As the last survivors of Japan’s WWII-era military sexual slavery system age into their 90s, their decades-long battle for justice remains a searing reminder of history’s unfinished reckoning. Peng Zhuying, 96, from China’s Hunan Province, recently joined global advocates in demanding Japan’s formal apology: "I survived hell. The world must remember."
Unearthing Buried Truths
For 50 years after WWII, the stories of an estimated 400,000 women forced into "comfort stations" were suppressed. Since 1991, when South Korean survivor Kim Hak-sun broke the silence, researchers like Shanghai Normal University’s Professor Su Zhiliang have documented over 300 Chinese survivors. His team uncovered Korean community registries in Jinhua city listing 126 women at a single brothel – irrefutable evidence of systemic exploitation.
UNESCO’s Political Crossroads
A 2016 multinational bid to archive survivors’ testimonies in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register stalled amid geopolitical tensions. Japan’s rival nomination denying state responsibility triggered an eight-year impasse. "This isn’t just history – it’s about preventing future crimes," argues Heisoo Shin of the international nomination committee.
Global Echoes of Resistance
From Manila to New York, statues memorializing victims stand as defiant symbols. Philippine survivor Lola Estelita Dy, who passed in 2024, spent her final years urging: "Teach children war’s true cost." While UN bodies and 23 national parliaments have called for reparations, Tokyo maintains the issue was "settled" through past agreements.
The Race Against Time
With fewer than 20 known Chinese survivors remaining, Professor Su’s museum and relief fund provide crucial support. Young scholars like Zhang Ruyi now lead preservation efforts: "Each testimony is a weapon against historical amnesia." As survivors fade, their handprints and video statements become testaments to resilience – and humanity’s unkept promises.
