Author: Tomoko Hifumi

Reviewed Book: Mark Ramseyer, transtated by Nobukatsu Fujioka, Yumiko Yamamoto, Shunichi Fujiki, Yoshiaki Yano and Hiromichi Moteki, Complete Refutation by Prof. Ramseyer
Reviewer: Jason Morgan（Associate Professor, Reitaku University）

Review by Jason Morgan

Articled in "Historical Awareness Research" Vol.14, 2024by Historical Awareness Research Committee

The name of Professor J. Mark Ramseyer of Harvard Law School has now become well known in Japan. It all started with a mere eight-paged paper Professor Ramseyer posted on the website of the academic journal on law and economics, International Review of Law and Economics in December 2020. The paper was titled “Contracting for Sex in the Pacific War.” In his paper, the professor contested the characterization of comfort women as sexual slaves, suggesting instead that their situation resembled an extension of a business model similar to “indentured servitude.” He employed economic “game theory” to support his analysis. Nothing happened immediately after the post.

Then, anti-Ramseyer campaign started when the news opinion website “Japan Forward” introduced the summary of the professor’s paper in English on January 12, 2021, and on the 28th of the same month, the Japanese newspaper The Sankei Shimbun published an explanation and a summary by Professor Fukui Yoshitaka at Aoyama Gakuin University.[i] First, in South Korea and then in the United States and other countries of the English-speaking sphere and Japan, a wave of hatred against Professor Ramseyer erupted and grew violently, materializing in various “accusations.”

“History revisionist,” “history denier,” “the same as the Holocaust deniers,” “white supremacist” and “racial discriminator,” etc. --all kinds of thinkable slanders and groundless accusations were made against Professor Ramseyer, demanding his apology for what he wrote and the withdrawal of his paper. A barrage of blackmail and threats poured against Professor Ramseyer, and he even received a death threat. The most shocking fact about the incidents was that those who led the anti-Ramseyer campaign and violently instigated the hate-movement were so-called “scholars” employed at universities in South Korea, Japan, the United States, Australia and Singapore. Thus, Professor Ramseyer came to be known in Japan through his study on comfort women and the chaotic confusion over that study.

Though many Japanese may know the name of Professor Ramseyer and may be aware that he has been studying the comfort women issue, only a few can describe correctly his ideas. Under such circumstances, the book Complete Refutation by Prof. Ramseyer came along. The book is a collection of Professor Ramseyer’s papers which prove theoretically that comfort women played a part in the well-regulated prostitution business, based on the licensed private prostitution system as a legal business. Those women voluntarily entered into “indentured labor contracts” on the premise of the payment of high wages, which proved that there was no systematic or forced abduction of women on the part of the Japanese Government or military. The book was translated into Japanese. The editing and translation work was done by the Deputy Chairman of the Japan Society for History Textbook Reform Mr. Fujioka Nobukatsu and four other persons participated in the work. The translated book includes three papers written by Professor Ramseyer as the result of his research over the past thirty plus years and the fourth paper was rebuttal of his critics. The first paper was published in 1991 under the title “Indentured Prostitution in Imperial Japan: Credible Commitments in the Commercial Sex Industry”.[ii]

The second paper was “Comfort Women and the Professors.” The third paper was “Contracting for Sex in the Pacific War”, which instantly made Professor Ramseyer famous. The fourth paper was “Contracting for Sex in the Pacific War: A Response to my critics.”[iii]

One thing to regret is that the book does not include the paper “The Comfort Women Issue and the North Korean Connection,”[iv] co-authored by Professor Ramseyer and Professor Arima Tetsuo at Waseda University. In addition, the four papers were written over a period of more than thirty years and since they include refutation, there are some duplicate parts. But let me make it clear that duplications do not matter when it comes to the true value of Professor Ramseyer’s study. It is truly a blessing that Professor Ramseyer’s monumental study, though only part of it, was translated into Japanese for the first time for Japanese readers to appreciate.

