In this post, we will look at the institution of the town council (町会) in the cities of wartime Korea under Imperial Japanese rule, and examine why it became a lightning rod for public anger in the 1940s. The document below is a roundtable discussion printed in the colonial government’s propaganda newspaper on February 1, 1945. It stages a conversation among women from a wide range of backgrounds—neighborhood cell (patriotic group) leaders, wives of company and government employees, a midwife, a shopkeeper—who all comment on the urban ration-distribution system.
What emerges is a picture of a rigid, top-down administrative hierarchy that shaped everyday life in wartime cities. Each neighborhood was broken down into patriotic groups of a few households; these groups were overseen by kumi (association) leaders responsible for hundreds of residents. Above them stood the town council of each dong, which held the power to appoint or dismiss local leaders. The concentration of authority at the top, the lack of electoral accountability, and the informal discretion exercised at the lower levels all created space for favoritism, intimidation, and the quiet disappearance or diversion of rationed goods.
The roundtable appears to give voice to public frustration, but its function becomes transparent at the end: the colonial authorities step in with the “official” conclusion, promising greater transparency, urging leaders to show ration ledgers upon request, and calling on residents to “avoid becoming emotional with one another.” The article closes with a separate announcement about turning private homes into small factories—a glimpse into how thoroughly civilian life had been militarized by early 1945, when the boundary between domestic space and wartime production had nearly vanished.
The illustration accompanying the article shows two women carrying a circular notice (廻覧板) that lists the rationing tickets for iriko (dried anchovies). The notice is titled “Iriko Rationing Tickets (イリコ配給券)” and specifies the allocations for each patriotic group: the first patriotic group receives 30 tickets, the second receives 25, and the third receives 28. At the bottom, the notice is signed by the OO Town Council (町会). A small child stands nearby, and above the child is a caption that reads: “Even when the rations are meager, we want them to be meager in an open, transparent way! (乏しくても明るい乏しさであって欲しい！)”
TLDR: A rigid, opaque ration system left Korean city residents at the mercy of corrupt and unaccountable neighborhood leaders and town councils, breeding widespread anger in 1940s wartime Korea.
[Translation]
Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijō Nippō), February 1, 1945
Circulating Boards Showing Town Council Ration Amounts
Fed Up with the Arrogance and Unhelpfulness of the Officials
Neighborhood Gossip Around the Water Well (5)
Matsuyama Chito (company employee’s wife):
As patriotic group members, our daily lives are inseparable from the town council, which supports us in many ways. But why are the council officials and staff so high-handed? It would be one thing if they were merely high-handed, but they are unhelpful on top of it.
Nakamura Fusae (government official’s wife):
It would be better if town council officials were elected by the residents.
Irie Koku (company employee’s wife):
The association leader who oversees the patriotic group that I know is a morally low and unpleasant person, and ration distribution is always muddled because of him. The town council never replaces him, and we are left dealing with the consequences.
Takenaka Sachiko (wife of a ration shop owner):
An association leader is responsible for guiding hundreds of people, so that person ought to be someone of respectable character. And the association leader’s wife also needs to be someone who commands respect. In reality, the husband is out working, so it is the wife who ends up running things at home.
Asō Misaki (patriotic group leader):
The circular notices sent down from the town council are often difficult to understand and do not get through clearly to the patriotic group members, so sometimes we rewrite them in simpler form before circulating them.
Hirose Take (midwife):
And sometimes the circular notices arrive late, which causes trouble. The other day, during the water-supply stoppage, the notice came only after the stoppage period had ended.
Shirakawa Tomoko (factory worker’s wife):
Regarding rationing and the town council: there are times when items that the Seoul government has set at fixed quantities arrive in smaller amounts. Is there no better way to give us clear information? For example, even though the soap ration is clearly determined by grade and household size, in practice the distributed amount is less. One gets the feeling that quantities disappear somewhere between the town council, the association leaders, and the patriotic group leaders. If the town council would announce to all patriotic group members how much was allocated to each association and each patriotic group, we would not be left with unnecessary suspicions.
Umemura Masuyo (widow):
Even if the rations are meager, I would like them to be meager in an open, transparent way. As Ms. Shirakawa said, I would like the town council to attach a circular notice clearly indicating the ration amounts each time there is rationing. When the system is vague as to how much was rationed, items easily get diverted sideways. Clear disclosure would prevent that, and I very much want it implemented.
All:
Yes, we truly want that.
