce Cummings. Korea’s Place in the Sun: A Modern History, W.W. Norton & Company, 2005.
3. Don Oberdorfer. The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History, Basic Books, 2001.
4. Keith Pratt. Everlasting Flower: A History of Korea, Reaktion Books, 2006.
5. Michael J. Seth. A Conscise History of Korea, Rowman & Littlefield, 2006.
Photos of Comfort Women
A young comfort woman liberated in southern China
Comfort Station 1943
A former comfort woman interviewed in 2009
Photos used by permission
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo by Greg Thoen
William Andrews is a retired advertising executive living in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His first book, The Essential Truth won the 2008 Mahaven Book Award.
Visit Bill’s website at: www.williamandrewsbooks.com
AUTHOR Q & A
Q: What inspired you to write this book?
A: Probably the most influential thing is my daughter who was born in Korea. Because of her I learned about Korea and thought it was fascinating. Especially considering what happened in the 20th Century.
Q: Like what?
A: The three regimes that controlled the peninsula. The Japanese, the communists and the Ameri
cans. And the comfort women. I’m continually amazed at how few Americans know what happened to these women.
I believe this story needs to be told. And if I may, I’d like to encourage readers who agree and who enjoyed the book to recommend this book to others and write reviews on retailers’ web sites.
Q: There’s a lot of history in this book. Is it accurate?
A: First, please know that I’m a storyteller, not a history expert. Still, I tried to make this book as historically accurate as possible. I did a ton of research and got help from several history experts. So I’d have to say yes, it’s accurate.
Q: Was it difficult to write some of the more brutal scenes?
A: Very difficult. I tried hard to be respectful of the reader and the comfort women. I did not want to be exploitive. But I felt I had a responsibility to show what actually happened to these women. It has to be brutal because that’s what they experienced.
Still, there were things I couldn’t write. For example, when Colonel Matsumoto first rapes Ja-hee, I couldn’t write that in real time. I had to pull it out of the narrative into the present-day frame. Even then, it was a challenge to write that chapter.
Q: You draw parallels between what the Japanese did in the comfort stations and what the Americans did in the kijichons. Were the Americans as bad as the Japanese?
A: Of course not. But, what I wrote about the Americans is true. Until recently, the US military turned a blind eye to some of the illegal and unethical things our troops were doing in the kijichons; tricking girls, putting them in situations they could not possibly get out of. It wasn’t anything close to what the Japanese did, however. They actually sponsored the comfort stations. But as Ja-hee says to Colonel Crawford, from the girls’ perspective, what’s the difference?
Q: What about the two-headed dragon with five toes?
A: I invented the two-headed dragon. However, the emperor and empress were the only ones allowed to have dragon artifacts with five toes.
Q: You talk a lot about Empress Myeongseong.
A: Yes, she’s a fascinating figure in Korean history. The Koreans worship her. And please forgive a plug, but I’m working on a loose sequel to Daughters of the Dragon called The Korean Queen. It’s the story of Empress Myeongseong. (See the following pages for more information.)
One last thing. I’d like to ask readers to please go to their online retailer and write a review of this book. Or, send me an e-mail at [email protected]. It’s the only way I can get feedback from my readers!
Coming in 2016: THE KOREAN QUEEN
By William Andrews
THE KOREAN QUEEN is the remarkable story of Empress Myeongseong, Korea’s last empress. A poor country peasant, Ja-young becomes the leader of the Hermit Kingdom through her intelligence and great courage. Called the ‘Queen Victoria of Korea’ the Empress leads her country into the modern world all the while fighting the Japanese imperialists and her lazy husband’s father, Daewongun, Korea’s treacherous regent.
Anna Carlson tells the Empress’ story to State Department official Nick Blackburn as war between North and South Korea threatens. In the story, Nick see surprising similarities with the current situation in Korea and realizes true leadership requires great courage which is often at odds with the political establishment. He decides to risk his career and along with Anna who he has learned has a surprising heredity, pushes for a controversial, but peaceful solution to the Korean situation.
(Sign up for a 20% discount on the cover price of THE KOREAN QUEEN by sending an e-mail to [email protected]. Please put: Pre-order for THE KOREAN QUEEN in the subject line.)
Other Books by William Andrews:
The Essential Truth
An Exercise in Sacrifice
THE ESSENTIAL TRUTH
A Novel by William Andrews
When the founder of Jacob and Marin Advertising mysteriously dies, Ben Smith must take over the agency just as their largest account comes up for review. He becomes the victim of Watergate-like dirty tricks because his agency does the campaign advertising for Congresswoman Janice Theilen who is running against Senator William Howard for his senate seat. Sheldon Hanrahan, the billionaire head of a rival advertising agency, controls Howard and needs the Senator to win big in the election so he can launch a presidential campaign. If Howard wins the presidency, Sheldon will impose his radical vision on America. To keep the agency afloat, and to keep Howard from winning reelection, Ben must confront not only Sheldon but also demons from his past. And, he must learn to become a leader. The stakes are high, and Sheldon is a powerful and cunning foe, but Ben has secret allies behind the scenes.
The Essential Truth is full of suspense, mystery and action as well as plot twists, a murder investigation and even a chase scene. And, The Essential Truth shows the reader the quirky personalities and workings of an advertising agency.
WINNER OF THE MAYHAVEN AWARD FOR FICTION
Available soon through major on-line booksellers or from:
www.williamandrewsbooks.com
AN EXERCISE IN SACRIFICE
A Novel by William Andrews
Nan smith, the state campaign manager for Democratic presidential Election Reform hopeful George Bloomfield, discovers a dirty secret about Bloomfield’s opponent, Senator William Howard when an old woman tells her, “He murdered my daughter.” The revelation thrusts Nan into the center of a massive conspiracy led by Sheldon Hanrahan who will do anything to get his man the presidency. Along the way, Nan learns how poorly regulated U.S. elections are and what candidates are able to get away with. In the end, she finds the smoking gun to expose the conspiracy but powerful forces from all sides threaten her life to prevent it.
An Exercise in Sacrifice is about bravery, commitment and one woman’s resolve to do what’s right for her country and family.
Available soon through major on-line booksellers or from:
www.williamandrewsbooks.com
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