Editorial says the unity of god and man realized by the Japanese Imperial Way cannot be found anywhere else in the world, so Imperial Japan must 'turn the world into a single realm, let all nations take their places, and let all people rest in peace' starting with the colonization of Korea

 

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) March 6, 1943

The True Meaning of National Identity and the Righteous Peninsula

By Kamata Sawaichiro

The Idea of the Formation of the Greater East Asian Nation
Current World Affairs and the Reaffirmation of the Idea

Not only is there is no contradiction in the Japanese spirit and Japanese culture being the guiding principle in the construction of the New World Order, but the remarkable broadening of their universality will surely speed up progress towards their purpose.

Japan is constantly creating itself, and therefore Japan itself is constantly reforming itself and developing itself. What this fact teaches us is this: that Japan-centrism must also transform itself and develop itself along with the creation and development of Japan. In this context, we must make clear the fact that the interpretation of the spirit of Hakko Ichiu is not a narrow nationalism that is concerned only with selfish development.

Rather, it is concerned with forming a true Gemeinschaft (community) inside and outside the country. This philosophy cannot be born from an insular, island nation mentality. If we are narrow-minded and obstinate, we will not be able to realize the historical necessity of the Japanese nation's grand, high-minded, and positive mission in world history, which is to proclaim the cause of righteousness to the whole world, to turn the world into a single realm, to let all nations take their places, and to let all people rest in peace.

Let us consider the issue of the word 'kami' in Japanese. The Chinese character for 'god' (神) is normally applied to the word 'kami', but in fact the Chinese character which should actually be applied to this word should be the one for 'above' (上). That is, the word 'kami' actually refers to ancestors with whom you have a blood connection and who are 'above you', or superior to you in spirit. In other words, the first meaning is to revere your ancestors, and the second meaning is to sublimate your personality into a divine status. You are to see the divine within the human being.

Much has been told regarding human beings who have attained divine status. Look at the amazing fact that even a lowly man in a hut can die and be enshrined as a god of national protection. It is not only those who have died in wars, but also those who have acquired divinity through deeds and practices. Look at Kusunoki Masashige. Look at General Nogi. Look at General Togo. The heroic spirit, the high-minded will, and the beautiful innocence that human beings leave behind in this world like a glow of light are the most concrete examples of the sublimation of personality into the divine. Further, it is a combination of historical ideals that originated from the respect for the gods and veneration of ancestors, which form the essence of Shintoism, the true meaning of national identity. The gods are the actual source of our life. There is no absolute line of separation between the gods and human beings in the organic relationship of life. We, the Japanese people, are the ones who most honestly confirm and realize the unity of the noble gods and man.

I think this kind of phenomenon cannot be seen in any other ethnic group or nation in the world. It is said that individualism and liberalism are based on respect for human beings, but is there anything else that teaches the dignity of human beings as much as the Japanese Imperial Way, which is based on the unity of god and man? Compared to the foreign gods, who are defined metaphysically as ideal gods, abstract gods, or idol gods, this is the purest form of respect for human beings.

Through the true meaning of the Japanese national identity, let us now consider the most serious and urgent of Japan's problems: the ethnic problem.

How to unite and concentrate the many different peoples scattered over the vast area of Greater East Asia, so that they may be at ease and have a place in the world, is the greatest problem that pervades the present and the far future. It is no exaggeration to say that of the two directions of practice, one of war and one of construction, all construction should be concentrated on work with the ethnic groups.

Politics, economy, and culture will be newly generated and reorganized for each ethnic group. This is the liberation and construction of Greater East Asia. At the same time, it is a fool who does not understand the nature of today's long-term war to think that it will be realized only after the war is over. The construction has already begun as the military flag moves forward. Work with the ethnic groups is also on the march. Thus, the formation of a new Greater East Asian Nation has begun. This is the manifestation of Hakko Ichiu in Greater East Asia, which is the only national destiny in Greater East Asia.

We emphasize here anew that the most important thing in the ideology and action of the formation of the Greater East Asian nation is our governance over Korea itself. Amid changes in current world affairs, people must reaffirm that Japan's continental policies and work with the ethnic groups originated in Korea in the first place and are bearing fruit.

Source: 京城日報 1943-03-06 : 京城日報社 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Why am I posting such content? Read my reasons here: https://tpjv86b.blogspot.com/2021/11/nostalgia-for-imperial-japan-and-its.html

(Transcription)

京城日報　1943年3月6日

国体の本義と道義半島

鎌田沢一郎

大東亜民族形成の理念
世界新情勢とこれが再認識

かくして日本精神、日本文化が世界新秩序建設の指導原理たらんとする上に何等の矛盾を来さないのみか、著しき普遍性の増大によってその目的の歩度を速め得るであろう。

日本は絶えず自己創造し、従って又日本そのものが絶えず自己改革し、自己発展する。この事実のわれわれに教えているものはこうである。日本主義も亦日本の生成発展とともに自己改造し、自己発展してゆかなければならぬと。茲に於いて、八紘一宇の精神についての解釈に於けるが如きもそれを自己の発展のみを、利己的に考える狭い意味の国家主義にあらざることを明かにせなければならない。

国の内外を通じて真のゲマインシャフトを形成せんとするのである。この理念は鎖国的島国的な根性からは生れないのである。もし偏狭にして固陋であれば、大義を八紘に宣揚し、坤輿を一宇たらしめ、万邦をして各々その所を得せしめ、万民をしてその堵に安んせしめるが如き、日本民族の雄大高邁な積極的意味を持つ世界史的使命の歴史的必然は産まれて来ないのである。

『神』の問題を考えてみる。日本のかみは漢字の神を一応当てはめているが、事実は『上』であると言う。即ち現実の上の方血縁的には祖先、精神的には上位を意味する。つまり一は崇祖敬神であり、一は人格の神格への昇華である。人間の内に神を見るのである。

現人神は申すも長し。賤が伏屋の匹夫と雖も死して護国の神を祀らるる驚異すべき事実をみよ。このことは決して戦争に死にたるもののみでなく、人は行為と実践によって神格を獲得出来るのである。楠木正成をみよ。乃木大将をみよ。東郷元帥をみよ。人間が光芒のようにこの世に遺してゆく雄勁な志操や、高邁な意志や、美しい純情が人格を神格に昇華せしむる最も具体的な実例であり、且つは又国体の本義たる惟神の真髄たる敬神崇祖より発生し来りたる歴史的理念との結合である。神々こそは我々の生命の実際の根源である。神と人間との間に生命的有機的関係を置いて、絶対の隔離線を設けない。尊貴なる神と人との一体を最も正直に確認し実現しているのが我々日本人である。

思うにかくの如き現象は、世界のいずれの民族、いずれの国家にも見られない。個人主義、自由主義は人間尊重にその根底を置くと唱えるが、およそ神人合一のこの日本の皇道主義ほど人間の尊厳性を教えるものが他にあろうか。外国の神がまず形而上学的に神を規定し、単に理想の神、抽象の神、或いは又偶像の神であるに比べて何という人間尊重の純一化であろう。

扨かかる日本国体の真意義を通じて吾々は茲に日本の当面せる諸問題中最も重大にして喫緊なる民族問題を考察して見よう。

広汎なる大東亜の諸地域に、散在する数多くの異民族を、如何に統合し、集中し、その堵に安んぜしめ、その處を得せしむるかということこそ現在及び遥かなる未来をも貫く最大の問題である。否一面戦争、一面建設の二つの実践の方向のうち、建設に関する限り一切が民族工作に集中さるべきものといっても過言でなかろう。

政治も経済も文化も夫々の民族を対象として茲に新しく発生し再編成される。それが即ち大東亜の解放と建設である。同時にそれは戦争の終了を俟って実現されると視るのは今日の長期戦争の本質を知らざる迂遠の徒である。建設は軍旗の進むところ既に始まっている。民族工作も又進軍しつつある。かくて新しき大東亜民族の形成が始められた。これこそ大東亜に於ける八紘一宇の顕現であり、これのみが大東亜に於ける唯一の民族運命である。

大東亜民族形成の理念と行動に於いて、最も大切なものは朝鮮統治そのものであることを茲に新しく強調する。日本の大陸政策、民族工作等はそもそも朝鮮にその端を発し、その実を結びつつあることを人々は新しき世界情勢の変化のもとに再認識せなければならぬ。

As a child, one Korean father was tormented by Japanese teachers who berated him as 'an idiot who can't understand Japanese', so he and his wife imposed the Japanese language on their six children to make sure they did not suffer the same trauma that he did (Seoul, 1942)

 

Notes: (Top row right-to-left): father Kametsuru (41), mother Su-in (37), daughter Ranhime/Ran-hee (4). (Bottom row right-to-left): daughter Eihime/Young-hee (14), daughter Senhime/Seon-hee (12), daughter Haruhime/Chun-hui (6), son Hideo (8), son Hideyama (10).

I'm not sure if I've identified Young-hee and Seon-hee correctly, since they look the same age. I may have also mixed up Hideo and Hideyama, since they also look the same age.