Professor Ramseyer’s study is not just about comfort women. Together with Professor John Owen Haley, a predecessor of Professor Ramseyer in the field of study on history of the Japanese legal system by European and American scholars, Professor Ramseyer is known to everyone and has devoted his scholarly career to understanding the Japanese society and its legal system and history of legal economics, using the principles of the Chicago School of economics which applies the method of micro economics not only to economic issues but also to various other issues present in the society. I would like to urge those who become interested in Professor Ramseyer’s studies through the book Complete Refutation by Prof. Ramseyer to read other papers written by the Professor, who is an expert on the Japanese legal and economic history.

In his 2020 paper “Contracting for Sex in the Pacific War,” Professor Ramseyer argued – using game theory method associated with the Chicago School of economics – that comfort women worked under commercial contracts within a licensed prostitution system. The paper, unfortunately, provoked significant backlash and threats. Game theory, in simple terms, is a framework used to model strategic decision-making among multiple actors, each seeking to maximize their own benefit.  Professor Ramseyer applies the “game theory” concept of “credible commitments” to the relationship between comfort station owners and the women who worked there. According his analysis, owners sought to secure profit by establishing trust with the women. While the women, in turn, could increase their own expected payment by cooperating within the contractual framework; in this model, both parties are seen as pursuing mutually beneficial self-interest. Ramseyer thus argues, using microeconomic reasoning, that comfort women – or their families – chose participation in the licensed prostitution system as strategy to improve their lives within a limited set of option.

As clearly seen in the first and second papers in Complete Refutation by Prof. Ramseyer, “Contracting for Sex in the Pacific War” is a result of studies in which Professor Ramseyer has long been engaged that prove the effective combination of the contract system of comfort women and its rationality on one hand and the “game theory” in microeconomics on the other. His studies do not discuss ethical issues concerning prostitution nor do they deny the existence of comfort women. I cannot help wondering why then it caused such fuss as to induce the violent anti-Ramseyer campaign.

Among Professor Ramseyer’s critics, some argue loudly, “There were no actual contracts exchanged between the comfort women and their employers, therefore Ramseyer is a fraud!” However, if you read his paper, it clearly indicates what was written in the contracts, because although he did not verify the “real” contract, he obtained many pieces of evidence from related sources of that time.

This means that among his critics there are those who did not read Professor Ramseyer’s papers or did not understand them. These people should not be allowed to criticize the professor’s papers or slander his personality.

Beside the professor’s four papers, the “Prologue: The fuss over the Ramseyer papers and the background: On the publication of the Japanese-versioned collection of my papers” is also worth reading. At the time when Professor Ramseyer was not only plagued by harassment but was also intimidated by death threats, he frequently contacted me about the situation. Hearing and witnessing the shameless conduct of the self-proclaimed “scholars,” I re-recognized the poor level of learning and civil consciousness of American universities and researchers. Professor Ramseyer had to endure long and merciless harassment since he published “Contracting for Sex in the Pacific War,” but unlike many other scholars, he did not apologize neither did he admit non-existent fault and he did not withdraw his papers which he believes to be correct. It was Ramseyer’s pride as a scholar. I heartily admire his undaunted scholar’s spirit.

At the time when he was exposed to severe attacks and threats, there was no room for laughing and we were totally at a loss about how to cope with the dire situation. Thinking back, after the publication of the book Complete Refutation by Prof. Ramseyer, we realize how comical the behavior of the “scholars” in the English-speaking sphere in the United States and elsewhere was. What is interesting here is that “scholars’” words and deeds and their unquestionable belief that they are right appear several times more ridiculous when they are translated into Japanese than in the original English texts. In fact, when I was reading the Prologue, “the fuss over Ramseyer’s papers and the background,” I could not help but laugh aloud several times. Complete Refutation by Prof. Ramseyer will play a great role in helping readers understand the moral depravity of many scholars in the English-speaking sphere as scholars and humans.

