Source: MBC News Desk
Interviewed and reported by: Yeongseo Im, correspondent
Date: February 21, 2013
Original Link: https://imnews.imbc.com/replay/2013/nwdesk/article/3237373_30357.html
Anchor: An aged former Japanese military medic, who was in charge of the physical examination of Korean "comfort women", testified to MBC about his experiences at that time which shows clear evidence that the Japanese military managed the "comfort women." This is an exclusive report by correspondent Yeongseo Im.
Reporter: Masayashi Matsumoto is ninety-one years old. Conscripted at the age of 21 in 1944, he was placed in the headquarters of the 7th battalion of the GATTAME Corps in Northwest China as a medic. The first thing he witnessed in the 300-member unit was the shocking scene of 6 to 7 Korean "comfort women" serving the troops.
Matsumoto: By force... they were slaves, so to speak. Sex slaves.
Reporter: His main duty as a medic was to exam these women for sexually transmitted diseases.
Matsumoto: My job was to test them for STDs once a month. The military doctor did it but the medics were supposed to help, so we did it together.
Reporter: There were so many customers during the weekends that the check up dates were set up during the weekdays. This was a rule that should never be violated.
Matsumoto: (Condoms in the medical room) piled up like a mountain. My job was to give them out to the soldiers and tell them to be careful.
Reporter: He recollected that the "comfort station" was located right next to the unit, surrounded by walls that it was impossible to escape. It’s a memory he didn’t want to recall, but he couldn’t just bury it due to the continuing distortion against the “comfort women” issue, he said.
Matsumoto: This country, Japan, did terrible things. Because we don’t recognize it, we do wrong things again.
Reporter: Prime Minister Abe will hold a U.S. - Japan summit tomorrow. We are paying close attention to what stance Abe will take on some of the controversial history issues including the Japanese military "comfort women" issue. This is Yeongseo Im for MBC News, in Tokyo.