PRESS CONFERENCE
"80th Anniversary of World War II Series"
Wartime Sexual Violence in Manchuria
Documentary "In their own words"
Fumie Matsubara、Director
11:00-12:00 Wednesday, July 2, 2025
(The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation.)
*11:00-11:22 screening, 11:23-12:00 press conference. Livestream will start from 11:23.
Coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, a dark and rarely acknowledged chapter of Japan's wartime history is finally being brought to light.
"In their own words (Women of Kurokawa)," a new documentary by acclaimed director Fumie Matsubara, tells the harrowing story of 15 young Japanese women who were handed over to Soviet soldiers as sexual "offerings" by their own community in exchange for safe passage home. The film confronts not only the violence they endured in the final days of Japan's empire in Manchuria, but also the decades of shame, and discrimination they faced after their return before they courageously broke their silence in 2013.
Matsubara will come to the FCCJ to present a short version of the documentary and discuss the implications of the film that draws from years of investigative research and intimate testimony to depict how war dehumanizes the most vulnerable.
The film chronicles the ordeal of young women forced into sexual servitude, their return to a country that refused to acknowledge their trauma, and their eventual decision to come forward, not as victims, but as witnesses to history.
How to attend:
Please register at front@fccj.or.jp with your name, the name of your media outlet, and FCCJ membership number. Doors open 15 minutes before the event. Please sign in, giving your name and contact details at the reception, and have your temperature taken before proceeding.
How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live
How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/cABeN6bb9mm8RqBN9
TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event. FCCJ will limit live-streaming of FCCJ-hosted press conferences to Club members only. Non-members will no longer be permitted to live-stream these events. However, non-members may still film for reporting purposes and use footage after the press conference.
*こちらのイベントをオンライン視聴ご希望の方はFCCJ YouTubeチャンネルのライブ配信をご覧ください。会場での取材、TV撮影をご希望のメディアはfront@fccj.or.jp にてご予約ください。TV撮影は予約順、ライブ配信は会員のみに限定となり、非会員の方によるライブ配信はご遠慮いただきます。
Professional Activities Committee