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Japan's economy was established upon human trafficking
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Have you ever wonder why Japanese women appear to accept the sexism rampant in their own society? Have ever wonder why Japanese men are never blamed for enjokyosai or pedophilia in Japan? It is because sex trafficking is nothing but a mundane part of their own cultural identities, which they came to accept it as fact of life. What is more outrageous is that such culture of sex trafficking in Japan was originated and is persistently encouraged by the Japanese government today.
Meet Karayuki san: the first domestic sex trafficking victims of Japanese government in the 19th century
In the early 19th century, Japanese government began to sell young teenage girls abroad for sexual services. This was executed in promotion of their expansion policies. Karayuki san is a Japanese female entertainer who were sent to or even sold to China, Southeast Asia, Russia and America to work as prostitutes between 1880s and 1920s.[1] Just like many sex trafficking victims in the modern day of Japan, Karayuki san were often young teenagers who were sold by their parents or “unwittingly signed themselves over to procurers, who in turn sold them to overseas brothels.”[2] What is worse is that these young women were not only loyal to their own parents but also to the government. As a result, their profits for prostitution tremendously benefited the Japanese military and communities oversea[3]
Comfort women: the first victims of international human trafficking in Asia
When the Japanese government began to attack on Shanghai in 1932, the government supplied comfort women to the military personals. It was assumed that “soldiers would be endowed with good luck and combat prowess if they had sex before battle. [4]
Sex trafficking persisted through 1950s
Sex trafficking in Japan persisted after the economic growth in the 1950s. Japayukisan who come from Southeast Asia to Japan are often tricked into prostitution [5] Some of them were brought by middlemen to become brides to for Japanese farmers in remote rural areas. [6]
The global implication behind such history of shame in Japan
Many evidences in Japanese society shows that Japan is not willing to change such cultural component of the perpetuating evil. When the former prime minister refuses to send a deep apology to the victims of comfort women, politicians, regardless of their political party, are willing to defend the entertainment industry, the major source behind the sex trafficking in Japan. The problem for us is that as globalization brings the nations intertwined amongst each other, such culture of tolerance in Japan has been, is, and will continue to become obstacles to eradicate sex slavery around the world.
[4] Hicks, Goerge, The Comfort Women: Japan’s rutal Regime of Enforced Prostitution in the Second World War ( New York: W.W.Norton, 1994) PP. 32-33.
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