The male members of the family have Japanese first names, while the female members of the family have Korean first names. The daughters have Korean names that could also pass as Japanese first names if the Hanja were read as Japanese Kanji. For example, the Hanja 英姫 would be read in Korean as Young-hee, while it would be read in Japanese as Eihime.

This article is part of a series published by the government of Japan-colonized Korea in 1942 to highlight Korean families that were considered "households of the Japanese language" and exclusively spoke Japanese at home. Here are two other Korean families that were featured in this series:

https://tpjv86b.blogspot.com/2022/01/pro-imperial-japanese-korean-parents.html

https://tpjv86b.blogspot.com/2022/01/in-1942-one-pro-imperial-japan-korean.html

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo), May 24, 1942

Unification of Japan and Korea starts with the Japanese language
Ignorance of the Japanese language is a disgrace for Imperial people

Mr. Kametsuru Ishikawa speaks sternly

This is a reliable "household of the Japanese language" where even the infant who has just turned four is regularly using the Japanese language. When I went to Dohwa-dong 40 and visited the home of Mr. Kametsuru Ishikawa (41), a doctor commissioned by the medical office of the Mapo Railroad, I was greeted by Su-in (37), the housewife who was wearing an apron and busy preparing a meal as she said "Come in" in fluent Japanese.

The family consisted of eight peaceful members: Eihime/Young-hee (14), the eldest daughter who was in the first year at Aoba Middle School (note: present-day Cheongpa Elementary School); Senhime/Seon-hee (12), the second daughter who was in the fifth year of Motomachi National School (note: present-day Namjeong Elementary School); Hideyama (10), the eldest son who was in the third year of Mapo Elementary School; Hideo (8), the second son who was in the first year of the same school; Haruhime/Chun-hui (6), the third daughter; and Ranhime/Ran-hee (4).

During his spare time while treating patients, Mr. Ishikawa, the head of this "household of the Japanese Language," explained his motivation for using the Japanese language regularly as follows.

"I went on to middle school without going through elementary school, so I was tormented by teachers who said that I was 'an idiot who couldn't understand Japanese'. Because of this painful experience, my wife and I comprehensively took the initiative to use the Japanese language regularly and encouraged our children to do the same from the time they could speak. The first thing we did was to train them to read books. The children learned the language very quickly, and now they are even teaching me how to pronounce the words correctly".

Thus, he humbly tried to hide the fact that he had been resolutely educating his beloved children for a long time. Then he continued,

"Before they enter elementary school, I always send my children to a kindergarten that Japanese children attend. For the past year, I have been thoroughly teaching them the Japanese language, so that they naturally learn not only the language, but also daily etiquette in pure Japanese style, and I hear that they are setting a good example for their classmates at school".

After saying this, he distracted us with a hearty laughter: "Ha, ha, ha!" (Photo: Mr. Ishikawa's family)

Source: http://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-05-24

Why am I posting this kind of content? Read my reasons here: https://tpjv86b.blogspot.com/2021/11/nostalgia-for-imperial-japan-and-its.html

Reddit Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/korea/comments/seknq5/as_a_child_in_japancolonized_korea_one_korean/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

(Transcription)

京城日報　1942年5月24日

内鮮一体は「国語」から
国語を知らぬは皇民として恥辱

厳然と語る石川亀鶴さん

四つになったばかりの幼児までが国語を常用するという頼もしい”国語の家”。桃花町四〇麻浦鉄道医務室嘱託医石川亀鶴氏（四一）宅を訪れると食膳の支度に余念のないこの家の主婦水仁さん（三七）はエプロン姿のまま流石に流暢な言葉で「いらっしゃい」と迎えてくれた。

家族は青葉国民学校高等科一年の長女英姫ちゃん（一四）、元町国民学校五年の次女仙姫ちゃん（一二）、麻浦国民学校三年の長男秀山君（一〇）、同一年の次男秀雄君（八つ）、三女春姫ちゃん（六つ）、それから蘭姫ちゃん（四つ）の平和な八人暮らしである。

患者治療の寸暇を割いて”国語の家”の部隊長石川氏は国語常用の動機を左の如く語った。

私は国民学校を経ずに中学校へ進んだ為に『国語も解らぬ馬鹿者だ』と随分先生から虐められました。こうした辛い経験をしたので子供から口をきく頃から全面的に私達夫婦は率先して国語を常用すると共に子供等にもそれを奨励してきました。先ず書物を読む為の修練を積ませることから始めました。子供達が言葉を覚えるのは実に早くて、今では却って子供達から正確な発音を教えられている始末です。

と謙譲な同氏は日頃の愛児たちへの撓みなき訓育振りを押し隠そうとするのだった。そしてなおも言葉を続けて、

私は子供達が国民学校へ入学する前に必ず内地人側の幼稚園に入れて、この一年間は国語を徹底的に吹き込んでいますが、子供達も自然と言葉だけでなく日常の礼儀作法までも純然たる内地式になり、学校へ行っても同級生に模範を示しているらしいんですよ。

あとは”ハッ、ハッ、ハッ”と豪快な笑いに紛らしてしまった。【写真＝石川さんの一家】

Part 1 - Thousands of young Korean men were recruited to guard Allied POWs, and guards were told to teach the POWs to "recognize the superiority of the Japanese people and to make them respect the Japanese Empire from the bottom of their hearts"

 

Notes: Some 3000 young Korean men were recruited by Imperial Japan as civilians to work as civilians to guard Allied POWs in Southeast Asia. The prisoners were mostly forced to build airstrips and railways for the Imperial Japanese military. These included the 415-km Thai-Burma railway, which was made famous with the movie "The Bridges on the River Kwai". One of the more notable Korean guards working on the Thai-Burma railway was Lee Hak-rae, the last surviving Korean Class-B/Class-C war criminal from World War II who died in Japan last year in March 2021. 

One term that was hard to translate into English in this article was gunzoku (軍属), which I translated as "civilian members of the military", but this classification refers to the lowest ranking civilian employees in the service of the Imperial Japanese military. So, the status of the ethnic Korean prison guards was quite low in the Imperial Japanese military hierarchy. A lot of former prison guards argued this fact before the war crimes tribunals with varying degrees of success.

This Asia-Pacific Journal article is a good overview of Lee Hak-rae's story.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) May 23, 1942

Direct cooperation in the Greater East Asia War
Thousands of young Korean men are recruited to monitor American and British prisoners of war
The pride of the Imperial People is getting higher and higher

The government has decided to enact a soldier conscription system for our Korean compatriots and allow them to be recruited as soldiers starting in 1944, giving them an epoch-making honor in the governance of the peninsula. This time, it has been decided to send even more talented young Korean men to serve as civilian members of the military. Due to the brilliant results of the Imperial military in the Greater East Asia War, they have been assigned to monitor the American and British prisoners of war being held in various locations. At the same time, it has been decided to bestow upon them the great mission of making these arrogant and insolent people realize the superiority of the Japanese people. On the 22nd, the Intelligence Division of the Governor-General's Office announced the following:

Announcement by the Intelligence Division

At the request of the Army, several thousand young Korean men of merit will be recruited as civilian members of the military in order to monitor the American and British prisoners of war who are being held in various location as a result of our brilliant war accomplishments in the Greater East Asia War. In the meantime, large numbers of young Korean men have been recruited to work on urgent government projects in accordance with the National Conscription Order. It is not only a great honor for the young Korean men to have been assigned such honorable duties, but it is also a great honor for Korea to have had their qualities as Imperial subjects be recognized as sufficient to assume such honorable duties.

The duties of those recruited are not only to watch over the American and British prisoners of war, but also to teach them to recognize the superiority of the Japanese people and to make them respect the Japanese Empire from the bottom of their hearts. Since this mission is a serious one, the young Korean men who are selected to serve in such an important mission assume a great responsibility, which has an extremely deep significance in light of the current decision to adopt the policy of enforcing the soldier conscription system in Korea. 

The applicants will be carefully selected by the provincial governments and related county governments south of Hwanghae Province and Gangwon Province, and those who are selected will be trained for about two months in the military and then mostly transferred to the field (partly in Korea), where they will be treated with great care and preferential treatment.

Those of you who have been recruited are requested to bear in mind the spirit of the above, and to make every effort to do your best, so that you may truly become subjects of the Imperial State, and thereby perform a splendid job of manifesting the majesty of our Empire as the leader of East Asia.

We hope that the general public will be as sincere to those who have done this honor as they would be to a soldier, and that they will cooperate in the completion of their duties without fear of regret.

