Liu Huang A-tao
Encyclopedia
Liu Huang A-tao was a Taiwan
ese activist. She was one of thousands of women
from Japanese occupied Taiwan
who were forced into sexual slavery as comfort women
by the Japan
ese military during World War II
. Liu Huang became the first Taiwanese woman to sue the Japanese government for compensation
and a public apology
in 1999, a move which united her with eight other comfort women survivors. Her public campaign and push for compensation earned her the nickname
, Grandma A-tao.
where she was immediately forced to work at a battlefield brothel
as a comfort woman as soon as she departed the transport ship. She was seriously wounded during heavy fighting just three days after her arrival in Indonesia. Liu Huang had to have a hysterectomy
owing to the extent of her injuries. She survived, but was forced to work as a comfort woman for the Japanese for the next three years despite her extensive wounds.
and the end of World War II. However, she kept experiences as a comfort woman a secret following the war. Liu Huang married a retired Taiwanese soldier and adopted a child with her husband. However, her experience as a comfort woman left a deep emotional scar.
. The issue finally emerged into the public sphere during the 1980s, when a group of survivors in neighboring South Korea
filed several lawsuits against the Japanese government. Documents were uncovered in 1991 which forced the Japanese government to issue an apology and "remorse to all those, irrespective of place of origin, who suffered immeasurable pain and incurable psychological wounds" to Korean comfort women.
Liu Huang, who had remained largely silent about her own experiences for decades, was encouraged by the actions of the former South Korean comfort women. In 1995, Japan tried to quietly pay former comfort women compensation for war crimes committed against them through a program called the "Asian Women’s Fund." Most survivors refused the private offer. That same year, Liu Huang, who was inspired by the South Korean legal movement, began meeting other Taiwanese survivors through the Taipei Women's Foundation, an organization aimed at advocating the rights of former comfort women.
In 1999, Liu Huang became the first former Taiwanese comfort woman to file an international lawsuit
against the Japanese government and publicly demand an apology for her forced imprisonment and sexual slavery during the war. Her lawsuit united her with eight fellow Taiwanese comfort women survivors. When asked about her experience, she replied, "It is not us, but the Japanese government that should feel ashamed," echoing the slogan
s of the South Korean women who had sued during the 1980s.
Each of Liu Huang's lawsuits were dismissed in the Japanese courts, beginning in 2002 with the loss of her first case. In an interview about the dismissals, Liu Huang told a journalist, "We are all cherished daughters in the eyes of our parents. Since the Japanese army
robbed us of our virginity
, it is not too much to demand an apology from such a government." The Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation, which supported Liu Huang, changed tactics and collaborated with legal groups in Japan and South Korea to advocate for legislation in the Diet
to address the comfort women's grievances. The proposal for compensation was introduced to parliament by the Democratic Party of Japan
, which was the main opposition party at the time, but the legislation was defeated. Liu Huang's most recent lawsuit was filed in 2010 in Tokyo and the case is still pending, as of September 2011. Liu Huang died in 2011 having never received an apology from Japan during her lifetime.
Liu Huang A-tao, or Grandma A-tao, died from a heart attack on September 1, 2011, at the age of 90. Her death leaves just ten surviving Taiwanese comfort women, who are still waiting for an apology. Her funeral was held on September 10, 2011, in the southern city of Kaohsiung
, Taiwan. The city of Taipei
has announced plans to build a memorial to the women in Datong District, Taipei.
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese activist. She was one of thousands of women
Women in Taiwan
Women in Taiwan is a reference to Taiwanese women and their legal, social, workplace, and cultural status in Taiwan. Their status as women in Taiwan has been based on and affected by the "traditional patriarchal views and social structure" within Taiwanese society.-Legal status:Despite of the...
from Japanese occupied Taiwan
Taiwan under Japanese rule
Between 1895 and 1945, Taiwan was a dependency of the Empire of Japan. The expansion into Taiwan was a part of Imperial Japan's general policy of southward expansion during the late 19th century....
who were forced into sexual slavery as comfort women
Comfort women
The term "comfort women" was a euphemism used to describe women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II.Estimates vary as to how many women were involved, with numbers ranging from as low as 20,000 from some Japanese scholars to as high as 410,000 from some Chinese...
by the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese military during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Liu Huang became the first Taiwanese woman to sue the Japanese government for compensation
Compensation
Compensation can refer to:*Financial compensation, various meanings*Compensation , various advantages a player has in exchange for a disadvantage*Compensation *Compensation , by Ralph Waldo Emerson...
and a public apology
Apology
Apology or Apologize may refer to:* Apologetics, the systematic defense of a position** Christian apologetics, the defense of Christianity* Apology , Plato's recording of Socrates' defense at trial...
in 1999, a move which united her with eight other comfort women survivors. Her public campaign and push for compensation earned her the nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
, Grandma A-tao.
