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“Comfort Women” and the Political Economy of Erasure in the Philippines

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2025

Lila Ramos Shahani
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Abstract

In this paper, I look into the lesser-known history of “comfort women” in the Philippines. I engage with the following questions: how did the trafficking and sexual exploitation of Filipino women emerge as part of state policy in the Japanese Empire? How was it dealt with in the aftermath of the war, especially in the face of shifting post-war alliances and the changing place of Japan in the geo-politics of the Cold War? How did events in the international arena, in turn, affect diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Japan, specifically with respect to aid and trade? Finally, how did the market forces at play affect state policy in the Philippines?

Keywords

Philippinescomfort womenpolitical economyJapanese OccupationWWII
Type
Research Article
Information
Asia-Pacific Journal , Volume 21 , Issue 11 , November 2023 , e4
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2023

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