Japanese 'sex offerings' to Soviet troops in 1945 fully exposed
New documentary reveals how women were sacrificed in Manchuria
Eight of the 15 young Japanese women who were handed over to Soviet troops as "sexual offerings" by Kurokawa village elders in the final days of World War II, in a desperate bid to protect their community in what today is northeastern China. (© TV Asahi)
KENJI KAWASE
TOKYO -- Many acts of sexual violence against women during World War II have been shrouded in darkness. But one incident from 80 years ago in Manchuria -- in what was then the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo -- has come to light thanks to the courage of victims who broke their silence and allowed their story to be turned into a documentary.
The film "Kurokawa no onnatachi" (Women of Kurokawa) is a record of 15 young unmarried Japanese women who were given as "sexual offerings" in the final days of the war to the invading Soviet military by male village elders in exchange for protection of the entire community.
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