Abstract
J. Mark Ramseyer’s publications on the topics of wartime “comfort women” and Japan’s minorities have become the focus of intense controversy. His article on “comfort women” in the International Review of Law and Economics gained global scrutiny following its coverage in Japan’s right-wing newspaper, Sankei Shimbun, and its English-language publication, Japan Forward. Ramseyer claims that “comfort women” willingly entered into sex-work contracts, denying responsibility by Japan’s military and government for the “comfort station” system. He also insists that naming this system “sexual slavery” is “pure fiction” – a stance shared by Japanese history denialists in Japan. Since the controversy over his publications, Ramseyer has been working closely with Japan’s right-wing faction, appearing in their symposiums and media. The controversy over Ramseyer must be understood in the larger political context of widespread historical revisionism in Japan. In this chapter, I will situate Ramseyer’s writings and actions in the context of the so-called “history wars” by the Japanese right-wing and the Japanese government. In particular, I will discuss the Ramseyer controversy in the context of the “strategic communication” policy by the Japanese government, and the right-wing efforts to disseminate revisionist claims in English to academics and politicians abroad.
Recommended Citation
Yamaguchi, Tomomi
(2022)
"Ramseyer, the Japanese Right-wing and the “History Wars”,"
Journal of International Women's Studies: Vol. 24:
Iss.
9, Article 4.
Available at:
https://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol24/iss9/4