[Statement] We criticise Harvard University for stigmatizing Prof. Ramseyer, as being pro Japanese, for his claim that comfort women were not sex slaves.

(Recently, Professor John Mark Ramseyer of Harvard University Law School, wrote a paper entitled, 'Contracting for sex in the Pacific War,' in which he stated, the Japanese and korean comfort women were neither sex slaves, nor forcefully abducted by the Japanese army .

The domestic media became angered, and with a united voice, proclaimed that his remark was reckless, and labeled him as ProJapanese.)

(Some accused him of pro-Japanese "because he was brought up in Japan, so he was greatly influenced by Japanese culture," while ``Professor Mitsubishi, Japanese Law Research Society,'' included in the title of Professor Ramseyer on the Harvard Law School website, was linked to Japanese companies. It also implies.)

( The charges are due to the media's conventional tactics, which in practice is, if the message is not liked, or is unpopular, attack the person who has created the unpopular message. This "black propaganda," or what is also known as a "smear campaign," is used by opposed groups, or people whose position may be at risk due to this paper.)

( In today's era of globalization, we often use the ability to conveniently travel to and from other countries, based upon the situation. In this, Professor Ramseyer and his travels to Japan are no exceptions. In addition, Mitsubishi's donations and support cannot be said to be special, because the relationship and cooperation between industry-academia can be considered a common and normal occurrence.)

( In August 2019, according to the SBS networks 'I want to know that’, the research work of Prof. Young-Hoon Lee and Byung-Jik Ahn at that time, was supported by the Toyota Foundation. Therefore, it was accused of being pro-Japanese. This is but a single example of the distorted viewpoints of the major domestic media outlets. We can give proof that support by a Japanese corporation does not make the research pro Japanese. An example of this can be seen by taking a look at Professor Han Hong-gu, with the support of the Toyota Foundation, who studied Kim Il-sung's anti-Japanese armed struggle in Manchuria, the historical origin of the establishment of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Also, the work of the late Seoul mayor, Park Won-soon, regarding the 'Hope Factory. Both were done with support by the Toyota Foundation. The support did not cause a pro Japan outlook.)

( Prof. Ramseyer's point is that "comfort women" were an extension of the prostitution business, which was operated under a permit system of the Japanese government during colonial times. The brothels and prostitutes pursued their own interests under their respective conditions." In other words, it is argued that "comfort stations are the overseas military versions of the certified brothels in Japan and Korea at the time." Also,"neither Japanese, nor Korean comfort women were sex slaves, and were not abducted by the Japanese military nor forced into prostitution.")

( There is no room for reconsideration as it is a historical fact that the comfort women were moved to the battlefield under Japanese colonial rule. The issue here is that "there were many women who wanted to engage in prostitution, so only 62% of the applicants in Tokyo from 1920 to 1927 were certified prostitutes.")

( Therefore, it seems that the size of the brothel, which tolerated by the Gongchang,(Japanese prostitution laws) was significant on the Korean Peninsula, as well. In fact, according to data from the Japan Defense Agency, at the time, the comfort stations were divided into △military-managed comfort stations △military-only comfort stations supervised and controlled by the military, △community stations temporarily designated by the military as private brothels △private brothels, etc. The difficulty of management can be fully recognized and understood, as one brothel could have very different conditions than another.)

( Here, we find a contradiction in Professor Ramseyer's judgment, as he states, “the comfort woman problem in Joseon was also caused by the deception of the workers recruiters, or agents, which was common in Joseon at the time”. Is it possible to simply ask about the so-called “Korean pimping responsibility theory” concerning the illegal practices that occurred during the 'wartime total mobilization system,' which was led by the state?)

( In fact, the Japanese government has been working hard with the Asian Women's Fund and the Korea-Japan Comfort Agreement in 2015, along with comprehensive responsibilities in the last war, which includes inadequate public power in relation to incidents and accidents in various countries. This includes, but is not limited to only Korea, but also in the country of aggression. This fact has been reconfirmed.)

( In addition, it should be taken into account that the “victim-centered” offensive, which has become a global trend by feminists, was an inevitable choice by the Japanese government. This is because of the comfort women issue, which has become a prerequisite to the UN Human Rights Commission and Amnesty International.)

( Yoon Mi-hyang, former CEO of Daehyup Chung, and the Democratic Party lawmaker, has been handed over to trial on eight charges, including embezzlement, dismissal, and quasi-fraud. In addition, two former managers, including former director Ahn Shin-kwon, of the House of Sharing, were also charged with six charges, including fraud, violation of the Donation Law, and business embezzlement.)

( The fact must be known to all, that the battle of the people who invited diplomatic hostilities, by installing statues that are markedly different from the historical facts, are behaving true to their hostile nature. Are you anxious about Professor Ramseyre's thesis? If so, do not attack people, but opely and truthfully discuss the content in depth, and fully research from all possible angles. The propaganda of the anti-Japanese statue, and anti-Japanese sentiment, by particular groups and people, is on the rise. This will only cause prolonged hostilities and division among nations.)

2/3/2021

The Committee for Truthful Investigation on Anti-Japanese Statues.