Saigon-horizontale japonaise

Kidnapped by specialised pimps (zeigen) or sold by starving families, thousands of poor rural Japanese girls were forced into prostitution. Called "karayuki" (outward-bound), many were shipped out to brothels dotted about Japanese treaty-ports in China and East Asia.The practice, conducted with full government endorsement, continued until the end of the Pacific war. Later, the karayuki were joined by women from Korea and Japanese-occupied territories and all became collectively known by the euphemism "comfort women."

This karayuki looks a force to be reckoned with. The French term "horizontale" applied to the upper ranks of the profession (e.g. La Belle Otero, Cora Pearl, et al) and, whatever this one was, she was obviously no wallflower!