Scholars from across the globe have signed an online letter expressing concern over Harvard law professor John Mark Ramseyer's controversial paper, in which the Mitsubishi Professor of Japanese Legal Studies argues that the women and girls servicing Japanese military during World War Two were willing and contracted prostitutes.
The letter is drafted by Professor Michael Chwe at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Together with fellow economists, he calls on the editors of the International Review of Law and Economics, which is set to publish the article “Contracting for Sex in the Pacific War” in its March edition, to take all necessary corrective measures to address the stated concerns and explain their decision-making process and scholarly standards.
The letter says the article goes beyond mere academic failure or malpractice and the author is using economics and game theory as cover to legitimize horrific atrocities. It said that any responsible scholar, after understanding the facts, would condemn the article and call for its retraction.
The letter added that they do not wish to limit academic freedom as academics should not shy away from analyzing controversial and disturbing topics.
As of Wednesday afternoon, close to 750 scholars, historians, journal editors, students and activists from the U.S., Korea, Australia, Hong Kong, China and the U.K. have signed the letter.
Responding to an inquiry by KBS, the journal's publisher Elsevier confirmed the article will be included in the March print edition.