Books of Seiji Yoshidca - Story of Comfort Woman

Seiji Yoshida (2013-2000) published a book in 1983, in which he testified that he was involved in abductions of Korean women during the war. In 1996, he confessed the testimonies were fabrication.

After the World War II, Seiji YOSHIDA ran for the election of Shimonoseki City Council as a candidate of Japanese Communist Party in 1947, but he failed to be elected.

Seiji YOSHIDA wrote "Korean Comfort Women and Japanese", which was published by a Japanese publisher in 1977. He described that Japanese soldiers brought Korean women forcibly as Comfort Women in that book.

He wrote "My War Crime", which was published by a Japanese publisher in 1983. He described that he was Director Mobilization of Shimonoseki branch of the Yamaguchi Labor Patriotic Association, and forcibly took Korean women in Jeju Island for "Teishintai" to let them work as Comfort Women on the order of Japanese Army in 1943.

The Asahi Shimbun, a newspaper in Japan, reported the contents in 1991 and 1992. This was the beginning of the story of Comfort Women in Japan.

On August 11, 1991, the Asahi Shimbun reported that a Korean woman introduced herself as a Korean Military Comfort Woman, insisting that she was forcibly brought to a battlefield as "Joshi-teishintai (Women's Volunteer Corps)" and forced to work as a prostitute.

On January 11, 1992, the Asahi reported that the media discovered the evidence the Japanese Army involved the houses of prostitution.

On August 4, 1993, the Chief Cabinet Secretary published a statement on Comfort Women in which he said that the government officials were involved in collecting Korean women against their own will.

As described above, "My War Crime" was the beginning of the story of Comfort Women in Japan.

On the other hand, the contents of the book were investigated by some Japanese and Korean people.

On August 14, 1989, Jeju Newspaper reported that residents of Jeju Island denied the compulsive collecting of girls by the government officials of Japan.

Ikuhito HATA conducted investigations on this matter in Jeju Island in 1992, and concluded that the story in "My War Crime" was a fake. Many contradictions, errors, and lies were found in the book.

After "My War Crime" was proved to be a fabrication, Asahi Shimbun stopped to use the contents of the book.

In 1996, Seiji YOSHIDA admitted that "My War Crime" included fictions in response to the interview of Weekly Shincho.

In 1998, Seiji YOSHIDA said "I was exploited by human right activists, which was wrong" in a telephone talk with Ikuhito HATA.

The left wing media spread the issue of Comfort Women based on the fabrication, which worsened the relationship between Japan and Korea. The fact that the story of Seiji YOSHIDA, who was praised by the left wing as the only Japanese who testified the compulsive mobilization of Korean girls, was complete fabrication brought about anger for Japanese people against the left wing in Japan.