To commemorate the 7th Japan Military 'Comfort Women' Victims Memorial Day in 2024, a joint international academic conference was held on August 9th in the Northeast History Foundation's main conference room, in collaboration with the National Institute of Korean History. The theme of this year's conference was "War, Colonialism, and Politics of Memory in East Asia: Knowledge and Understanding of the History of Japan's Military 'Comfort Women.'"

The South Korean government has designated August 14th as a national memorial day to remember the 'comfort women' issue from the perspective of peace and human rights. The Japanese government, through the "Kono Statement," once pledged to empathize with the victims' suffering and face this issue as a lesson from history. Moreover, researchers from both Korea and Japan have worked tirelessly to uncover the substantial truth of the 'comfort women' issue and to bridge the perception gaps between different parties, with the goal of preventing the recurrence of war and violence not only in East Asia but globally. However, it is also true that such efforts have not been adequately sustained over time, and the issue has become mired in misunderstandings, prejudices, and fatigue.

The purpose of this conference was to overcome the current difficulties in productive discussion surrounding the Japan Military 'Comfort Women' issue. It aimed to address the broader public's "knowledge and understanding" of the history of war, colonialism, and the 'comfort women' issue.

In the first session, "Overcoming Historical Conflicts and the Task of Post-Colonialism," the conference addressed the challenges posed by perceptions of colonialism and its overcoming, which complicate the setting of issues for productive discussions. In the second session, "Understanding Colonial History Without Colonies and the Issue of Japan's Military 'Comfort Women'," the discussion examined the fact that, despite the 'comfort women' issue being a major focus, there has been a lack of knowledge-sharing on the sexual management policies and the issue of female trafficking in colonial Korea and other areas.