I am very happy that through the publication of Complete Refutation by Prof. Ramseyer, three other papers besides “Contracting for Sex in the Pacific War” were translated into Japanese and became easily accessible to the Japanese people. I have read all the papers included in the book in English. The translation team led by Mr. Fujioka did an excellent job, concisely grasping Professor Ramseyer’s intention and making the book a wonderful translation work. Thanks to their efforts, I am perfectly sure that Professor Ramseyer’s clear logic using the legal economic analysis will be understood by the Japanese readers. I pay my heart-felt respect to the translation and editing team.

To understand the present situation of the “historical controversial warfare” still being fought, the book Complete Refutation by Prof. Ramseyer should be widely read. Although there may be some misspelling in the references in the note, what matters is that the results of the studies on Japanese legal history and economic system have been translated into precise and dutiful Japanese.

Lastly, let me conclude my review by stating my wish. My wish is that Professor Ramseyer’s many other studies will be translated into precise and easy-to-read Japanese and published like this book. Professor Ramseyer is well-known in Japan for his studies related to comfort women. And yet, as I mentioned in the beginning, his studies cover a vast array of topics and are very profound. From the bottom of my heart, I’m looking forward to the day when my wish comes true.

(Translated and edited by Fujioka Nobukatsu and Yamamoto Yumiko, translated by Fujiki Shunichi, Yano Yoshiaki and Moteki Hiromichi, [v] Heart Publisher, 2023, 1980 yen.)

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[i] “Professor Ramseyer refutes the criticism, No evidence of forced abduction” The Sankei Newspaper, dated January 14, 2021 https://www.sankei.com/article/20220114-TGQAHT3XQZNLFEUAR7GJDHN62U/ (pay article)

[ii] J. Mark Ramseyer, “Indentured Prostitution in Imperial Japan: Credible Commitments in the Commercial Sex Industry,” Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, vol.7, No.1 (Spring, 1991), pp89-116 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/764879) was translated into Japanese in 1993. See Sono Hiroo “Geisha Contract—Credible Commitments in the Commercial Sex Industry,” “Hokudai Collection of Papers on Study of Law, Hokkaido University, Law Department, October 25, 1993  https://eprints.lib.hokudai.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/2115/15533/d1/44%283%29_p206-160.pdf

See p.109 of the volume under review for reference to the same translation.

[iii] In January 2024, several papers related to the comfort women issue written by Professor Ramseyer were translated into the Korean language and published in one volume, though contents are somewhat different.

[iv] “The comfort women issue and the North Korean connection,” co-authored by Professor Arima Tetsuo at Waseda University and Professor Mark Ramseyer at Graduate School, Harvard University and posted on “Social Science Research Network (SSRN) (digital academic magazine) on August 17, 2022. (The original text is written in English.)

[v] https://www.810.co.jp/hon/ISBN978-4-8024-0172-2.html

Reviewed By Hifumi Tomoko

Author : Max von Schuler
Publisher: Heart Publisher (2024/11/6)
Date of publication: November 6, 2024
Language: Japanese
Book form: paperback with 208 pages
ISBN-10: 4802401833
ISBN-13: 978-402401838

This book vividly describes the critical realities the United States has been engulfed in and thoroughly reveals the prospect of a destructive future in store for the United States. The true United States is reflected in it, far from the ideal United States most Japanese envisage as powerful, free and full of hopes. It is a totally decayed America, plagued by immigrants, ruined by the leftist administration’s abnormal policies, with devastated local cities and subjected to extremist calls for diversity and LGBTQ.

However, this book’s aim is not simply to expose the true and naked United States. What the author truly wants to convey through this book is a warning to Japan. He wants to ring a warning to Japan, which blindly believes that the illusionary America is real, and obediently follows and trusts the illusion. If things stay as they are, Japan itself will sink and collapse along with the United States. This is what this author worries about and fears the most.

This author’s advice to the Japanese people who believe what the biased Japanese media tell them and critically regard the Trump Administration and thus fail to see the true America is truly useful and timely in terms of avoiding the imminent destruction.

His advice is so urgent that there is no time to waste. As many as possible Japanese should wake up from the blind worship of America and return to the original and clear-cut principle that one must defend one’s own country. This book duly serves the objective, urging the Japanese people to wake up and return to the original task of defending Japan’s independence.

