Nearly two years after his death, Grant K. Goodman’s scholarly research on the subject of “comfort women,” a euphemism for the sex slaves working in the official brothels established throughout Southeast Asia by the Japanese Imperial Army for the pleasure of its soldiers during World War II, continues to provide key evidence that such atrocities occurred even though the Japanese government continues to deny the truth. The most recent account of Grant’s role in exposing all the details of this lurid chapter in Japanese history appears on the front page of the The Lawrence Journal World on 17 January 2016 (http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2016/jan/17/document-proving-wwii-comfort-women-now-home-ku-li/).
Another story which Grant frequently told, but which is not mentioned in the Journal-World article, is that Gen. Douglas MacArthur was believed by many Japanese to be a deity for having defeated the divine Emperor and the Japanese Imperial Army. Thus, hundreds of young Japanese women wrote letters to Gen. MacArthur after the war, offering to bear his children because he was “a god.” Grant translated all these letters, along with the incriminating documents about the sex slaves, and turned them over to the war office. He kept a copy of “Research Report No 120: Amenities in the Japanese Armed Forces” locked up in his safety deposit box but, unfortunately, he did not keep copies of any of the letters. But they are there, buried somewhere among the archives, waiting to be discovered by the next generation of historians and scholars.
From Mary Jane Dunlap:
I loved seeing Grant’s picture when I opened the paper this morning and knew immediately it has to be about his research on “comfort women.”
FromBarbara Schowen:
A wonderful article in the paper. He was special, as of course you know. I liked the photo of him as a young soldier.
From Victor Wallace:
That was a great ‘spread’ on Grant in today’s LJW.
Thanks for sharing. I’m sorry I never got to know him better.
From Ione Unruh:
I liked the article in today’s JW.
From Ellen Gold:
Nice article in the paper this a.m.
From Daity E. Salvosa:
Aha!
From Fred and Carolyn Madaus:
Thanks, Paul. Great coverage in the Sunday paper.
From Charles Levine:
How wonderful–a living legacy.
From Betty Laird:
Great article! I read it first thing this morning. I’m just so sorry that Grant couldn’t have lived to see it. He’d have loved it!
From Ben and Marilyn Tilghman:
We were glad to see the good and timely article about Grant in today’s Journal-World. We knew he had written on the subject of the “comfort women” the Japanese used during WWII, but this piece fills in a lot of details. Nice, too, to see the picture of young Grant in uniform.
From Paula Courtney:
I was thrilled to open the ljw this morning and see the article about Grant.
From Judi Geer Kellas:
I was shocked to open the LJW this morning & see Grant’s image!
From Alan Newton:
The issue is palpable among Koreans, who almost daily debate it — recently, of course, the merits of Abe’s apology (or non-apology, depending on whom you talk to).
From Emily Mosher:
That’s fascinating and important work. I’m honored to have known him.
From Audrey Kamb-Studdard:
Paul, this was a most interesting article in the JWorld.
Very nice. Thanks for your friendship of Grant and work in his behalf.
From Jeff Loeb:
Apparently, it isn’t just Abe who’s resisting the testimony. Did you see the controversy over Park Yu-ha’s work?
From Michael Priddy:
Thank you so much for sharing this link with me.
From Piet Knetsch:
Very excellent reading, glad it was published!
From David Katzmann:
Sharyn and I saw the article just before we left for Hawaii. You did a great job to bring it to attention and it honors Grant.
From Steve Rabson:
Grant’s former student Ed Drea sent me a copy of his translation, “Amenities in the Japanese Armed Forces.” It lists prices for Japanese, Chinese, and Korean sex slaves in the Philippines, and regulations on alcohol and condoms. This document was the “smoking gun” that finally forced the Japanese government to admit the Japanese military’s involvement in these atrocities. I wrote an article in the 1990’s for the Providence Journal newspaper about Grant’s discovery of it in his files. I interviewed him when the Army Japanese Language School had a reunion in Newport. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find the article now, but I still have the translated document.