A haunting portrait reveals the story of families born from marriages between Japanese soldiers and Vietnamese women during World War II. The photographer, Phan Quang, aimed to tell the stories of these families and their struggles with social hardships and the lifelong absence of their fathers.

The Project

Phan’s project, ‘Re/cover,’ features portraits of these families, draped in a white veil, symbolizing both matrimony and silence. The veil is a potent metaphor for the concealed-yet-visible state of these families. The project blends staged photography and documentary, showcasing the families’ stories and their struggles with dual identity and social stigma.

The families featured in the project faced extreme prejudice due to Japan’s occupation of Vietnam and the military’s history of sexual slavery through ‘comfort women.’ However, Phan sought out families born from mutual consent and love, whose stories were untold. One such family is that of Lê Thị Xuân and Yoshiharu Shimizu, who had two sons and one daughter. Despite the challenges they faced, their love remained strong, and they preserved their family’s history and belongings.

Recognition and Reconciliation

In recent years, Japan has taken steps to recognize and mend the fractured history. In 2017, the former Emperor Akihito met with 16 descendants of these Vietnamese and Japanese marriages. Phan hopes that his project will contribute to the recognition of these families as citizens and help to heal the wounds of the past.

Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.