This book’s great characteristic is that it is written both in English and Japanese. English used in the book is easy for high school students to read without much difficulty. The reason for the bi-lingual edition is not known, but hopefully this book may be used at university and high school English classes or it may be this author’s wish that this book may be read in that manner.

Let me briefly explain the book’s composition.

Chapter I: “The Present United States” digs out various wounds the United States embraces. The tyranny of leftist Blacks, disorder caused by illegal immigrants, increasing numbers of drug addicts, dwindled police force and worsening security, ubiquitous LGBTQs citing diversity, local cities heading toward destruction, racial conflicts, weakened U.S. military, education tilting to the left and the existence of feminism, which is the root of most evils. All of the above are deep-rooted problems in the United States. However, some of them cannot be said to have nothing to do with Japan’s current situation. Wrong! Rather, they have much to do with Japan today. It can be said that they show Japan in the future.

Chapter II: “America’s Future” predicts the election, as of the time before the 2024 Presidential election, and forecasts both cases, what if Trump is elected and what if not. As it turned out that Trump was elected, the worst scenario was avoided.

Chapter III: “What Japan should do” first refers to what Japan should not do in order to avoid destruction and then suggests what Japan should do. In gist, it is a matter-of-factly as an independent state that the people should defend their own country, which is not fully carried out in present Japan.

One thing uncertain is whether the United States or rather the entire global trend has become controlled by the leftist power, or the leftist power permeated the world. How did the world fail to do something beforehand to prevent the leftist takeover?

Though such questions remain unanswered, this book will surely help Japanese people wake up, think and act to protect Japan’s independence. I would like many Japanese people to read this book by all means.

About the author Max von Shuler

Real name: Max von Shuler Kobayashi

Former member of the United States Marine Corps. In 1974, he came to Iwakuni Base in Japan as a United States Marine Corps and served in Japan and South Korea.

After he retired from the Marine Corps, he worked at International Christian University and a security guard company, acted in a popular movie Diary of a Fishing Maniac, Series 8, narrated for “Adachi Art Museum vocal guide” and engaged in other activities in Japan.

He also disseminates information through a YouTube official channel, “You can learn MAX military history.” His books are: An American Speaks: Japanese History that the United States Wants to Hide and An American Speaks: The United States Collapses through a Civil War, both in popular editions by Heart Publisher, The Pacific War Japan Trapped by the United States (WAC), Darkness of White Americans (Cherry Blossoms Publishing) and The United States Became a Socialist State through Coup d’Etat, (Seirin-do).

Revieed Book: Historical Sources Unravel the Issue of “Mobilized Korean Workers,” published by Soshi-sha, 2024
Author: Nagatani Ryosuke
Reviewer: Tomoko Hifumi, Senior Reseacher, International Research Institute of Historical Controversies

This book is an epoch-making academic book, dealing with the disputed issue of Korean “mobilized workers.” Based on closely examined primary historical sources, it completely refutes the alleged “forced mobilization and forced labor” theory that during the war, Korean people were compulsorily mobilized from the Korean Peninsula and forced to work at Japanese coal and other mines.

Its author, Mr. Nagatani Ryosuke, is a researcher at the Historical Awareness Research Committee and a visiting researcher at the Reitaku University Study Center of International Issues. Mr. Nagatani was born in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1986 and graduated from the Department of Culture and History of Kumamoto University. He completed the doctoral course of Japan Study Institute at the graduate school of Hosei University and obtained the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. After graduating from the graduate school of Hosei University, he joined the Historical Awareness Research Committee (President: Nishioka Tsutomu) and is actively engaged in studying mainly the issue of wartime Korean workers. He co-authored The True Nature of Wartime Korean Workers (published by the General Incorporated Foundation National Congress of Industrial Heritage).

