On holiday in Hanoi, I found myself trying to explain ¡°comfort women¡± to my 13-year-old son. The historic settlement on Dec. 28 between Japan and South Korea had lit up everyone¡¯s phones, and he wanted to keep up with this breaking news.

Hearing the phrase ¡°comfort women,¡± he may have thought of his mom or of his two sisters, who were both home from college for a few weeks. But the image on our phones featured two dark-haired, dark-suited men shaking hands, a South Korean flag to the left, a Japanese flag to the right. Not many women or much comfort in the photo.

¡°So what¡¯s ¡®comfort women¡¯?¡± he asks.