Criticism has erupted around the world over the paper “Contracting for sex in the Pacific War” written by Mark Ramseyer, a Mitsubishi professor at Harvard University Law School. Ramseyer insists tha “comfort women” by Japanese imperial military made “credible contracts” with recruiters regardless of the Japanese government or the Japanese military. Ramseyer further insists that the “comfort women” were certified prostitutes. However, the Japanese government selected recruiters secretly and provided them with convenience in mobilizing women. Recruiters have deceived women, mainly by job fraud, into kidnapping them to military brothels. The recruiters signed with Japanese women as barmaids (shakuhu), meaning women who served drinks. However, the Japanese military brothels were prohibited from drinking. Almost Korean women were illiterate in 1940’s, so recruiters did not make contract papers with them. It was very easy to deceive Korean women to make sexual slaves of Japanese military. The surviving Japanese military’s surgeon or soldiers testified that Korean “comfort women” had been sexual slaves.

1. Introduction
2. Review
    A. The Japanese military did hire recruiters to abduct women.
    B. Both the Japanese government and military designated the recruiters.
    C. Ramseyer’s false claim of “credible commitments” from all women
    D. Ramseyer’s mix-up of prostitute (sex-worker) contract and barmaidcontract.
    E. Had comfort women high incomes?
    F. Comfort women as sex slaves
    G. Controversies of Ramseyer’s Paper: Critical Comments
3. Conclusion

• Yuji Hosaka(Professor of Political Science at Sejong University. B.A. (U. Tokyo), Ph.D. (Korea U.))