Source: http://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-05-23

Reddit Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/korea/comments/sbhogc/thousands_of_young_korean_men_were_recruited/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

(Transcription)

京城日報　1942年5月23日

大東亜戦に直接協力
米英人俘虜の監視に半島青年数千名採用
皇国民の誇り、愈よ高し

政府はさきに半島同胞に対し徴兵制を施行し、昭和十九年度からこれを徴集し得る如く決定、半島統治上画期的な栄誉を付与したが、今回更に多数の有為なる半島青年を軍属として現地に派遣し、大東亜戦争における皇軍の赫々たる戦果により各地に収容中の米英人俘虜の監視に当らせると同時に傲慢不遜なる彼等に日本国民の優秀性を認識せしめる大いなる使命を負荷することに決定。二十二日総督府情報課から次の如く発表された。

情報課発表

今般陸軍の要求に基づき大東亜戦争に於ける赫々たる戦果に依り各地に収容中の米英人俘虜の監視に従事せしむるため、半島に於ける有為なる青年数千人を軍属として採用せらるることとなった。裏には国民徴用令の発動に依り多数の青年が徴用せられて喫緊な政府の事業に従事し、今回又斯かる名誉ある職務を負荷さるるに至ったことは独り半島に於ける青年の光栄であるばかりでなく、斯くの如き光栄ある責務を担うに足る皇国臣民としての資質が其の有るがままに認めらるるに至った結果として朝鮮の大なる栄誉である。

採用せられた者の任務は単に米英人俘虜を監視するのみでなく、傲慢不遜の彼等に真に日本国民の優秀性を認識せしめて衷心より日本帝国に対する尊敬の念を抱かしむるよう指導するに在るのであって、其の使命は重く斯かる重要な任務に半島に於ける青年が選ばれて従事することは、其の責務弥々重大であると共に朝鮮に徴兵制度を施行する方針の決定せられた今日、其の意義極めて深きものがある。

応募者に対して黄海、江原以南の各道庁及び関係府郡庁に於いて慎重選考し、採用せられた者に対しては軍に於いて約二ヶ月間訓練を施した上、主として現地（一部は鮮内）に赴任することになるのであるが、其の処遇についても軍に於いて充分なる注意を払い、種々優遇の途を講ぜられるのである。

採用せられた者はよく叙上の精神の存する所を肝に銘じ愈よ精神努力して真に皇国臣民たるの実を挙げ以て東亜の盟主たる我が帝国の威容を顕現する立派な働きをなしとげられたい。

なお一般国民は斯かる名誉を担った者に対し兵士に対すると同様な誠意を以て後願の憂なからしめ其の責務の完遂に協力せられんことを希望する次第である。

Part 2 - Thousands of young Korean men were recruited to guard Allied POWs, who were called "masses of materialism with little spiritual cultivation" and "mentally retarded people" whom the guards had to "splendidly guide and subdue"

 

Notes: Some 3000 young Korean men were recruited by Imperial Japan as civilians to work as civilians to guard Allied POWs in Southeast Asia. The prisoners were mostly forced to build airstrips and railways for the Imperial Japanese military. These included the 415-km Thai-Burma railway, which was made famous with the movie "The Bridges on the River Kwai". One of the more notable Korean guards working on the Thai-Burma railway was Lee Hak-rae, the last surviving Korean Class-B/Class-C war criminal from World War II who died in Japan last year in March 2021. 

One term that was hard to translate into English in this article was gunzoku (軍属), which I translated as "civilian members of the military", but this classification refers to the lowest ranking civilian employees in the service of the Imperial Japanese military. So, the status of the ethnic Korean prison guards was quite low in the Imperial Japanese military hierarchy. A lot of former prison guards argued this fact before the war crimes tribunals with varying degrees of success.

This Asia-Pacific Journal article is a good overview of Lee Hak-rae's story.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) May 24, 1942

Recruitment of guards for American and British prisoners of war
Mentally guide and subdue
Expectations for the applicants' mental readiness

Comments by Mr. Kuramo, Chief of the Military Press Department

As announced on the 22nd, the government has decided to recruit several thousand capable young Korean men to serve in the military to monitor American and British prisoners of war being held in various places. Mr. Kuramo, Chief of the Korean Military Press Department, issued the following statement on the 23rd:

Content of the Statement by the Chief of the Military Press Department

The number of American, British and Dutch troops taken prisoner by the Imperial Military in the Greater East Asia War was enormous. In the middle of all this, the colonial military forces, made up of indigenous people who were oppressed by the Americans, British, and Dutch under absolute discrimination, were sent back to their hometowns with a pledge to cooperate with the Imperial Military and its Divine Soldiers of Peace, and contribute to the establishment of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. The remaining prisoners of war of the American, British and Dutch forces were placed in prisoner-of-war camps in various places, where they were forced to work under the warm supervision of the Imperial Military.

It has already been announced by the Governor's Office that young Korean men were recruited as civilian members of the military to assist the Imperial Military in the camps for American, British and Dutch prisoners of war.

In view of the seriousness of their duties, these men were to be recruited as civilian members of the military and given about two months of preparatory training, most of whom were to serve in the south. Despite defeat, the Americans, British, and Dutch were still the ones who had ruled the world as if it had belonged to them. We must thoroughly train our mental readiness to deal with them. Winning the battles at long last, we must not let deficiencies arise in our management after the battles.

Although they may seem to be materially superior in some respects, they are actually masses of materialism with little spiritual cultivation, and it is no surprise that they were defeated in this war. In order for us to build a new order, we must absolutely denounce their European-American ideas.

Therefore, we should have the aspiration to splendidly guide these mentally retarded people and subdue them. For this reason, when selecting the personnel to monitor them, the emphasis should be placed on whether or not they have been trained in this mental readiness to deal with them. Other conditions should also be taken into consideration when asking them to proceed with seriousness.

We would like to focus on young people who are between the ages of 20 and around 35, and who have graduated from elementary school (National School). This is because they have at least learned Japanese etiquette and can speak their language well, which is the first factor to avoid being insulted by the British and the Americans. They will be treated as civilian members of the military, and when they go abroad, they will be given departure allowances and all the other benefits that come with being civilian members of the military.

Starting salaries are generally uniform across the board, but they are raised successively according to one's ability. They can rest easy about food, clothing, and shelter for an expected period of two years. Of course, enough considerations will be made so that they will not have to worry about family members.

We hope that you will consider these conditions carefully and apply for these positions, especially if you are a young man who has applied to become a special volunteer soldier but was not accepted, or if you are a young man who is eager to study Europeans and Americans with hopes of making great strides in the future. Don't miss out on this excellent opportunity.

The Chronicles of the Way of Japanese Wives

This is an inspirational read that depicts the noble way in which Japanese wives have protected and nurtured their families while hiding in the shadows of their husbands and children.　The serialization of this story in the June issue of Women's Club magazine has already been well received.

(The large slogan running vertically on the bottom left corner:) 

The Unification of Japan and Korea starts with the Japanese Language!

Source: http://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-05-24

Reddit Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/korea/comments/sbhogc/thousands_of_young_korean_men_were_recruited/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

(Transcription)

京城日報　1942年5月24日

米英人俘虜監視要員採用について
精神的に指導圧伏
応募者の心構え期待

倉茂軍報道部長談

政府は各地に収容中の米英人俘虜監視のため、有為なる半島青年数千名を軍属として採用することに決定。その旨、二十二日本府より発表されたが、右につき倉茂朝鮮軍報道部長は二十三日左の如き談話を発表した。

軍報道部長談内容

大東亜戦争において皇軍に捕虜となった米英蘭軍の数は莫大なるのである。その中、原住民によって編成されて米英蘭人から絶対差別待遇の下に虐げられていた植民地軍は平和の神兵たる皇軍に協力し、かつ大東亜共栄圏の確立に寄与することを誓ってそれぞれ郷里に帰らしめられたのであるが、残っている多数の米英蘭軍の捕虜は特に各地の捕虜収容所に入れられて、皇軍の温かい監視の下にそれぞれ勤労等に従事せしめられているのである。

さてこの度これ等米英蘭人捕虜の収容所において現地の皇軍に手助けして貰うため、半島青年を軍属として募集せられることになったのは、既に総督府から発表せられた通りである。

これ等要員はその任務の重大なるに鑑み、軍属として採用しはじめ約二ヶ月の準備教育を施し、その大部は南方において勤務せしめられるのである。彼等は敗れたりとはいえ、今まで世界をわが物顔に振り舞って来た米英蘭人である。これ等に対する心構えは余程練り鍛えておかなくてはいけない。折角戦闘に勝ちながら戦後に経営に欠陥を生じてはならないのである。

彼等は物質的には一部優れているが如く見ゆる点あるも、物質主義の塊りであって、精神的陶冶が薄いため、この度の戦争に惨敗したのは固より当然のことである。我々としては新秩序建設上、彼等の欧米思想は絶対に排撃しなければならない。

従って我々は精神的におくれた国民として彼等を立派に指導し、圧伏せしめて行くの抱負を持つべきである。故に監視要員の人選に関しては、先ずこの心構えに鍛えられているかいないかという点に重きを置き、その他の条件を考え併せて厳重にやって貰うように要求している。

現在二十歳から概ね三十五歳までの齢であって、小学校（国民学校）を卒業した程度以上の青年を主としたいのである。これは少なくとも日本人としての儀礼を習い、言葉も能く通じ、米英人等の侮を受けぬ第一要素であるからである。採用者は軍属として待遇し、外地に行く際には出発手当を支給し、その他総て軍属としての恩典を完全に与えられるのである。

なお初任給は概ね一律同様であるが、その能力に応じて逐次昇給せしめられるのである。又衣食住の点は安心してよく、期間は二年と予想されている。また家の方のことは充分心配ないよう考慮されることは勿論である。

これらの条件をよく考えて振って応募されたく、特に折角特別志願兵を志望しながら採用されなかったものや将来の飛躍を期して欧米人を研究しようとの熱意を持つ青年は、この絶好の機会を逃さぬよう希望する次第である。

日本婦道記

夫の蔭、子の蔭にかくれて、日本の家を守り育てて来た尊い姿を描いた感激読み物、夫人倶楽部六月号から連載早くも評判。

内鮮一体先ず国語から！

1943 editorial calls for Korean language to be wiped out, says Korean comfort women were touched by the noble appearance and hearts of the Imperial Japanese soldiers, and the women offered heartfelt comfort in response as their chests filled with excitement, their sincere hearts touching each other

 

Notes: This editorial article from 1943 explicitly and blatantly calls for the Korean language to be "wiped out". Here is what historian Professor Kumatani from Kansai University says about the historical significance of this article: 

(Translation) This is a blatant statement that the Korean language should be "wiped out" in the future. The editorial is really inconsistent with the policy of "Regular Use of the Japanese Language and Complete Solution of the Japanese Language", which tried to deceive the Korean people by hiding the fact that it was intended to "wipe out" the Korean language.

