The “Comfort Woman” Issue and Japan’s Extreme Right:  Examining Historical Revisionism in Contemporary Japan

• In Event: The Extreme Right, Xenophobia, and Historical Revisionism in Contemporary Japan

Abstract

The extreme-right, xenophobic movement that emerged in the mid 2000s has taken an interest since its inception in ongoing controversies connected with Japan’s colonial past, particularly surrounding the issue of former “comfort women”. They have argued a revisionist history, first advocated by conservatives in the 1990s, according to which the concept of “comfort women” is a fabrication created to inflame diplomatic conflicts by China and South Korea, and which have no connection to the human rights of women. What is notable with the extreme right’s approach, however, is its movement strategies. They are much more aggressive and proactive in their revisionist claims, with overtly racist and sexist tones, in demonstrations and on the internet. Moreover, they have strategically chosen women to be the leaders of this movement. Based on my extensive fieldwork and interviews with right-wing individuals and groups such as Zaitokukai and Nadeshiko Action, I will review how the xenophobic right has dealt with the issue and what its claims are, and the methods it uses to gain more supporters. I will also discuss the more recent trend under the second Abe administration in which the extreme right-wing movement, mainstream conservatives, and politicians are working together on various projects to synergistically target the “comfort woman” issue. I will argue that historical revisionism is a key component of the prominent ideologies of racism, sexism and xenophobia currently at work in Japan.

Author

• Tomomi Yamaguchi, Montana State University