Asō Misaki (patriotic group leader):
The town council must become our town council. For that, the town council needs to get rid of its bureaucratic attitude so residents and officials can be on friendly terms. When the town council office is busy, patriotic group members can go help. I often hear people criticize patriotic group leaders, but our duties are actually quite demanding. We do not interact directly with the town council very often, but we constantly mediate between the association leader and the patriotic group members, which can be discouraging. With rationed goods, for example, the distribution coupons for one-time-only items coming from the Seoul government or the department store are given to us by the association leader. But we do not know how much the association leader received or how the coupons are divided among the patriotic groups. So when the ration seems small and the patriotic group members blame us, we do not know what to say.
Kataoka Yoshiko (company employee’s wife):
In some town councils, they circulate a distribution ledger showing exactly how much the town council received and how it was allotted to each association and each patriotic group. There is no trouble over rations in those town councils and patriotic groups, and their mood is bright. I envy them.
Hirose Take (midwife):
I truly envy that. In our town council, if you dare go ask about ration amounts, you get yelled at. To avoid further trouble, we just swallow our complaints.
Irie Koku (company employee’s wife):
We will all end up complaining endlessly at this rate. Enough talk about town councils. We housewives want to contribute more to the war effort. Is there any work we can do from home?
Matsumura Fumiko (company employee’s wife):
At our place, we sew buttons on military uniforms…
Irie Koku:
Where should we apply for that kind of work?
Asō Misaki (patriotic group leader):
The Patriotic Women’s Association should be able to arrange it. If housewives could do even an hour a day of work at home, it would add up to a substantial amount of national labor power.
Nakajima Nobuko (wife of a general-merchandise shop owner):
It would be good if the Patriotic Women’s Association took a more proactive role.
Umemura Masuyo (widow):
Indeed. We housewives understand very well that we must fully live out the wartime life. These days our own children remind us of it. Rather than moral exhortations, we need clear, practical guidance on concrete ways to contribute. =End=
Response from the Authorities:
Let us avoid becoming emotional with one another
◇ There seems to be a concern about the disclosure of ration quantities by the town councils. To establish an open rationing system, we have instructed town councils to make the allocated quantities to the town councils, associations, and patriotic groups known to all residents. Any town council or association leader not doing so should implement this immediately.
If a patriotic group member is not satisfied with the ration quantities from his patriotic group leader and association leader and requests to inspect the distribution ledger kept by the town council, both sides must avoid becoming emotional. The town council, the association leader, and patriotic group leader should willingly present the distribution ledger and make every effort to inform residents about rationing details.
