Cao Heimao is seen at a courtyard on March 13, 2018. Cao died at the age of 96 in Qidong Village of Yuxian County, north China's Shanxi Province, July 24, 2018. In the autumn of 1941, Cao was captured by Japanese invaders and became a "comfort woman". Two years later, she fled and returned home. Women forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army before and during World War II were called "comfort women." Research shows some 400,000 women in Asia were forced to be "comfort women" for the Japanese army during World War II, nearly half of whom were Chinese. However, the Japanese government has refused to acknowledge legal responsibility for the "comfort women" issue so far. Reporters from Xinhua spent many years to look for the victims and recorded their current lives. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)
