JAPANESE ACADEMICS REBUT RAMSEYER’S CLAIM

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Japanese academics have released theses rebutting Harvard University professor Mark Ramseyer's claim that comfort women were willing sex slaves. One of the renowned Japanese professors says Ramseyer's paper is preposterous.

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This notice was sent by the Japanese military to one of the army units in 1938, when Korea was Japan's colony. It says dealers for conscripting comfort women will be selected by the military, but they must liaise with local police on forced conscription. Professor Yoshiaki Yoshimi, highly regarded as Japan's leading authority on the comfort women issue, presented these materials to rebut Mark Ramseyer's claims.

[Soundbite] Yoshiaki Yoshimi(Honorary Prof., at Chuo Univ.)

Citing a document saying the Japanese government only permitted that prostitutes 21 years old or older be transported overseas in 1938, Professor Ramseyer denied that comfort women were coerced to serve as sex slaves for the Japanese army. However, Professor Yoshimi says Ramseyer ignored the fact that the document was never delivered to Korea at the time, and that even under-aged girls and women who never worked as prostitutes were also conscripted as comfort women. Professor Yoshimi blasted Ramseyer's paper as groundless. He also accused him of citing examples that run counter to facts.

[Soundbite] Yoshiaki Yoshimi(Honorary Prof. at Chuo Univ.)

Professor Onozawa Akane, known for her contributions to studying the history of Japan's state-regulated prostitution, also published a paper saying comfort women are different from state-regulated prostitution because their conscription was masterminded by the Japanese military. Japanese scholars are joining in the growing criticism of Ramseyer's claims. His preposterous paper is now creating momentum for uncovering the truth about Japan's wartime sex slavery.