As a matter of fact, about a month before the publication of this editorial, Governor Koiso [of Japan-colonized Korea] said in a Q&A session with reporters, "The dissemination of the Japanese language is necessary and the Japanese language must be fully understood as soon as possible, but I am annoyed that there have been erroneous reports about banning the Korean language". In response to a question from the press, he replied, "Well, we don't want to go too far. Of course, it is necessary to ensure that the Japanese language is used properly, but if there is such a situation, we have to think about it. We'll have to wait and see", feigning ignorance.

According to an article in the Mainichi Shimpo, at the "First Regular Press Conference" held on July 8, 1942, Governor Koiso was asked by reporters what he thought about the Korean language and the dissemination of the Japanese language, and he replied, "In order to become an Imperial subject, you must know the Japanese language as soon as possible, so the dissemination of the Japanese language is absolutely necessary. But, when we look at the actual situation in Korea, it is difficult to tell people not to use the Korean language, so we are seriously doing research. In any case, our guideline is to thoroughly disseminate the Japanese language". Like his predecessor, Governor Minami, Governor Koiso replied that he wanted to tell the Korean people not to use the Korean language. It is not difficult to imagine that these statements had the effect of virtually permitting the development of the policy of wiping out the Korean language in every region of Korea.

Excerpt from The Enforcement of the Conscription System and the "Kokugo-Zenkai and Kokugo-Joyo" Policy in Colonized Korea (Part I), http://hdl.handle.net/10112/2235

(Original) 将来朝鮮語を「抹殺」すべきことを露骨に言明している。「国語常用・国語全解」政策が朝鮮語「抹殺」を意図していることをひた隠しにして朝鮮民衆を欺こうとしていたのに比して、実にちぐはぐな社説といわざるを得ない。 

実は、この社説掲載の約1ヶ月前、小磯総督は記者団との問答の中で、「国語普及は必要だし一日も早く全解しなければならぬが、このため、ところによっては朝鮮語厳禁という風に誤り伝えられ随分困っているものもあるとの話だがこの対策は」という記者団からの質問に対して、「そう行過ぎになっては困る。もちろん国語の徹底は必要だがそんな状態があるとすれば考えねばならぬことだ。もう少し様子を見ることにしたい」と、とぼけて見せたのである。

「毎日新報」の記事によれば、小磯総督が1942年7月8日に行なった「第1回定例記者団会見」において、「国語普及と朝鮮語に関してどのように考えるのか」という記者団側からの質問に対して、「皇国民となるには、国語を一日も早く知らなければならない。だから国語普及は絶対に必要なことだが、未だ朝鮮の実情を見る時、朝鮮語を使うなと言うのは難しいことなので、慎重に研究しているが、ともかく国語は徹底して普及させる方針である」と語った。前任者の南総督同様、小磯総督も朝鮮民衆に対して、「朝鮮語を使うな」と言いたいのだと答えているのである。こうした発言が地方末端における朝鮮語抹殺政策の展開を事実上容認する結果をもたらしていたことは、想像に難くない。

This article refers to Kisaeng, or Korean female entertainers who sing, dance, play musical instruments and write poems to entertain upper-class men. In earlier times, their work did not necessarily always involve sexual service, but during Japanese colonial rule of Korea, they were more closely associated with sex work. By the 1940s, the vast majority were involved in prostitution. One prominent former Korean comfort woman, Kim Hak-soon, went to a Kisaeng school before her abusive father took her to China to find her a job. That was where she was detained by Imperial Japanese authorities and then forced to work as a comfort woman for the Imperial Japanese military. In this article, it is not explicitly said that the Kisaeng in the "comfort team" were doing sex work when they went to Japan to comfort wounded Imperial Japanese soldiers, but the colorful language used to describe the intimate relationships between the Kisaeng and the soldiers suggest that they did much more than just sing, dance, and play music to the soldiers.

This article is also significant in that Imperial Japan proudly and shamelessly publicized the fact that its soldiers were seeing comfort women. In fact, it celebrates the encounters between the Imperial Japanese soldiers and the comfort women by painting a ridiculously fantastical image of the Korean comfort women fawning in awe at the exalted, noble presence of the Imperial Japanese soldiers, their hearts excited with joy as they attend to the soldiers and learn the noble Japanese spirit and gratitude for the Japanese national identity from them. To an outsider who knows about the war crimes and atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese military, it may sound patently absurd and delusional, but sadly enough, there are still Japanese people in prominent positions of power in the Japanese government, businesses, and universities who still believe this unbelievable propaganda. I have described this intractable problem in a long essay here: https://tpjv86b.blogspot.com/2021/11/nostalgia-for-imperial-japan-and-its.html.

This absurd lie does two things: 1. It paints a superlative picture of Imperial Japanese soldiers as the most exalted, noble, righteous soldiers ever to walk the face of the earth, beyond reproach. In essence, it becomes an impossibility even to consider that the Imperial Japanese soldiers would commit war crimes and atrocities. 2. It paints a superlative picture of the encounters between the Imperial Japanese soldiers and the comfort women as the most delightful encounters ever to benefit both the soldiers and the women. In essence, it becomes an impossibility even to consider that the comfort women were ever sexually exploited, such that it shuts down any question whether the comfort women were ever coerced or forced into becoming sex slaves. 

So, if you ever incredulously wonder why far-right Japanese historical denialists shamelessly attack former sex slaves like Kim Hak-soon and question their testimonies, now you know that it is because of an old, absurd lie that has endured for at least eight decades against all odds. You can still find this lie alive and well in the tweets of Professor Tetsuo Arima, a Japanese historical revisionist and denialist at Waseda University who is notorious for asserting that the comfort women at Imperial Japanese comfort stations were willing prostitutes.

有馬哲夫 on Twitter: "元慰安婦の方々も昭和の日本語を話す人だと思う。ながく一緒にいれば、昔の時代のことを懐かしそうに語る人だと思う。だから挺身協（現正義連）がしたことが憎い。連中は私たちを引き裂いた。" / Twitter Translation: "I think the former comfort women were also Japanese speakers of the Showa era. I think that, if you stayed and talked with them for a long time, they would talk nostalgically about the old times. That's why I hate the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance. They drove us apart."

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo), August 16, 1943

Editorial

Unification of Japan and Korea and the use of the Japanese language

The reason why the performing arts comfort team was so well received in Japan proper and returned home with better results than expected was that the sincerity with which the comfort team comforted and encouraged the wounded and sick soldiers who had fallen injured for our sake and for the sake of our country, touched the hearts of the wounded and sick soldiers, as well as the hearts of our compatriots in Japan proper who cared for the soldiers.

It was not because of their skills in the arts or the beauty or ugliness of their faces. It was also not because of the curiosity that they attracted as kisaeng of a comfort team who had come all the way from Korea. It was because the entire comfort team was touched by the noble appearance and hearts of the wounded soldiers who joyfully gave their bodies and souls to their country, and the women offered heartfelt comfort in response as their chests filled with excitement. It was because the sincere hearts of the soldiers and the women touched each other. At the same time, it should be noted that one of the most significant reasons behind the good results of the comfort mission was that the comfort team followed the slogan telling them to regularly use the Japanese language. It should be especially noted that they persisted in regularly using Japanese without any Korean whatsoever in songs and greetings, as well as on the trains, in the lodgings, and in conversations among themselves.

This is an important point that should not be overlooked. It will give us a hint for the smooth implementation of various future measures to unite Japan and Korea based on the Japanese language. It seems that our compatriots in Japan proper were surprised to see the sincere efforts of the kisaeng, who were generally not considered to be well learned or educated, to freely use the Japanese language, to study the divinity of Japan by visiting the shrine at Ise and the rising sun at Futamigaura, and to learn the nobility of the Japanese spirit and gratitude for the Japanese national identity by means of the wounded soldiers.

