Liu Huang A-tao

Liu Huang A-tao (1923 – 1 September 2011) was a Taiwanese activist. She was one of thousands of

Liu Huang returned to Taiwan in 1945 after the Surrender of Japan and the end of World War II.^[1] However, she kept experiences as a comfort woman a secret following the war.^[1] Liu Huang married a retired Taiwanese soldier and adopted a child with her husband.^[1] However, her experience as a comfort woman left a deep emotional scar.^[2]

Activism

The experiences of survivors of the comfort women program were largely ignored for decades in post-war Asia.^[3] 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.^[3] 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.^[3]

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

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.^[2][3] Her lawsuit united her with eight fellow Taiwanese comfort women survivors.^[1] When asked about her experience, she replied, "It is not us, but the Japanese government that should feel ashamed," echoing the slogans of the South Korean women who had sued during the 1980s.^[3]

Each of Liu Huang's lawsuits were dismissed in the Japanese courts,

Liu Huang died from a heart attack on 1 September 2011, at the age of 90.[3] Her death left just ten surviving Taiwanese comfort women, awaiting an apology.^[1] Her funeral was held on 10 September 2011, in the southern city of Kaohsiung, Taiwan.^[4] The city of Taipei has announced plans to build a memorial to the women in Datong District, Taipei.^[4]

References