World War II captivity
Liu Huang, who was 19 years old at the time, entered into the Japanese nursing corps in 1942 during World War II. She was promised work as a nurse in the medical field for the Japanese forces, but instead was pressed into sexual slavery as a comfort woman for Japanese troops. Liu Huang was sent to IndonesiaIndonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
where she was immediately forced to work at a battlefield brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
as a comfort woman as soon as she departed the transport ship. She was seriously wounded during heavy fighting just three days after her arrival in Indonesia. Liu Huang had to have a hysterectomy
Hysterectomy
A hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus, usually performed by a gynecologist. Hysterectomy may be total or partial...
owing to the extent of her injuries. She survived, but was forced to work as a comfort woman for the Japanese for the next three years despite her extensive wounds.
Post-War
Liu Huang returned to Taiwan in 1945 after the Surrender of JapanSurrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
and the end of World War II. However, she kept experiences as a comfort woman a secret following the war. Liu Huang married a retired Taiwanese soldier and adopted a child with her husband. However, her experience as a comfort woman left a deep emotional scar.
Activism
The experiences of survivors of the comfort women program were largely ignored for decades in post-war AsiaAsia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. The issue finally emerged into the public sphere during the 1980s, when a group of survivors in neighboring South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
filed several lawsuits against the Japanese government. Documents were uncovered in 1991 which forced the Japanese government to issue an apology and "remorse to all those, irrespective of place of origin, who suffered immeasurable pain and incurable psychological wounds" to Korean comfort women.
Liu Huang, who had remained largely silent about her own experiences for decades, was encouraged by the actions of the former South Korean comfort women. In 1995, Japan tried to quietly pay former comfort women compensation for war crimes committed against them through a program called the "Asian Women’s Fund." Most survivors refused the private offer. That same year, Liu Huang, who was inspired by the South Korean legal movement, began meeting other Taiwanese survivors through the Taipei Women's Foundation, an organization aimed at advocating the rights of former comfort women.
In 1999, Liu Huang became the first former Taiwanese comfort woman to file an international lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
against the Japanese government and publicly demand an apology for her forced imprisonment and sexual slavery during the war. Her lawsuit united her with eight fellow Taiwanese comfort women survivors. When asked about her experience, she replied, "It is not us, but the Japanese government that should feel ashamed," echoing the slogan
Slogan
A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a political, commercial, religious and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. The word slogan is derived from slogorn which was an Anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic sluagh-ghairm . Slogans vary from the written and the...
s of the South Korean women who had sued during the 1980s.
Each of Liu Huang's lawsuits were dismissed in the Japanese courts, beginning in 2002 with the loss of her first case. In an interview about the dismissals, Liu Huang told a journalist, "We are all cherished daughters in the eyes of our parents. Since the Japanese army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
robbed us of our virginity
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
, it is not too much to demand an apology from such a government." The Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation, which supported Liu Huang, changed tactics and collaborated with legal groups in Japan and South Korea to advocate for legislation in the Diet
Diet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
to address the comfort women's grievances. The proposal for compensation was introduced to parliament by the Democratic Party of Japan
Democratic Party of Japan
The is a political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several opposition parties. Its socially liberal platform is generally considered center-left in the Japanese political spectrum...
, which was the main opposition party at the time, but the legislation was defeated. Liu Huang's most recent lawsuit was filed in 2010 in Tokyo and the case is still pending, as of September 2011. Liu Huang died in 2011 having never received an apology from Japan during her lifetime.
Liu Huang A-tao, or Grandma A-tao, died from a heart attack on September 1, 2011, at the age of 90. Her death leaves just ten surviving Taiwanese comfort women, who are still waiting for an apology. Her funeral was held on September 10, 2011, in the southern city of Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung is a city located in southwestern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into thirty-eight districts. The city is one of five special municipalities of the Republic of China...
, Taiwan. The city of Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
has announced plans to build a memorial to the women in Datong District, Taipei.