What is Japan afraid of in blocking 'comfort women' memorials?

Recently, a civil society group in Auckland, New Zealand, applied to erect a memorial statue for "comfort women" at Barry's Point Reserve. The proposal was rejected following persistent pressure from Japan. This is not an isolated incident. From the United States to Germany, and from the Philippines to Australia, wherever communities attempt to honor the victims of the "comfort women" system, they encounter obstruction from the Japanese government and right-wing forces. Employing diplomatic pressure, economic threats, and smear campaigns, they spare no effort to block even a single statue. What exactly are they afraid of?

Fear that historical truths will be exposed. The "comfort women" system was a state crime meticulously planned and systematically executed by Japanese militarism during World War II, representing one of the darkest chapters in human history. Between the September 18th Incident in 1931 and Japan's surrender in 1945, Japanese militarists used coercion, deception, and abduction to drag hundreds of thousands of women from China, the Korean Peninsula, Southeast Asia, and beyond into military "comfort stations" across Asia as sex slaves. Countless victims were tortured to death, while survivors bore unhealed physical and psychological scars for life.

This atrocity is corroborated by extensive historical records, survivor testimonies, and war criminal confessions. Yet, Japanese right-wingers propagate fallacies like the "voluntary" and "no evidence" narratives to deny these state-sponsored atrocities. Beyond destroying archives post-war, they have scrubbed references to the issue from textbooks to distort younger generations' perceptions. Reports indicate that since 2015, the Japanese government has poured up to 56 billion yen into "image PR" to sanitize overseas accounts of war crimes, including the "comfort women" issue, the Nanjing Massacre, and germ warfare. Once the full truth is laid bare, decades of right-wing efforts to whitewash aggression will collapse.

Fear of full accountability for war crimes. Post-WWII, the forced recruitment of "comfort women" escaped prosecution as a state crime due to cover-ups and inadequate investigations. Although the 1993 Kono Statement acknowledged the military's role in the forced recruitment, the Japanese government has never offered official state compensation. Denial of the statement persists and has intensified recently. Lawsuits by survivors from China, ROK, and the Philippines have been dismissed on grounds like "state immunity" and "expired statutes of limitations". Tokyo knows this is one of its most evidenced war crimes. Conceding here would not only trigger massive reparations but also a "domino effect", forcing legal and moral reckoning for other downplayed atrocities like the Nanjing Massacre, forced labor, and biological warfare.

Fear that historical memory will hinder militarist revival. Incomplete post-war reckoning allowed militarists and their successors to entrench themselves in Japanese politics. Their legitimacy often rests on glorifying ancestors and whitewashing invasion history; breaking free from the post-war order to become a "military power" is their instinct. Currently, citing "external threats", Japan is hollowing out its Peace Constitution via a "salami-slicing" strategy. From soaring defense budgets and lethal weapon exports to long-range missiles and transits through the Taiwan Strait, Japan is eroding its "exclusively defense-oriented" policy. Such expansion requires public opinion conditioning. Every "comfort women" statue serves as irrefutable proof of atrocities — a silent indictment of militarism that right-wing politicians dread.

A simple statue embodies reverence for history, solace for victims, and a commitment to peace. Recently, 16 UN Human Rights Council experts urged Japan to apologize and compensate fully. Civil groups globally have condemned Tokyo's obstruction. If history is disrespected and crimes concealed, how can justice prevail? If reflection on war erodes, the specter of militarism will return, dragging the region back into disaster.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Tokyo Trials. That historic judgment stood as a test of human conscience and a ruling on historical justice, declaring that warmongers will face history's verdict. History cannot be erased; truth cannot be silenced; victims must not be forgotten. Let these memorials serve as an alarm bell and the legacy of the Tokyo Trials as our guiding standard. We must remember the scars of war, stand firm for justice, and crush the resurgence of militarism, safeguarding the precious, hard-won peace of our region.

The author is an international affairs observer. 

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