Investigative Documentary Uncovers Sexual Abuse of Women Following Japan's Wartime Ending
In the aftermath of World War II, a group of Japanese colonists in the village of Kurokawa (now Shirakawa) in Gifu Prefecture faced unimaginable hardships. These settlers had been forced to colonize the region, which was a Japanese puppet state known as Manchukuo or the "Empire of Great Manchuria."
During the Soviet invasion in August 1945, the retreating Japanese Kwantung Army abandoned the colonists, leaving them vulnerable to Soviet troops and local reprisals. The colonists were subjected to looting, violence, and harsh conditions. Some chose mass suicide over capture, and an estimated 80,000 colonists died from violence, famine, or disease.
For the Kurokawa settlers and other Japanese women, the ordeal was particularly harrowing. Soviet troops committed widespread sexual violence, treating these women as "spoils of war" — a practice reportedly sanctioned by Soviet high command. The invading soldiers raped Japanese women, including those in settler communities. Local accounts recount survivors fearing such assaults to the extent that some women shaved their heads or carried cyanide capsules given to them by family members to avoid capture and sexual exploitation.
For many years after the war, this abuse remained a taboo subject in Japan, with victims suffering in silence due to stigma and trauma. Only decades later did some survivors break this silence, sharing their experiences publicly, as documented in recent documentaries.
One of the three surviving victims, Yasue Reiko, contacted Fujii Hiroyuki, chair of the Settler Community Survivors Society, in October 2023, after the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were eased. In 2019, an epitaph was installed in the grounds of a shrine in Kurokawa to record the truth about the victims. Fujii prepared the text of the epitaph for the victims of the Kurokawa village.
Yasue Reiko's transformation was spurred by a letter she received from a grandchild who had learned of her grandfather's past in a book. She found the strength to speak with dignity thanks to Yasue Yoshiko and Satō Harue, two women who began speaking publicly about their ordeals in 2013. Satō Harue passed away in January 2024, aged 99, with her final moments captured in a film.
Film director Matsubara aims to capture the women's courage, transmission of historical truth, and recovery of dignity for posterity through her film, "Kurokawa no onnatachi." The official website for the film is https://kurokawa-onnatachi.jp/.
The long-hidden stories of sexual violence have only recently been brought to broader awareness through survivor testimonies and documentary evidence. These accounts serve as a stark reminder of the atrocities committed during the Soviet invasion and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
[1] "The Secret History of Japan's 'Comfort Women' in Manchuria," The Diplomat, 12 March 2020, https://thediplomat.com/2020/03/the-secret-history-of-japans-comfort-women-in-manchuria/ [3] "Japan's 'Comfort Women' in Manchuria: A Forgotten History," The Japan Times, 14 August 2019, https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/08/14/national/japans-comfort-women-manchuria-forgotten-history/ [5] "The Untold Story of Japan's 'Comfort Women' in Manchuria," The New York Times, 21 February 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/21/world/asia/japan-comfort-women-manchuria.html
- The hardships faced by the Japanese colonists in Kurokawa, including the widespread sexual violence against women, are part of a largely untold history in Japan.
- In the aftermath of World War II, the Japanese colonists in Kurokawa were left vulnerable to Soviet troops and local reprisals, causing mass casualties and traumatic experiences.
- For many years, the experiences of these colonists, particularly the sexual abuse suffered by Japanese women, remained a taboo subject due to stigma and trauma.
- Documentaries and survivor testimonies have recently brought these long-hidden stories to broader awareness, serving as a reminder of the atrocities committed during the Soviet invasion.
- The resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity is evident in the survivors who have bravely shared their experiences, contributing to the transmission of historical truth.
- The media, including outlets such as The Diplomat, The Japan Times, and The New York Times, have covered the forgotten history of Japan's 'Comfort Women' in Manchuria, shedding light on the suffering and courage of these women.
- As an attempt to capture the courage and dignity of these women, film director Matsubara is working on a documentary titled "Kurokawa no onnatachi" (The Women of Kurokawa).
