Japanese Right-wing Extremists Step Up to ‘Protect’ Harvard Professor

Shown in this file photo taken on May 17, 2020, is a statue in central Seoul that symbolizes Korean women who were forcibly taken to front-line military brothels to serve Japanese soldiers during World War II. The victims are euphemistically called “comfort women.” (Yonhap)

SEOUL, March 8 (Korea Bizwire) — Right-wing extremists in Japan are stepping up to protect J. Mark Ramseyer, a Japanese legal studies professor at Harvard University who has claimed that sex slaves held captive by the Japanese military during World War II were ‘contractual prostitutes’.

Extremists are attempting to create a sentiment against calls to remove Ramseyer from his position for violating research ethics.

Japanese right-wing extremists, mostly active on Twitter and other online social platforms, are sending letters of appreciation to Lawrence S. Bacow, President of Harvard University, for claiming that Ramseyer’s paper falls under ‘academic freedom’.

They are also sharing Harvard Law School dean John F. Manning’s email address to include him in their list of appreciation.

Right-wing extremists have begun to take action in response to the massive criticism against Ramseyer’s controversial paper, to protect one of the few members of academia who makes claims in support of more extreme views.

They also began sending complaints to Northwestern University to censure Prof. Amy Stanley, who publicly requested that the International Review of Law and Economics reconsider publication of Ramseyer’s thesis.

The right-wing extremists claimed that Stanley made scornful, discriminatory remarks against Japan.

Some extremists even made threats upon the lives of those who oppose Ramseyer.

Ramseyer has reportedly been communicating regularly with Japanese extremists, one of whom claimed that he received a reply from Ramseyer denying Prof. Jeannie Suk Gersen’s New Yorker article in which she said the Harvard professor admitted to his mistakes during the process of writing the controversial thesis.

According to the claims made by the Japanese extremist, Ramseyer only admitted to mistakes in making references, which had nothing to do with the question of comfort women.

Many extremists are posting photos of replies they received from Ramseyer, who said “I will do my best” as he replied to their letters of encouragement.

H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)