Screeshot of Twenty Two official Weibo account, which writes "Li Ailian has passed away on Tuesday." (File photo)

Li Ailian, a 91-year-old former“comfort woman”who was forced to provide sex to Japanese soldiers during World War II, passed away in North China's Shanxi Province on Tuesday.

There are now only seven former“comfort women”alive in China, reports said.

Li, from Changzhi, Shanxi Province, was forced by Japan's army to serve as a "comfort woman" at the age of 17. In 1937, Japanese invaders started to establish “comfort stations” on a large scale. At least 400,000 women were forced to provide sex to the soldiers of Japan's occupying army.

She was featured in a documentary film about the sufferings of "comfort women."

Zhang Shuangbing , the first person in China to fight for the rights of the "comfort women" and story teller in another film"Great Cold" , has a close relation with "comfort women" in China including Li Ailian.

Zhang said he had been to Li's home to visit her a week earlier.

"I grieved when I heard the news. I was going to buy some things for her because of the approaching spring festival. I did not expect her to pass away," he said on his social media account.

(Compiled by Lyu Feisha)