The issue first burst into the spotlight in 1991 when victims from South Korea, the Philippines, and the Netherlands came forward to tell their story publicly and file a lawsuit in Japan demanding that the Japanese government make an official apology and pay compensation.
從一九九一年開始，包括南韓、菲律賓、以及荷蘭等國的受害者陸續向世人公開控訴，並向日本法院提起告訴，要求日本政府公開道歉、賠償。