Since even the kisaeng can speak the Japanese language so beautifully, there is something worth looking forward to in the transition to the Japanese language in Korea, where compulsory education will be implemented starting in 1946. It is a fact that the unification of Japan and Korea is not just a call. Indeed, it is already approaching completion both in name and reality. Thus, it is a fact that Japan proper's renewed awareness of and interest in Korea have deepened.

This was the greatest harvest of the comfort mission. At the same time, it showed that the unification of Japan and Korea will be achieved by ensuring the thoroughness of Japanese language education through a level of enthusiastic willingness to go a step further than the regular use of the Japanese language and wipe out the Korean language. It also proved to be the avenue and the root for the establishment of a Righteous Korea based on the penetration of the true meaning of the Japanese national identity as Governor Koiso has described. It is true that the savage natives of the south, who do not understand the Japanese language, are cooperating with tears in their eyes cheering and welcoming the Imperial Army generals, calling them the coming of the divine soldiers. Your heart is adequately conveyed to the other side only after your feelings start naturally flowing to the other side, and for this to happen, sharing the Japanese language in common is an absolute requirement.

Since the conscription system will be implemented in Korea in 1944, it is important that there be no one in the appropriate age group who is unable to understand the Japanese language. Therefore, a special training order for young men was promulgated two years ago to be thoroughly implemented: For those young men who are in the appropriate age group and have not yet graduated national school, 600 hours of training per year will be allotted, and 400 hours of those will be dedicated to Japanese language education. 

When compulsory education is implemented in 1946, the enrollment rate will be 90% for males and 50% for females, with an average enrollment rate of 70%. Plans are to transition to the Japanese language through official school education. However, the spread of the Japanese language is not sufficient if it only happens in schools. In government offices, companies, and on the streets, there are slogans saying, "Always use the Japanese language". Even if interactions between Japanese people and Korean people involve the regular use of the Japanese language, there are no hopes for a thorough implementation if the Korean people are able to speak Japanese among themselves but choose not to do so. 

In the military, the ability to speak the Japanese language is not taken into consideration, and no special treatment is given to Korean people. They will be trained as hard as the Japanese soldiers. If you are not proficient in the Japanese language during training, you will have to go through more hardships than necessary. You will not be able to become a good soldier for His Majesty.

A Korean laborer who went south on military business told his countrymen in a letter, "The natives heard that the Japanese had arrived, so they spoke to me in Japanese, but I couldn't understand them, so they told me, 'No, you're not Japanese,' and they refused to deal with me. If you can't speak Japanese, you can't keep up appearances as a Japanese and you can't do anything. You must learn Japanese."

Those who still cannot speak Japanese should learn it as soon as possible. Those who already understand the Japanese language should use it regularly. Then, let's throw off the cold etiquette that walls off people from each other and directly bump sincere hearts with each other, so that we strive to establish a Righteous Korea by bearing the fruit of true Japanese-Korean unification. Let's meet the burden of the decisive battle for the peninsula.

Source: http://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-08-16

(Transcription into modern Japanese orthography)

京城日報　1943年8月16日

社説

内鮮一体と国語常用

芸能慰問隊が内地で非常な好評を博し、予期以上の好成績を収め帰還したが、その原因は何処にあったかと言えば、慰問隊の一行が御国のため、私達のために傷つき倒れた傷病兵に対し心から慰問し激励したその誠心が傷病兵の心に、或いは傷病兵を看る内地同胞の心に通じたからである。

芸の上手下手や、顔の美醜からではない。又朝鮮から遠路遥々行った妓生珍しさからばかりではない。御国に喜び勇んで心身を捧げた傷病兵の崇高な姿、心に接し慰問隊全員が感動に胸せまらせつつ心からの慰問をしたからである。誠心と誠心とが触れ合ったからである。と同時に我々は今回の慰問行好成績の最大原因の一として慰問隊が国語常用の標語を地で行き、歌や挨拶は勿論列車中でも宿舎でも妓生同志の会話にも一切朝鮮語抜きの国語常用で押し通したことを特筆せねばならぬ。

これは見逃し得ぬ重要な点で、今後国語を基調として内鮮一体の諸施策を円滑強化に遂行する上に一の示唆を与えるものである。大して学問、教養ありと思われなかった妓生達が国語を自由に駆使し、伊勢の神域に、二見ヶ浦の旭日に神ながらの日本を究めんと努力する姿、傷病兵を通し崇高なる日本精神、国体の有難さを学びとろうとする真摯な姿は内地同胞の意外としたところらしい。

妓生でさえ、こんなに立派に国語を話すのであるから、二十一年から義務教育を実施する朝鮮の国語化は期して待つべきものがある。内鮮一体は掛け声ばかりでなく、既に名実共に完成の域に近づきつつあるのだと言うので、内地の朝鮮に対する再認識というか、朝鮮への関心を一層深めたことは事実である。

これは今回の慰問行の最大の収穫であると同時に、国語常用というよりは更に一歩を進めて朝鮮語を抹殺するていの熱意を以て国語教育の徹底を図ることが内鮮一体の実を挙げる所以であり、小磯総督のいう国体の本義透徹、又それによる道義朝鮮の確立の捷径であり、根本であることを示したものである。言葉の通じない南方未開の原住民が神兵来ると称して皇軍将兵を歓呼して迎え涙ぐましい協力をしていることは事実であるが、こちらの心を十分に対手方に反映させる為には、こちらの感情が自然に対手方に流れてこそ初めて出来るのであって、そこに同一国語が絶対条件となって来る。

十九年度から徴兵制が実施されるので、その適齢者に国語の解らぬ者があってはならぬと言うので、本府では一昨年青年特別錬成令が公布され、適齢者で国民学校を卒業しない者に対し一年六百時間中、国語に四百時間を充て、これが徹底を期している。

二十一年から義務教育が実施されれば大体男は九十％、女は五十％、平均七〇％の就学率で正式学校教育を通じて国語化を図ることになっているが、国語の普及徹底は学校ばかりでは十分でない。官庁、会社、或いは街頭に「国語常用」の標語を見るが、内地人と半島人の場合は国語を常用しても半島人同志では国語が出来るのに国語を用いないというようなことでは、その徹底は望まれない。

軍隊では国語が出来る出来ないは一向顧慮せず、半島人だからとて特別待遇はせぬ。内地壮丁同様猛訓練をする。その際国語に習熟していぬと必要以上の苦労をせねばならぬ。立派な陛下の兵となることは出来ぬ。

南方に軍関係の仕事で出て行った朝鮮の労務者が郷里の人達に「原住民が日本人が来たと言うので国語で話しかけたところ通じないので”お前達は日本人でないから駄目だ”といって相手にしなかった。之からは国語が出来ぬと日本人の体面が保てぬばかりでなく何も出来ぬ。国語を習ってくれ」と手紙を寄越して来たのがある。

未だ国語の出来ぬ者は一日も速に国語を習熟せよ。既に国語を解するものはこれを常用せよ。そして壁一重距てているような他人行儀なまだるっこしさを一擲し、直接誠心と誠心をぶつけ合い、真の内鮮一体の実をつくり道義朝鮮の確立に邁進しよう。決戦半島に対する負荷に応えようではないか。

Reddit Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/korea/comments/s6o5mf/1943_editorial_calls_for_korean_language_to_be/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

In 1942, one pro-Imperial Japan Korean family went to great lengths to force Japanese on their children, scolding a son for informally learning some basic Korean at school, making sure their Korean-speaking grandmother visiting them in Seoul from Kaesong did not influence them too much

 

Notes: I think the family may have provided an older photo of themselves, because the children look much younger than their stated ages. Left-to-right: father Han Sun-deok (43), son Beon-yeong (5), daughter Hyeong (8), son Michio (18), son Gye-yung (10), mother Go Jung-og (38). Unlike another pro-Imperial Japan Korean family which was featured in this newspaper, this one appears to have given most of their children Korean names.

The father worked at the Seoul branch of the Oriental Development Company (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_Development_Company), which was a national enterprise of Imperial Japan spearheading the colonial exploitation of Korea, and was at one point the largest landlord of Korea. Today, the headquarters of Hana Bank stands where the father's workplace used to be located.

(My translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) May 14, 1942

The Unification of Korea and Japan Starts with the Japanese Language

Praise from Sumi Nishihara:
"The soft touch of the Japanese language cannot be tasted in the Korean language"

Located at 353 Sindang-dong, the home of Yasuhiro Nishihara (43), formerly known as Han Sun-deok, who has been working at the Seoul branch of the Oriental Development Company for 20 years, is also a home of the delightful Japanese language. His wife Sumi (38), formerly known as Go Jung-og, is a graduate of Seoul No. 1 Girls' High School, so she must have a good command of the Japanese language. Her four children are all regular users of the Japanese language, in accordance with their surrounding environment. Their second son, Gye-yung (10), who attends Sakuragaoka National School (OP note: present-day Seoul Cheonggu Elementary School), does not know Korean at all. He is sometimes scolded by his mother Sumi for learning broken Korean at school, which is no laughing matter.

They use the Japanese language in their lives to such an extent that neighbors think the family is strange and ask themselves, "Are they really Korean?" When I visited their home, the husband Yasuhiro was not home, and the wife Sumi greeted me instead, dressed in her Korean clothes.

