The case of Dutch domfort women

The man executed as the war criminal for the charge was Yoshiharu Okada. (Maybe Keiji Okada, I’m not sure how to read the kanji.) He was found guilty for kidnapping, forcing prostitution, and rape of Dutch women at Semarang and executed by the Dutch.

Okada seemed to have been ordered by his superior to set up a officers’ club, and so he asked Governor Miyano of Sumerang to have some Indonesians working under him to recruit some women. The day before the club opened, he visits the women for the first time to see how everything is, and reports to a visiting general staff that, “They are so cheerful and young that I’m worried some of our men might fall in love and commit suicide together.” The facility was closed down after the General Staff Yamamoto hears that the women were taken by force. (There is also testimony that the facility was simply shut down because business was not good and it had to be restarted using non-white women.) Of the 35 women at the officer’s club, 25 were found to have been forced into prostitution, but the tribunal could not make clear who had been responsible for the actual forcing since the local Indonesian officials were never called in as witness, and find Okada guilty on the basis that Okada should have known no (or only a few) women would willingly become prostitutes, so his orders for recruitment was equivalent to ordering a kidnapping. Okada writes in his diary, “I have treated them so well, and yet they are now accusing me with blatant lies. Alas, I imagine they must do so now that the tides have turned and they cannot claim to have cooperated with us. I see I have been made the mastermind. I have nothing more to say. My hands have been bitten by the dogs I have fed.” (I believe the dogs refer to the Japanese owners of the clubs and not the women.)

The man who ordered Okada, Asao Okubo, committed suicide in Japan after receiving the notification of detainment, and was never tried. Another man, Shozo Ikeda was sentenced to 15 years in prison, although he was on an official trip to Tokyo at the time of the crime. Nine others were sentenced to 2 to 20 years in prison, including the owners of the club

The information above is a collection from Hata’s book, 『戦争裁判の実相』（巣鴨法務委員会編）, and 『尋問・拷問・処刑；戦犯の悲劇の記録』（川野京輔、秋田書店）, (I am still searching for the latter two books). I’m withholding my decision until the full records of the trials are released from the Dutch archives. But then again, I might not be able to make up my mind even then.two cent at occidentalism

From my point of view, Two cents’ story is another example that Japanese army regulated illegal recruiting, recruiting by force as other evidences so far discovered shows.

And it seems Two cents’s story does not tell whether Dutch women were really forced by brothelponta at occidentalism

update
Ms O'harn testified at the military tribunal and as a result the military officer and
civilians were punished.
Military officers were in violation of the order that women who voluntarily consented should be employed.
The brothel was closed after two months for Japanese upper officers realized that women was forced.

オランダ女性の事例　末端将兵の行為　すでに厳刑

　８日付のニューヨーク・タイムズは日本の慰安婦問題を安倍晋三首相がそのすべてを否定したかのような表現でまた報じたが、そのなかでオランダ人の元慰安婦だったというジャン・ラフ・オハーンさん（８４）の「インドネシアの抑留所にいた１９４４年、日本軍の将校に連行され、慰安所で性行為を強要された」という証言をとくに強調した。同紙はオハーンさんの２月１５日の米下院外交委員会公聴会での証言を引用しており、「日本政府からの公式の謝罪が最重要」と述べたとして、日本軍が組織的に総数２０万人もの女性を強制徴用したという糾弾の最大の根拠としている。

　ところが慰安婦問題に詳しい日米関係筋などによると、オハーンさんは戦後すぐにオランダ当局がインドネシアで開いた軍法会議で裁いた「スマラン慰安所事件」の有力証人で、その証言などにより、上層部の方針に違反してオランダ女性を連行して、慰安所に入れた日本軍の将校と軍属計１１人が４８年３月に有罪を宣告され、死刑や懲役２０年という厳罰を受けた。オハーンさんは同公聴会で日本側が責任をとることを求めたが、責任者は６０年近く前にすでに罰せられたわけだ。

　日本政府には批判的な立場から慰安婦問題を研究した吉見義明氏も著書「従軍慰安婦」のなかでオランダ政府の報告書などを根拠にスマラン慰安所事件の詳細を記述している。同記述では、オハーンさんらオランダ女性を連行したのはジャワの日本軍の南方軍幹部候補生隊の一部将校で、（１）軍司令部は慰安所では自由意思の者だけ雇うようはっきり指示していたが、同将校たちはその指示を無視した（２）連行された女性の父のオランダ人が日本軍上層部に強制的な連行と売春の事実を報告したところ、すぐにその訴えが認められ、現地の第１６軍司令部はスマラン慰安所を即時、閉鎖させた（３）同慰安所が存在したのは２カ月だった（４）主犯格とされた将校は戦後、日本に帰っていたが、オランダ側の追及を知り、軍法会議の終了前に自殺した－などという点が明記されている。

(2007/03/10 06:09)sankei

SYDNEY, March 27 Kyodo

An Australian grandmother who was forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II has welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s apology to so-called ‘’comfort women.'’

Speaking on local television, 84-year-old Jan Ruff O’Herne said Monday night the apology had given all such sexually exploited women their dignity back.

‘’It’s just fantastic news, I could hardly believe it,'’ Ruff O’Herne said.

‘’It means the comfort women, they’ve got their dignity back. We’ve been waiting for this for 60 years,'’ she said.

Abe reiterated Monday afternoon that his administration stands by a 1993 statement admitting that the Imperial Japanese Army was ‘’directly or indirectly'’ involved in setting up and running the brothels and transferring women to them.

Asked if the government has no intention of issuing an official apology, Abe told the parliamentary committee meeting, ‘’As the prime minister, I am apologizing here.'’

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0WDQ/is_2007_April_2/ai_n18771347

"No historical document has ever been found by historians or research organisations that positively demonstrates that women were forced against their will into prostitution by the Japanese army," the ad said under the title, in bold letters, "THE FACTS".

Ms Ruff-O'Herne said she was appalled by the advertisement.

"My esteem for the Japanese government has completely gone down the drain," she said.

"It's absolutely appalling, I'm trembling with anger.

"I just can't believe it, I am so angry that after all these years and so much proof they could do that."

The 84-year-old Adelaide woman travelled to Washington DC in February to speak before a US House of Representatives hearing on Protecting the Human Rights of "comfort women".

"I myself went to Washington, would I do that at my age if it wasn't true - it is true, we were forced," she said.

"What evidence can they produce that we have not been forced? They haven't got any evidence because we were forced.

"They must be absolutely crazy, Japan is not owning up to their historical responsibilities.

"Comfort women are never going to give up, we want Japan to apologise and acknowledge the war crimes they committed.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Japanese-denial-angers-comfort-woman/2007/06/15/1181414539807.html
I wonder why the journalist didn't show the fact the ad admitted she was forced .