Between 1932 and 1945, the Imperial Japanese government organized the largest system of government-sponsored human trafficking and sexual slavery in modern history. It is unclear how many victims were affected, but estimates are that 200,000 to 410,000 women and girls (some as young as 12) were held at government-created brothels - called “comfort stations” - where they were continuously raped by Japanese soldiers. The victims were taken from their homes in Japanese-occupied areas, mostly from Korea and China, but also from the Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, East Timor, the Dutch East Indies, and Japan itself. Today, most people still use the euphemism that the Japanese military created to label these victims - “comfort women.”

These are the facts. 

This is the black-and-white history of the Japanese Imperial government’s so-called “comfort women” system. 

However, in January, a legal studies professor at Harvard Law School published a paper called “Contracting for Sex in the Pacific War”, which FALSELY claims that these “comfort women” were voluntarily employed under contracts. His article blatantly ignores the body of reliable and accurate historical evidence that has been identified on the issue, and makes a dubious claim akin to denying other international historical tragedies and crimes.

Alarmingly, there has been little official reaction to this to date. Ramseyer’s career has not been affected, and the extreme social impact of his lies has not been acknowledged. His article is STILL set to be published in the International Review of Law and Economics this March. 

Also, Ramseyer has a clear trend of repeating this kind of fictional “history” about the “comfort women'' issue, especially downplaying Imperial Japanese war crimes and pushing a pro-Japanese narrative. In 2008, 2019, 2020, and 2021, there have been multiple incidents of Ramseyer disputing the characterization of the “comfort women” system as slavery, instead asserting that it was voluntary prostitution on the part of peasant Korean women. He has been supported by Japanese publications like the Sankei Shimbun, which is known for its biased, nationalist reporting, and he enjoys the friendships and generosity of conservative Japanese officials. At the same time, he is given the social status and academic power of a Harvard law school professor. 

This is not Ramseyer’s first attempt to delegitimize the trauma and suffering of those hundreds of thousands of victims. If we don’t stop him, it will certainly not be his last. Thus, this petition has THREE goals. 

Firstly, it seeks to remove ALL publications of Ramseyer’s claims that victims of the Japanese Imperial army’s sexual slavery were actually voluntary employees.

Secondly, it demands an apology from Ramseyer for attempting to erase the painful lived history of the victims of the “comfort women” tragedy. 

Thirdly, it asks the editorial board of the International Review of Law and Economics to formally apologize for greenlighting Ramseyer’s misleading and biased article. As a highly-regarded journal with a far-reaching social impact, it has failed in its ethical, moral and academic responsibility to ensure that its publications are accurate, historically thorough, and sound. 

Sign the petition! Hold people like Ramseyer accountable for his actions. Uphold the dignity of the survivors of Japanese military sexual slavery. Ensure that the truth cannot be rewritten.