Preface
As we all know, the United States invested in the war during World War II, with 11 million troops, second only to the Soviet Union.
However, with such a powerful empire, Japan dared to risk its own life to attack Pearl Harbor, and I am afraid that the Japanese would only dare to think about this matter until now.
So one day in August 1945, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in retaliation against Japan.
Japan, a small country, could not bear the wrath of the superpower during World War II, and announced its surrender just a week later, and then tens of thousands of US troops were stationed in Japan.
Even though Japan was destroyed by World War II and its people were starving, in order to curry favor with the US military, the Japanese Government not only provided food, clothing, shelter, and transportation to the US troops stationed in Japan, but even met the needs of the US soldiers.
A special comfort station was set up and women were recruited as "standing up teams"!
It's so ridiculous, but it's a real fact. This also led to a very interesting phenomenon at that time, more than one million people in the US military were infected with STDs, and the US government also posted and publicized the prevention of the disease everywhere......
Why did the US military spread such a serious venereal disease during World War II? What exactly did the US military do in Japan? Why did Japan set up special comfort stations at the expense of its reputation?
U.S. forces occupy Japan
In 1946, the U.S. military completed the occupation of Japan. As a soldier of the American troops stationed in Japan as an occupying force, he also lived the life of an emperor.
At that time, in Tokyo, Japan, American GIs hugged Japanese beauties left and right, and life was so comfortable.
Legend has it that in Japan at that time, American GIs only needed six packs of "Marlboro cigarettes" to get the "intimate" service of these Japanese beauties.
It turned out that since tens of thousands of U.S. troops were stationed in Japan one after another, they successively controlled Japan's major cities and strategic points.
In addition, the casual harassment or insult of Japanese women by undisciplined U.S. soldiers caused serious social panic and popular protests.
In order to alleviate this situation, and at the same time to curry favor with this "big brother", the Japanese government came up with a good idea and implemented it.
Venues such as nightclubs were opened specifically for these "guests" who came from afar, including comfort stations and the recruitment of women as "standing up teams".
And this comfort station is designed to provide an organized sexual service to meet the needs of American soldiers.
Perhaps the Japanese government's original intention was to control and reduce the harassment and humiliation of civilian women by American soldiers. However, the practice itself has also raised some controversy and ethical questions.
Leaving aside the fact that such initiatives are very speechless, and most of these women are forced or motivated by economic pressure to join the "stand up", which also involves violations of sexual slavery and human rights.
As a result of these reasons, many young Japanese women, who had no means of livelihood, were forced to engage with American GIs.
Through these old photographs, you can see Japanese women and American GIs everywhere in parks and on both sides of the road, walking arm in arm or making love unscrupulously.
This scene was commonplace in Japan around the fifties of the last century. It is conceivable that during this period, there were many mixed-race children in Japan, but even if they had children, few local girls followed them back to the United States.
"Women's Service Industry"
Japan's geisha culture is famous all over the world and is regarded as one of the major characteristics of Japanese culture.
Geisha attract the attention and appreciation of many people with their elegant dancing, superb music and singing skills, and exquisite costumes, especially for some foreign soldiers, the charm of geisha is irresistible.
Not only are they outstanding in appearance, but they also have superb performance skills that make people fascinated. As a result, in post-war Japan, geisha culture even became a "specialty" service.
The mention of the problem of venereal diseases among American soldiers is related to this "peculiarity" of Japan, which also leads to the private life of this group of soldiers being too chaotic.
Specifically, why is there such a large number of U.S. troops stationed in Japan?
First of all, the problem of military discipline and discipline within the US military is one of the reasons for the spread of venereal diseases.
As a result of the lack of discipline within the army, soldiers are more liberal and unbridled, including in sexual matters, increasing the risk of sexually transmitted diseases.
Second, the high levels of stress and tension in wartime environments can also lead soldiers to seek ways to release and relax, and seeking sex is a good option.
During the war, most soldiers faced the loneliness and tension that come with being away from home for long periods of time, and seeking sex was seen as a way to escape reality and release stress.
In addition, for American soldiers, they are in a completely unfamiliar cultural environment, and differences in language, culture, and living habits make it difficult for them to adapt.
Finding a Japanese woman as a partner or sexual partner becomes a way of adapting.
At the same time, for many Japanese women, the enormous devastation and losses caused by the war have left them stranded, depriving them of their homes, families, and financial resources.
In this context, socializing with American soldiers may be seen as a survival strategy, and many Japanese women either harbor fantasies about going to the West for pleasure or hoping for a better life and financial support in this way.
However, there are also glaring inequalities behind this relationship. Communication between the two parties may be limited due to cultural and linguistic barriers, leading to misunderstandings and conflicts.
Secondly, one is a soldier and the other is a comfort woman, and this relationship is often subject to social and cultural pressures and prejudices, which can lead to discrimination and exclusion against women.
Coupled with the fact that Japan was a defeated country at that time, and even the Japanese government was so cowardly, how could Japanese women, especially geisha, be sincerely regarded by American soldiers?
Perhaps the relationship between them was based on power inequality or economic dependence from the outset, and there was a risk of exploitation and abuse.
epilogue
The damage that war brings to a country and a nation is enormous, and its consequences are often long-term and far-reaching. Neither the victors nor the losers of war are immune to the pain and trauma of war.
The war not only claimed countless lives, but also destroyed countless families, and it can be seen from these old Japanese photos from a hundred years ago that the damage caused by the war is far-reaching and serious.
Women and children, as one of the most vulnerable groups, face multiple forms of violence and oppression in addition to the sexual violence described above.
Therefore, ensuring peace and stability and promoting international cooperation and friendly relations are the key to maintaining world peace and security.
We should cherish the hard-won peace and love it. Only in this way can countries resolve differences and conflicts through multifaceted diplomacy, dialogue and cooperation, and only in this way can we move human society forward.