is a

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

authored by Yoshinori Kobayashi published by Shogakukan in November 2000. A Chinese version was published in Taiwan by Avanguard Publishing in February 2001 sparking controversy and even imposing a travel ban on the author by

Taiwanese Taiwanese may refer to: * Taiwanese language, another name for Taiwanese Hokkien * Something from or related to Taiwan ( Formosa) * Taiwanese aborigines, the indigenous people of Taiwan * Han Taiwanese, the Han people of Taiwan * Taiwanese people, ...

officials.

Criticism

Critics of the book say it distorts history by claiming that Taiwanese women volunteered as

comfort women Comfort women or comfort girls were women and girls forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army in occupied countries and territories before and during World War II. The term "comfort women" is a translation of the Japanese '' ia ...

for Japanese soldiers during World War II. Such claims were backed by comments from petrochemical Chi Mei Corporation Chairman

Hsu Wen-lung Shi Wen-long or Hsu Wen-lung (; born 1928, Tainan Prefecture, Japanese-era Taiwan) is a Taiwanese businessman and the founder of Chi Mei Corporation, the largest maker of ABS resin in the world. He has been ranked among Forbes' World's Riches ...

whom the author cited as confirming that no women were forced into prostitution.

Responses to the book

Taiwan legislators and other protesters stormed Taipei's biggest bookstore, grabbing the books and setting them on fire on the sidewalk. On 2 March 2001 the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of China barred Kobayashi from travel to Taiwan, igniting objections from high ranking government officials including National Policy Advisor Alice King. President Chen Shui-bian spoke out in defense of King and Kobayashi stating that freedom of speech is the right of everyone and must be safeguarded. The ban was lifted on 23 March 2001.

References

{{Taiwan-stub

Criticism

Responses to the book

See also

References