Final survivor of Chinese 'comfort women' group featured in documentary dies at 98

Li Meijin passed away at the age of 98 in her hometown Chengmai county, South China's Hainan province, on Thursday, according to the Research Center for Chinese Comfort Women at Shanghai Normal University. During World War II, she was a "comfort woman", a euphemism of the Japanese government for forcefully conscripted military sex slaves during Japan's invasion.

Li was taken from her village and detained at a foothold by the Japanese army in 1941. She was forced to do heavy labor in the daytime and sexually tortured at night. Although she was brave to resist against her abuse, she was beaten black and blue by Japanese soldiers many times. After she was deprived of freedom for more than ten days, Li finally found a chance to escape. For the rest of her life, Li was frightened to recall her traumatic past.

Li was the last living survivor of the group featured in the Chinese documentary film, Twenty Two, which was named after the number of "comfort women" alive at the time of its filming in 2014. Since then, more survivors have been found.

It is estimated that at least 200,000 Chinese female victims were forced into sex slavery by the Japanese invaders during World War II. The Chinese mainland has nine surviving "comfort women" to date, said the Research Center.