It is said that town council officials act in an overly bureaucratic manner. That may be true in some cases, and when things are busy, their choice of spoken words may indeed become rough. Even so, we ask that everyone interact with one another with the awareness that we are all residents of the same town. (Town Council Section, Seoul City Government)
Household-Factory Program to Begin Soon
◇ The enthusiasm among housewives for labor service is truly welcome. Until now, home-based work was voluntary, but from now on, the plan is to mobilize all households across Seoul for labor, turning homes into small factories. Implementation is scheduled soon, and when the time comes, we hope everyone will participate energetically. (Patriotic Women’s Association, Seoul City Branch)
[Transcription]
京城日報 1945年2月1日
町会配給量の回覧板を
役員の横柄と不親切には閉口
紙上井戸端会議（５）
松山チト（会社員夫人）：愛国班員の生活が町会を離れては考えられない位何かと町会にお世話になりますが、どうして町会役員や職員の方達はあんなに横柄なんでしょう。横柄だけならよいんですが、おまけに不親切で。
中村房江（官吏夫人）：町会の役員はその町民の選挙制にでもしていただけたらよいんですがね。
入江コク（会社員夫人）：私の知っている班ではその所属する組長が私的にも道徳的にも下劣な人物で配給ものにもいつもゴタゴタしていますが町会では人を代えてくれないので困ります。
竹中幸子（配給店主婦）：組長といえば何百人という人の指導に当る方ですから人格的にも尊敬出来る人であって欲しいと思います。そして組長の夫人も尊敬出来る立派な人でないと困ります。実際問題としては主人は外で働くのでその夫人が切盛りするのですから。
麻生ミサキ（愛国班長）：町会から廻ってくる回覧板は難解で班員に徹底しないことが往々あり、私どもでは安易に書き替えて回覧するときもあります。
広瀬タケ（産婆）：それに回覧板がおくれることがあって困ります。この間も水道の断水の時、断水期間が終ってから通知して来ました。
白川友子（工員夫人）：配給と町会ですが、府庁で数量が一定された品物を尠く配給してくることがあります。こんなのもう少しどうにか私達にもはっきりするような方法はないものでしょうか。たとえば石鹸の配給にしても等級と人員数ではっきりしている数量を実際はそれ以下の数量で配給するのです。どうも町会から班員にくるまでの間に消えるような気がして、これなども町会から組長に、組長から班長に廻した数量など町会から一般班員に告知して頂ければ、いたずらな猜疑心を生せずにすみますね。
楳村増代（未亡人）：乏しくてもそれが明るい乏しさであって欲しいと思います。その意味です。白川さんのいわれたように町会配給品は配給のある毎に町会から配給数量を明示した回覧板を添えて頂きたいと思います。どれ位配給したかが曖昧な制度では横に流れ易くなりますし、それを防止する意味からも是非実行して頂きたいのです。
一同：本当にそうして頂きたいのです。
麻生ミサキ（愛国班長）：町会が私達の町会であるということにならなければいけませんね。その点町会役員と町民が親しみ合うためには町会のお役所風を一掃して頂き、また町会事務の忙しいときは班員がお手伝いに行くという風にしてゆきたいと思います。よく班長が悪い、と聞きますが、班長の仕事もこれで仲仲急がしいものです。直接町会とは余り接触はありませんが、組長と班員の間に入って随分情けないときもあります。配給ものでも府庁百貨店などから来る単発の物資購入券など組長さんから割当を戴くので、どの位組に来て、どういう風に各班に割当てるのか解らず、配給が少ないといって班員からせめられるときは、どうしていいかわからなくなります。
片岡よし子（会社員夫人）：町会によっては配給品が町会にどれ程来て各組、各班にどういう割当をしたか一目瞭然に判る配給表みたいなものを廻している所がありますが、そこの班や町内は配給にからんだいざこざは一つもなくても明るくて羨ましいです。
広瀬タケ（産婆）：それは本当に羨ましいですね。うちの町会では配給品に関して町会へ問い合わせに行こうものなら怒鳴り散らされますし、あとが面倒なので泣き寝入りです。
入江コク（会社員夫人）：どうも不平になりそうですわね。町会のことはこれ位にして、私達主婦ももっと戦争のお役に立ちたいと思いますが、家庭で出来るお仕事はないでしょうか。
松村史子（会社員夫人）：私どもの所では軍服のボタンつけをしていますが．．．
入江コク（会社員夫人）：どこへ申し込んだらよいのでしょうか。
麻生ミサキ（愛国班長）：婦人会で斡旋してくれるのではないでしょうか。主婦が一日一時間でも何か家庭内でお手伝いの出来る仕事が出来たら全体では随分大きな戦力になるのではないでしょうか。
中島信子（雑貨店主婦）：婦人会の方がもっと積極的に働きかけて下さるといいのですね。
楳村増代（未亡人）：本当ですわね。私達主婦も戦時生活に徹し切らねばならぬことはよく知っています。最近は子供たちに教育されている位ですから、精神的指導より、もっと直接のためになる具体的な指導が望ましいと思います。＝終り＝
当局の答：お互いが感情的になるまい
◇町会配給の数量明示が問題になっているようですが、明るい配給生活を確立するため、町会、組、班に割り当てられた数量は一般町民にも知らせるよう指導している。若しそういう方法をとってない町会や組長は即時実施して頂きたい。
配給数量に納得がゆかず組班長なり、町会の配給台帳の閲覧を班員が乞う場合は、お互いが感情的にならぬようにして、町会も組、班長も心よく提示するよう、配給内容に努めて町民に知らせるようにしている。
町会役職員がお役所風を吹かすといわれているが、一部にはあるかも知れぬし、また忙しいような時はつい言葉遣いが乱暴になり勝ちになるかも知れぬが、お互いに同じ町民だという気持で接して頂きたい（京城府庁町会係）
近く家庭工場化実施
◇何か勤労をという主婦の傾向は洵に喜ばしいことで、従来家庭内の勤労は希望者のみがやって来たが、今後は全府内の家庭人総勤労を実施し、家庭の工場化を図り、近く実施するとなっていますから、そのときは皆さんにも張り切って頑張って頂きます（大日本婦人会京城府支部）
Source: National Library of Korea, Digital Newspaper Archive
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