The theory of “forced mobilization” and “forced labor” was ignited by the publication of a book titled The Record of Forced Mobilization of Koreans written by a person named Park Kyon-sik in 1965. At present, the historical examination on Park Kyon-sik’s arguments has proved to be largely problematic. Nevertheless, the theory of forced mobilization and forced labor has never been abandoned, but is still smoldering, often being used politically and is about to simmer at any moment. This has not remained an academic issue limited to the historical circles. In fact, in 2018, the South Korean Supreme Court ordered Shin-Nittetsu Sumi Kin (a Japanese steel company) to compensate former South Korean workers for the alleged forced labor during the war. After the Supreme Court decision, the number of lawsuits demanding compensation from Japanese companies increased and in all the lawsuits, the plaintiffs have won. It goes without saying that all of these court rulings are against the Agreement on the Settlement of Problems Concerning Properties and Claims and on Economic Co-operation between Japan and the Republic of Korea, concluded in 1965. Thus, historical issues tend to be used politically.

This book is composed of two parts.

The first part contains the refutation of the narrative of “forced mobilization” and “forced labor” of wartime Korean workers. Chapter One refutes the concept of “forced mobilization,” through the detailed explanation of the recruiting process based on historical sources and proves that most of the workers came to Japan voluntarily. Chapter Two refutes “forced labor.” Here, historical sources are concretely analyzed in terms of wages, meals and working hours.

The second part vividly describes how Korean workers worked and lived, based on the primary historical sources. Chapter Three shows the life and work of Korean workers based on “Tokko Geppo” (Special Higher Police Monthly Report), which was compiled by the Security Section of Police Department of the Ministry of the Interior. The entire picture of labor conflicts by Korean workers is shown. Chapter Four deals with Nisso Teshio Coal Mine in Hokkaido, Chapter Five describes Sado Gold Mine and Chapter Six takes up Mitsui Miike Coal Mines. Through these studies, it is verified that the idea of “forced labor” is not factual and historical facts are revealed from objective viewpoints.

This book clearly portrays this author’s scholarly attitudes totally focusing on the principles as a history scholar. He has been steadily unearthing primary sources and strictly analyzing and examining them—theories and views induced through such steady and reliable work prove to be certainly objective and irrefutable.

Those who support “forced mobilization” and “forced labor” theories mainly depend on statements made by South Koreans as grounds for their conviction. Their testimonies alone are made much of and they are celebrated as “surviving witnesses.” Once objection or doubt is cast on their statements, they get so emotional and upset that they fiercely fight back, totally out of control, saying that their honor is damaged. Such tendency became more significant after the comfort women issue came up. Moreover, although the testimonies are primary sources, they are arbitrarily used or based on arbitrary interpretations. Among primary sources, they pick up only convenient ones that support their view and do not refer to what is inconvenient. They go even further, adding distorted interpretations in favor of their own view.

This author bravely challenges these ill trends in the history study society and strongly warns readers of the wrong and dangerous trend that influences history studies. Those who study history should not have prejudice or preoccupation. I would like to have those “forced mobilization” advocates pick up this book and sincerely look through all the primary sources and then try to refute it in an academic manner. Such an attitude will surely contribute to the sound development of learning. At the same time, this book will provide a good opportunity to start solving the deep-rooted and never-ending (because the South Korean side repeatedly brings back what has been once resolved to the table) historical issue.

In addition, to promote the true friendship between Japan and South Korea, I ardently hope that South Koreans soaked in anti-Japan thinking will read this book as a wake-up call. In a sense, South Koreans dyed with anti-Japan thinking can be called victims of the South Korean Government. On the other hand, I want Japanese people who have been made the perpetrators of “forced mobilization and forced labor” to read this book, by all means. Even if they don’t read through pages, just take up this book in hand and read the table of contents and feel the dubious claim of the “forced mobilization and forced labor.” Not to refute at the right time means a defeat in historical issue warfare and leaves far bigger regrets than armed forces and military wars. Knowing the truth is the stronger foundation of national strength, more important than the possession of armed or military forces. 

Author：Jason Morgan（Associate Professor, Reitaku University）

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Source：A Massacre in the Making: Separating Truth from Fiction about Nanking (Substack)

Translate：Tomoko Hifumi（Senior Researcher, iRICH）