The Apology follows three women who were among the more than 200,000 girls and young women kidnapped and forced into military sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Military in the years before and during World War II. Seventy years after their imprisonment and after decades of living in silence and shame, the survivors in the film give their first-hand accounts for the record, seeking acknowledgment and an official apology with the hope that this horrific chapter of history not be forgotten. As models of courage and perseverance, they carve a path for others to find reconciliation and justice. And they challenge viewers to examine why sexual violence continues to permeate military conflicts today.

The Apology is an excellent tool for outreach and will be of special interest to people who want to explore the following topics:

“comfort women”

conflict rape

constructions of manhood

gender studies

human rights

Japan

justice

Korea

militarized sexual violence

peace studies

rape

reconciliation

reparations

sexual slavery

sexual violence

trauma recovery

war

war crimes

wartime sexual violence

World War II