Comfort WomenComfort Women

This is the first English publication of a Japanese book about the forced sexual slavery of the so-called comfort women of World War II. Rarely discussed in recent history until three Korean women came forward in 1991, the Japanese Army systematically rounded up mostly foreign women (some estimates put the number at 200,000) during the war, imprisoned them in "comfort houses" and forced them to engage in sexual activities with Japanese military personnel. This book is a discussion of the phenomenon, and examines the process by which women were taken, transported, and enslaved. A leading theme is the on-going debate over the extent of the Japanese government's involvement in providing comfort women for their soldiers. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)