Comfort Women Statues: Memory and Politics of the East Asian-American Diaspora

My research analyzes the contrasting Asian-American perspectives on the Korean “comfort women,” who were subject to sexual exploitation by Japanese occupation forces during World War II. After the war, “comfort women” survivors and others advocated for the memorialization of those who experienced the horrors of sexual slavery. Two such markers include the “Comfort Women Memorial,” a bronze tablet in Palisades Park, New Jersey, placed in 2010, and the “Peace Monument,” a statue of a young Korean woman in Glendale, California, unveiled in 2013. Reactions from the Japanese government, Japanese citizens, and some Japanese Americans have been negative. The Japanese military deny that they were involved in the coercion of Korean women into sexual slavery. However, the reaction from Korean Americans have been strong and supportive of these memorial actions. Korean American non-profit groups have worked together with “comfort women” survivors to build these memorials. My poster will examine the controversial reactions and political tensions sparked between Japan and Korea due to the “comfort women” memorials, as well as examine the historical context of Japanese colonialism in Korea from 1910 to 1945.