Abstract
The Global Politics of Denial: Japan’s Right-Wing Campaigns Against “Comfort Women” Memorialization
The issue of “comfort women” remains a contested topic in Japan, with right-wing factions continuing to challenge the established historical narrative and deny government responsibility for the system of sexual slavery. Conservative politicians, intellectuals, media, and the Japanese government frame this contestation as part of ongoing “history wars,” targeting memorials, textbooks, and exhibitions both domestically and abroad. These actors have also promoted their version of “correct history” internationally through English-language materials, including those by Anglophone academics, aiming to shape discourse in their “main battleground,” such as the U.S., Australia, Germany, and the United Nations.
Based on anthropological fieldwork in Japan and the U.S., this paper explores how the “comfort women” issue has served as a unifying cause for various right-wing actors, including local and national governments, particularly during the Abe administrations. It also examines recent shifts in these dynamics, noting a decline in visibility and engagement in North America and Japan following the weakening of the Abe faction since 2022, even as the interest continues in Germany with the ongoing contestation over statues.
