Wombs of Empire: Population Discourses and Biopolitics in Modern Japan: Sujin Lee, California: Stanford University Press, 2023. 258 pp. US$29.98 Paperback, ISBN-13: 978-1503637009.

"Wombs of Empire: Population Discourses and Biopolitics in Modern Japan" by Sujin Lee delves into the discourse surrounding the "population problem" in prewar Japan, exploring issues of overpopulation, birth control, and wartime pronatalist policies. Lee's analysis incorporates Foucauldian concepts of governmentality and biopolitics, highlighting how the state and public discourses transformed population into a productive resource. The book also examines the intersection of gender, class, and wartime policies, contrasting the valorization of Japanese mothers with the abjection of comfort women. Overall, this text offers a thought-provoking exploration of the population problem in prewar Japan, making it a valuable resource for scholars interested in demography, gender, and wartime mobilization in modern Japan." [Extracted from the article]