"It's a way of utilizing waste," she said. "My children scold me for wearing it, but I think I'll wear it while I still have it," she explained away without any shame.

"My husband and I got married eighteen years ago, so our eldest son Michio is now eighteen years old. Since then, my husband has stopped using Korean at all, and I thought it was a good thing. Now it has come to the point where we find it annoying to be spoken to in Korean. My husband, for example, always points to his children and says with joy that they will never have to learn Korean for the rest of their lives. But the trouble is, when my mother-in-law comes to visit, the children cannot communicate with their grandmother who fills them with nostalgia, so I have to translate for them. It's a little funny to translate for them while the children ask me, 'What did grandmother just say?' But their grandmother lives in her hometown, Kaesong, and she only comes to Seoul from time to time, so she does not have influence on the children."

When I asked her what motivated her to switch from Korean to the Japanese language, she answered clearly, "The Japanese language has a kindness that cannot be expressed in Korean. In particular, the language associated with women is unique, and that soft femininity is not found in the Korean language. That is why I believe that the Japanese language should be used by the superior people of the nation. As you can see, my daughter Hyeong (8) and my third son Beon-yeong (5) are playing with the children of the neighborhood, but do you know which ones are my children?"

I see! This is a form of thorough Japanization that goes beyond just regularly using, loving, and exclusively using the Japanese language. The slogan "The Unification of Korea and Japan Starts with the Japanese language" is completely unnecessary in this family. (Photo: the Nishihara family)

Source: http://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-05-14

Reddit Post: (3) In 1942, one pro-Imperial Japan Korean family went to great lengths to force Japanese on their children, scolding a son for informally learning some basic Korean at school, making sure their Korean-speaking grandmother visiting them in Seoul from Kaesong did not influence them too much : korea (reddit.com)

Why am I posting this kind of content? Read my reasons here: https://tpjv86b.blogspot.com/2021/11/nostalgia-for-imperial-japan-and-its.html

（My transcription)

京城日報　1942年5月14日

内鮮一体は「国語」から

朝鮮語で味わえぬ柔らかい国語の感触
礼讃する西原澄さん

東拓京城支店に勤めて二十年、新堂町三五三西原康博（四三）＝旧名韓順得＝の家も嬉しい国語の家である。婦人澄さん（三八）＝旧名高中玉＝京城第一高女の出身、故にこそ国語は上手なはずだ。周囲の環境もあろうが、四人の子女も全部国語常用者ばかり。桜丘国民学校に通っている次男の啓隆君（一〇）などは全く朝鮮語は識らないで、かえって学校で怪しげな鮮語を覚えて母親澄さんから叱られたといった笑えない風景も時折はあるという。

近所の話によれば「あれが半島の方ですか」なんとなく不思議に思われる位の国語生活である。訪れると主人康博氏は留守。代わって鮮服の澄夫人が応待する。

「廃物利用というわけでしてね。子供達からは叱られますが、あるうちは着てしまおうと思っています」と夫人は悪びれずに弁解だ。

「主人と結婚したのは十八年前ですから、長男通雄は今十八歳です。その頃から主人は一切朝鮮語を使わなくなりましたので、私もよいことだと思いました。今では朝鮮語で話しかけられるのが迷惑と思うくらいになりました。主人などはいつも子供を指さして、この子等は一生鮮語を識らずに済むだろうと喜んでいます。だが困るのは主人の母が来たときで、子供らは懐かしいおばあちゃんとは言葉が通じないので、そこで私が通訳です。今おばあちゃんは何て云ったの…と子供らに聞かれて通訳する恰好はちょっと滑稽ですが、それでも祖母は郷里の開城に住んでいますので時々京城へ出て来るのですから、子供らに影響はありません」

そこで「朝鮮語から国語専用への動機は…」と問うと、夫人は明快に「国語には鮮語では表現の出来ない優しさがあります。殊に婦人用語は独得のもので、あの柔らかい女らしさは鮮語にはありません。だからこそ国語は優秀国民の使用すべき言葉であると信ずるのです。次女の瑩（八つ）も三男の繁榮（五つ）もあの通り御近所の子供と遊んでいますが、どっちが私の子供ですかお判りになりますか」

成程！これは国語常用よりも愛用よりもまた専用よりも全くの内地人化した姿だ。”内鮮一体は先ず国語より”はこの家庭には全く不必要な言葉である【写真＝西原さん一家】

In 1942, Matsumoto Chitei reportedly became the first Korean woman ever to earn a Medical Ph.D., all while raising three children; she discovered at Seoul University that the midbrain of the toad had a cardiovascular center which regulated heart rate

 

Notes: This article says that Dr. Matsumoto Chitei became the first Korean woman to earn a Medical Ph.D. degree. That stood out to me as a very impressive accomplishment, especially in Japan-colonized Korea, where being a Korean woman and a mother raising three children and pregnant with a fourth child would have been significant disadvantages. She was extremely lucky to have had a supportive mentor and a progressive husband who allowed her to pursue her degree while raising children at the same time.

"Medical Ph.D." is a translation of 医学博士 (igaku-hakushi), a degree that was established in Japan in 1898. It is conferred after you graduate medical school, earn your medical license, then either finish a medical science curriculum at a graduate school or write a dissertation in the medical sciences.

Just to be clear, Chitei does not appear to be the first Korean woman ever to become a medical doctor. Esther Park was the first Korean woman ever to become a doctor in Western medicine (Esther Park (physician) - Wikipedia). Kil Chung-Hee earned her medical degree in 1923 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kil_Chung-hee). 

Japan-colonized Korea was by no means a land of gender equality brimming with opportunity for women. On the contrary, Dr. Matsumoto was an exceedingly rare exception in a country where most Koreans did not have the opportunity to attend high school, let alone university or graduate school.

So, I was surprised to learn that there were a handful of Korean women who managed to earn university degrees during World War II. According to this paper in Japanese (https://doi.org/10.15017/2544147), if a Korean girl in Japan-colonized Korea wanted to fulfill her dream of getting a university education, her best chance was to graduate from Ehwa Girls' High School, find a sympathetic mentor, and get into a university in Japan proper with his help. But that was a very long shot.

Chitei does not appear in any Google searches except in one academic page (https://cir.nii.ac.jp/ja/crid/1110001310155268992) which actually lists her Japanese name and the date when she received her medical degree: June 18, 1942. The title of her dissertation listed on this page, 蟇血管中脳に関する薬理学的研究 (Pharmacological study on the toad vascular midbrain), differs slightly from the one listed in this article. I believe that her research proved that the midbrain of amphibians also has a cardiovascular center which regulates heart rate, much like humans.

In this article, she says that she will devote her life to research and continue on the path of medicine, but she does not appear to have published any papers after her dissertation. I wonder what happened to her?

It would be nice if I could search for Dr. Matsumoto in Korean language sources, figure out her Korean name, and learn more about her postwar life, but unfortunately that is outside of my expertise and resources. My only hunch is that the Kanji for her Japanese first name, Chitei (致貞), is actually the Hanja for her Korean first name, Chijeong (치정). But even searching for women named Chijeong born around 1911 did not show any useful results online, so I'm at a dead end.

(My translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo), May 5, 1942

Well Done! Female Medical Ph.D.

The first Korean woman to receive this honor
Dr. Matsumoto of Seoul University

A married woman cared for three children while maintaining  her household and doing five years of diligent research, and her efforts have born fruit in the form of a Medical Ph.D..

Dr. Matsumoto Chitei (31), standing out as the only female assistant in the Department of Pharmacology at Seoul University School of Medicine, recently submitted her dissertation entitled "Pharmacological Studies on the Vascular Center" to the faculty council. She is the first Korean woman to be awarded the honor of Medical Ph.D.. In addition to her main thesis, Dr. Matsumoto's research was on "The Pharmacological Effects of Camphor Injection on the Human Body", which she proved with clear answers through field research.

Dr. Matsumoto graduated from Tokyo Women's Medical College in 1935 and immediately returned home after graduation, where she spent two years conducting research at the Iwai Department of Internal Medicine at Seoul University School of Medicine. In 1937, she joined Osawa Department of Pharmacology, where she has continued her research under the guidance of Professor Osawa. In the meantime, she and her husband had three children and she took care of them all by herself, while having the energy and the drive to devote herself to her research.

When I visited Ms. Matsumoto at her home in Hyoja-dong on the afternoon of May 4th, the newly minted doctor, who was in her last month of pregnancy, expressed her joy as follows with a glow on her face. Photo: Dr. Matsumoto Chitei

"I owe everything to the extraordinary guidance of my teacher, Dr. Osawa. For the past five years, I have been a housewife, leading a double life of family and research, and it has been very difficult at times. However, I wanted to renew the reputation of Korean women, who had previously been used as a synonym for weakness, so I have continued my blazing devotion to my work. What do I want to do now? I would like to devote my life to research for the academic society. However, I am also determined to continue on the path of medicine while devoting myself to my duties as a married woman and a mother."

