Recently, two scholars, Thomas J. Ward and William D. Lay from the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA, published a thesis exploring the issue titled Park Statue Politics: World War II Comfort Women Memorials in the United States. The following is an excerpt from the abstract of the book:
"They recount only the Korean version of this history, which this text finds incomplete. They do not mention that, immediately following World War II, American soldiers also frequented Japan’s comfort women stations. They say nothing of how, to the present day, GIs continue to patronize Asian women and girls organized in brothels near their barracks. The Korean narrative also ignores the significant role that Koreans played in recruiting women and girls into the system. Intentionally or not, comfort women memorials in the United States promote a political agenda rather than transparency, accountability and reconciliation."
Dezaki's movie, The Main Battleground of The Comfort Women Issue, do no more than play the same role as the comfort woman statues. It is simply another example of malicious propaganda and biased journalism that is useless as a tool to resolve the issue.
In conclusion, should I have an opportunity to address conservative opinion leaders, I would like to offer the following advice. In the future when someone asks for an interview, please check their identity before you agree – even if they have introduced themselves as a graduate student. If that someone is a YouTuber who appears in his own video as a man in female dress shouting sexually tinged vulgarities, then you should probably decline the request.
Special thank you to Masaaki Shimizu for preliminary translation.
