Sayart.net - Documentary on Wartime Sexual Slavery Survivors Premieres in Japan Amid Ongoing Historical Disputes

​Main poster for ″Twenty Two″ [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The poignant documentary film, titled "Twenty Two" as a symbolic reference to the number of surviving former "comfort women" in China at the time of filming in 2014, received its first screening in Japan on September 18, as reported by the South China Morning Post. Jointly produced by Korea and China, the documentary sheds light on the harrowing experiences of the victims of Japanese wartime sexual slavery.

Originally released in China in 2017 and subsequently in Korea the following year, the film's Japanese debut was made possible by a Chinese university student in Japan who recommended the movie to the Kansai Queer Film Festival committee. Guo Ke, the director of "Twenty Two," expressed surprise and gratitude that a Chinese student facilitated the documentary's presentation in Japan after six years.

The documentary features the stories of 22 survivors, a number that has dwindled significantly over the years. As of August, only one survivor from the film was reported to be alive. The term "comfort women" refers to those who were forcibly subjected to sexual slavery at military brothels by imperial Japan during World War II. Historical estimates suggest that up to 500,000 women, including Koreans and Chinese, suffered as victims.

In Korea, the painful legacy remains, with only nine out of 240 officially registered former Japanese military sex slaves still alive as of August. The acknowledgment and compensation for these victims have been a source of longstanding diplomatic and civic tension between Korea and Japan. Guo emphasized the importance of amplifying awareness about these survivors' experiences, asserting the responsibility to ensure that those unaware of the history behind the "comfort women" bear witness to their stories.

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