Splendid Research

Professor Osawa's statement

"Ms. Matsumoto is a hardworking person with a rare and outstanding mind. As a housewife, she has been able to accomplish her research while supporting her husband. Thus, she is an admirable woman, the likes of which is not seen in Japan proper. Furthermore, although I thought that the research theme would be somewhat difficult for a woman, I let her do it and I was really impressed with her splendid and magnificent results.

She clearly proved whether or not a vascular center exists in the blood vessels of cold-blooded animals, which had been an issue discussed in the pharmacological society, and she also clearly answered the question of the distribution of nerve innervation in the blood vessels, which had also been a question in the past."

Source: https://archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-05-05/page/6/mode/1up

(My transcription)

京城日報　1942年5月5日

天晴れ”女医学博士”

半島女性初の栄誉
城大の松源さん

人妻として三人の愛児を抱え家庭を守りながら孜々と積んだ五ヶ年の研究が実を結び、天晴れ医学博士の学位を獲得、半島女性のため万丈の気を吐いた学会の朗話がある。

城大医学部大沢薬理学教室で唯一人の女子副手として異彩を放っていた松源致貞さん（三一）は先頃”血管中枢に関する薬理学的研究”と題する学位論文を同教授会に提出中であったが、このほど目出度く通過し、半島女性としては最初の医博の栄誉を獲得した。松源新医博の研究は主論文の外「カンフル注射が人体に与える薬理学的奏効に就いて」を実地研究によって明快な解答を与えて立証したものだ。

松源さんは昭和十年東京女子医専を卒業、直ちに帰郷。城大医学部岩井内科で二年間研究を積み、更に同十二年から大沢薬理学教室に入り、大沢教授の指導下に今日まで研究を重ねていたものだ。その間家庭には夫君との間に三人愛児をもうけ、一切の世話を自分の手一つでやり通しながらも研究に精進していた熱と努力の女性だ。

四日午後孝子町の自宅に松源さんを訪えば臨月の身重にある新医博は二重のお目出度に顔を輝かせながら次のように喜びを述べた。【写真＝松源致貞さん】

「すべてが恩師大沢先生の並々ならぬ御指導の賜物でございます。この五年間は主婦として家庭と研究の二重生活に当り、随分辛いこともありましたわ。しかし従来ややもすれば弱いものの代名詞に使われていた半島女性の面目を一新したいと存じまして、火の出るような精進を続けて参りました。これからどうするかとおっしゃるんですの？わたくしはどこまでも学会のため研究に一生を捧げたいと存じます。しかし、またどこまでも人妻として人の母としての分を尽くしながら医学の道を続ける覚悟でございます。

立派な研究

大沢教授談

松源さんは稀に見る優れた頭脳を持った努力家だ。家庭の主婦として立派に内助の功を樹てながら立派に研究を遂げた点は、内地に例を見ない感心な女性だ。しかも研究テーマが女性にやや困難だと思いながら、やらせて見たところ実に立派な堂々たる成果を収めたので全く感激している。

従来から薬理学会で課題となっていた「冷血動物」にも血管中枢が存在するか否かに就いて明快な証明を与えたものであり、血管内の神経支配の分布状況に就いて従来は疑問とされていた点をはっきりと解答するなど却々立派なものだ。

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/korea/comments/s1jdk9/in_1942_matsumoto_chitei_reportedly_became_the/

President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill crying over the Fall of Singapore in 1942, "If we had only listened to Japan during last fall's negotiations, we wouldn't be in such grief"

Notes: The sign on the right says "New version of Sankatsu and Hanshichi at the Bar". This refers to an old 1773 Kabuki theater production (艶容女舞衣) which is a tale of forbidden love between Sankatsu, a theater actress, and Hanshichi, a son of a bar owner who already has a wife named Osono. Long story short, they have a child out of wedlock, the families of Hanshichi and Osono oppose their relationship, and they eventually commit suicide together. The artist is implying that the relationship between Roosevelt and Churchill is like that between Sankatsu and Hanshichi, and that they will go down to their doom just like that forbidden couple.  

This book excerpt explains parts of this play in English in more detail: https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=68RITdcFpHYC&pg=PA253&lpg=PA253&dq=Love+of+Hanshichi+and+Sankatsu&source=bl&ots=vXGDo8DwPS&sig=ACfU3U13cXTn4oQE9lvBKz5096kI3HiYBw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiUkbDblJ_1AhVQZ80KHYJ6B3QQ6AF6BAgOEAM#v=onepage&q=Love%20of%20Hanshichi%20and%20Sankatsu&f=false

There are also some play on words. "Roosevelt" sounds a lot like "loose belt", so he is named 弛(loose)褌(belt), and he is depicted in the cartoon as loosening his belt. The "chill" in "Churchill" sounds a lot like the Japanese word "chiru" (disperse, scattered), and "Chur" sounds a lot like the Japanese word "cha" (tea), so he is named 茶盆(tea cups)散(strewn), to reflect the supposed downfall of Britain.

The article mentions a US representative from Arizona named Handerson who was allegedly an anti-war activist, but I could not find anyone by that name in the historical lists of Arizona representatives in the Arizona House of Representatives or the US House of Representatives.

(My translation of the article)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo), February 21, 1942

"I don't know what to make of it" Roosevelt is cursed

The Fall of Singapore covered up in UK and US

Special telegram from Lisbon [sent on February 19]

According to the information from the US that reached us, the news of the Fall of Singapore provoked the US Congress and UK Parliament to the utmost, especially the US Congressmen who, in a state of excitement, crowded President Roosevelt to complain about the poorness of the British-American joint operation. Representative Handerson from Arizona, a leading figure in the anti-war movement, consulted with his colleagues in the House of Representatives saying, "I don't know what to make of it". He complained by bringing up arguments pinning responsibility on Roosevelt, saying "The breakdown of negotiations between the US and Japan last fall brought us misfortune. The President and the British Prime Minister are jointly responsible for this". He asserted that his anti-war arguments were correct.

As a result, in the US states, anti-war groups have unexpectedly linked up with anti-production groups created in reaction to overproduction, and voices cursing President Roosevelt are spreading like wildfire. On the other hand, in the United Kingdom, which was choked with surprise at the Fall of Singapore as its colonial master, the announcement was made only to a part of the parliament, and the general public was not informed by order of the prime minister.

[Cartoon shows Mr. Roosevelt and Mr. Churchill]

Sign says: "New version of the Sankatsu and Hanshichi at the Bar" Narration: Mr. "Loose Belt" Roosevelt; Strings: Mr. "Teacups strewn" Churchill

Text says: "If we had only listened to Japan during last fall's negotiations, we wouldn't be in such grief."

Source: https://archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-02-21/page/n5/mode/1up

Reddit Link: President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill crying over the Fall of Singapore in 1942, "If we had only listened to Japan during last fall's negotiations, we wouldn't be in such grief" - Imperial Japanese editorial cartoon (translation in comments) : PropagandaPosters (reddit.com)

(My transcription into modern Japanese orthography)

京城日報　1942年2月21日

”それ見たことか”呪われる弛褌氏

シンガポールの陥落・英米国ではひた隠し

リスボン特電【十九日発】

当地に達したアメリカからの情報によれば、シンガポール陥落のニュースは米英の議会を極度に刺激し、殊に米議員は興奮状態のままでル大統領に詰め寄り、米英聯合作戦の拙劣ぶりを難詰し、さらに反戦運動の急先鋒アリゾナ州出身のハンダーソン議員は「それ見たことか」と同志の下院議員と諮り、「昨秋の日米交渉の決裂がわれわれを不幸に陥れたのだ。それは大統領と英首相の共同責任である」とル大統領の責任論を愚痴交りでむし返し、反戦論の正しかったことを主張している。

これがため米の各州ではオーバープロダクションによる罷業団体と反戦団体が期せずして結びつき、ル大統領を呪う声は燎原の火如く拡がっている。一方シンガポール陥落で窒息せんばかりに驚いた本家本元の英国では議会の一部に発表しただけで、一般国民には首相の命令で知らされていない。

【漫画はルーズヴェルトとチャーチル太夫】

新版三勝半七酒屋の段

語り　弛褌太夫

糸　茶盆散太夫

去年の秋の交渉にいっそ日本のいうことを聞いていたらこうした嘆きはあるまいものをうってデン

In 1942, pro-Imperial Japanese Korean parents boasted that their six children born and raised in Korea could not understand a word of Korean, because they 'bit to death' any Korean words which might accidentally slip out of their mouths, for which they were laughed at by other Koreans

 

Mr. Minami, who is mentioned in this article as the Governor and the Father of the Korean peninsula, refers to Minami Jiro (Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jir%C5%8D_Minami), the prime architect of Imperial Japan's aggressive assimilation campaign to erase the Korean people's language, culture, and identity. He ruled Japan-colonized Korea from 1936 to 1942, and he was succeeded by Governor Koiso (Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuniaki_Koiso), who escalated Minami's policies.

In the photo, the parents are in the top bubbles while the rest of the family is seated or standing. There are four daughters (ages 9, 15, 18, 22) and two sons (ages 2 and 12). I'm guessing that the youngest son is not in the photo, and the man to the left is the husband of the oldest daughter.

