SEOUL — On Aug. 14, 1991, a survivor comfort woman faced television cameras and told the world her name: Kim Hak-soon. She described in gruesome detail how, when she was barely 17, she was taken to a so-called comfort station in China during World War II and raped by several Japanese soldiers every day. “It was horrifying when those monstrous…
BY SARAH DIGIULIO Twenty-twenty has been a lot to swallow. But in terms of how to cope and carry on, the best first step may indeed be accepting the realities we’ve faced, however difficult or grim. In Japan, the concept of acceptance is fundamental to the traditional culture. There are many Japanese words that translate to “acceptance” – “ukeireru” is just one of…
Glasses, say some companies in Japan, are just not right for women to wear to work. In recent reports by Japan’s Nippon TV and Business Insider Japan, women from a range of industries described being instructed by their employers not to wear glasses. One receptionist recalled being told that glasses for her were not allowed, while a male receptionist was permitted to don…
Thousands of Back the reversal of Japan’s High Heels Workplace Policy using the #KuToo movement to mobilize the spread of support. Around 19,000 people have signed a petition calling for Japan to end dress codes that require women to wear high heels in the workplace. The petition was started by Yumi Ishikawa who says she was made to wear high…