This article is a piece of propaganda with unbelievable statements in this article, like the children not being able to speak a word of Korean. Really? Not even 'thank you'? Parts of their stories were probably exaggerated to please the Japanese audience.

(My Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) May 13, 1942

Unity between Japan and Korea starts with the Japanese language (1)

Everything is done Japanese-style

Family started the regular use of the Japanese language 20 years ago
The family of Mr. Tadashiro Matsuyama

The movement for the regular use of the Japanese language by true Imperial subjects, which was initiated in all of Korea by the advocacy of Governor Minami, is based on the belief that the Japanese language is inseparable from the national spirit, and that it is the great duty of the Korean people to become proficient in the Japanese language, since they are to play a part as leaders of the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere. At the same time, it is not possible to become true Imperial subjects and leaders without understanding the Japanese language. It is only by learning the Japanese language that one can grasp the noble Japanese spirit. In order to spur the movement for the complete understanding of the Japanese language, the Governor-General's Office decided to give awards to the families who regularly use the Japanese language. Let's visit some of these families who have been awarded full points, and hear their stories.

The Father of the Korean peninsula, Mr. Minami, advocated that the first step in raising children to become true Imperial subjects is to start teaching them the Japanese language when they are babies. One family has already been putting Mr. Minami's words into practice for twenty years. They persist in using only the Japanese language, and their entire lifestyle is indistinguishable from the Japanese people. Nowadays, their bright, properly-raised children, born and raised in Korea, do not understand a word of Korean. We took a peek into this cheerful family which regularly uses the Japanese language as Imperial subjects in body and soul.

"That's right. It was twenty years ago, since it's been twenty years since our eldest daughter Keiko was born".

The mother who spoke up in crisp Japanese was Emiko (39), who lives at 41-6, Oshima-cho, Seoul. Her husband Mr. Tadashiro Matsuyama (47) does not live there, as he is currently working at the construction division of the railroad bureau in Gangwon-do, Gangneung. For the sake of her children and out of parental love for them, the mother stayed in Seoul. She continued to talk cheerfully while holding in her lap her beloved child, who just turned two this year. It has been twenty-three years since Emiko married Tadashiro, and the year after their marriage, they had their first daughter, Keiko (22), who graduated from Seoul No. 2 Girls' High School and currently works at the railroad bureau. Their regular use of the Japanese language as a family started when Keiko was born.

"My husband was working for the South Korean Railways at the time, and because we lived in the dormitory, most of our friends were from Japan proper, so we naturally had many opportunities to become familiar with Japanese language..."

This mother of children unable to speak Korean continued,

"When Keiko, our eldest daughter, was born, my husband said to me, 'In order for our children to have a bright spirit and be useful as true Imperial subjects in the future, they really must know the Japanese language. No matter what other people think, we want to raise them by speaking Japanese'".

Since then, they have been persisting for 20 years using only the Japanese language, biting to death the Korean language which might accidentally slip out of their mouths at the slightest opportunity. For this reason, they sent their children to elementary schools and girls' schools that Japanese children attend. Their second oldest daughter Junko (18) is a fifth-year student at the Seoul No. 2 Girls' High School, and Toyoko (15) is a second-year student at Maizuru (Muhak) Girls' High School. By enrolling in schools that Japanese children attend, they adopted lifestyles that did not differ in any way from the Japanese children, and they were raised to become true Japanese people.

"In the beginning, we were laughed at a lot by the Koreans, but looking back now, I am really glad that we did this," she said. 

The mother closed her eyes as if she were remembering her twenty years of hardship, clearly expressing her heartfelt joy and relief. Her youngest child Hideo (2), whom she held in her lap, sometimes reached for her hair, and Emiko narrowed her eyes and nursed him saying, "Here, here is my breast". In this family, the Korean language is not used at all. Even their clothing is mostly Japanese-style or Western-style.

This is why their children do not understand a word of Korean. After Toyoko was born, Masao (12) and Nobuko (9) were born, both of whom are currently enrolled in Motomachi Elementary School (OP note: present-day Namjeong Elementary School). On the day the military draft was announced, they had a big party all night and were very happy.

At the end of the interview, the mother looked completely satisfied with the development of her children, who had become Japanese from the bottom of their hearts.

"In recent days, I've been wearing Korean clothes, so my daughters often ask me to change my clothes. But if I do that, I'll become completely indistinguishable from the Japanese people, hahaha! That's what I think..." [Photo: Right circle is Mr. Tadashiro Matsuyama, left circle is his wife Emiko, and below is the family.]

Source: https://archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-05-13/page/n3/mode/1up

Reddit Link: In 1942, pro-Imperial Japan Korean parents boasted that their six children born and raised in Korea could not understand a word of Korean, because they 'bit to death' any Korean words which were about to slip out of their mouths, and they were laughed at by other Koreans : korea (reddit.com)

(My Transcription into modern Japanese orthography)

京城日報　1942年5月13日

”内鮮一体”は「国語」から（一）

すべてが内地式

「国語常用」は二十年前から実行
松山忠郎さんの一家

真の皇民へ―と南総裁の提唱で全鮮に捲き起こされた国語常用運動は、国語が国民精神と一体不離のものであると共に大東亜共栄圏の指導者としてその一翼を分担する半島人にとって国語に習熟することは一つの大なる義務であると同時に国語を解せずして真の皇民、指導者とはなり得ないのだ。崇高なる日本精神の把握は国語習得によって始めて掴み得るのだ。そこで総督府では国語全解運動に拍車をかけるべく、その一方法として「国語常用の家」を表彰することになったが、これこそ表彰価値満点の折つきの国語常用家庭を巡って、その語るところを聞いてみよう。

真の皇民に育て上げるには先ず赤ん坊の時からが大切だ…と半島の父南さんの提唱する”内鮮一体は先ず国語の習得から”を、これはまた既に二十年前の昔から身を以て実践、国語一本で押し通し生活様式も総て内地人同様、今では朝鮮に生れ朝鮮に育ち朝鮮語は全然判らないという明るく、正しく育った子供達を囲んで心身ともに皇民に成り切った明朗一家国語常の用ぶりを覗いてみる。

「そうですね。もう二十年も前の話ですわ。丁度慶子（長女）が生れた時からなんですから…」

歯切れのよい国語でこう語り出してくれたお母さんは京城大島町四一ノ六松山忠郎氏（四七）夫人恵美子さん（三九）だ。主人忠郎氏は目下江原江陵の鉄道局建設課に勤務していて不在。子供達のためにと子供を思う親心から京城に留まってお母さんの恵美子さんは今年二つになったばかりの愛児を膝にあやしながら朗らかに語り続ける。恵美子さんが忠朗氏に嫁いでからもう二十三年、結婚した翌年長女の慶子さん（二二）（第二高女卒、現在鉄道局勤務）を儲けたが、それからは一家挙って国語常用が始まった。

「そのころ丁度主人は南朝鮮鉄道に勤務していまして、舎宅住まいをしている関係からお交際の方達も殆ど内地人ばかりでしたものですから自然と国語に親しむ機会も多かったんですよ…」

朝鮮語の知らない子供達のお母さんは、

「長女の慶子が生れた時、主人が『子供達のため明るい精神と将来真の臣民としてお役に立つためには、どうしても国語を知らなくてはいけない、人が何といおうとも私達は国語で育てたい』と、そう私に申しましたの」

それからはちょっとした弾みにとび出す朝鮮語を危うく嚙み殺しては、国語一本で二十年の間押し通して来たものだ。学校もそのため内地人の行く小学校に上げたし、女学校もそれから次から次へと生れた次女の順子ちゃん（一八）（第二高女五年）、豊子ちゃん（一五）（舞鶴高女二年）も同じく内地人の学校に入学させ、内地人と一つも変わらぬ生活儀式を取り、真からの日本人として育てて来た。

「初めのうちは随分半島人に笑われもしました。でも今になってみると本当によかったと思います」

お母さんは心からの喜びと安堵の色をはっきり面に現しながら二十年の苦労を偲ぶように眼を閉じた。無心に膝に抱かれている末子の英雄ちゃん（二つ）が時々お母さんの髪に手を伸ばさんとすると恵美子さんは”ほら、ほら、おっぱい”と眼を細くしてあやしている。家庭においても一切朝鮮語は用いない。着物も和服と洋服ばかりだ。

だから子供達は、ちっとも朝鮮語は判らない。豊子さんのあとに正雄君（一二）と信子ちゃん（九つ）が出来たが、これも現在二人とも元町国民学校に在学中だ。徴兵制実施の発表された日には一晩中大騒ぎをして喜んだということだ。

最後にお母さんは心から日本人に成り切った子供の成長にすっかり満足そうに顔一面を綻ばせて語った。

「私がこのごろ鮮服を着ているので娘達が頻に『服装を変えてくれ』と申しますの。『そしたらすっかり内地人と変わらないようになりますのに…』ってホ、ホ、ホ…それは私もそう思うんですけど…【写真＝円内右が松山忠郎氏、左が恵美子夫人、下はその家族】