Another part of a propaganda interview of Korean comfort women who returned from a whirlwind 1943 Japan tour visiting wounded Imperial Japanese soldiers, and one of the comfort women retired to "live life without shame as a sister and mother of splendid soldiers of the Korean peninsula"

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo　(Keijo Nippo) August 14, 1943

A chorus of sincerity in response to gratitude

Receiving encouragement from the heroes in white

Performing arts comfort team

Roundtable discussion and report following their return

Keijo Nippo reporter: It seems that you went to Tokyo after that. What was your impression of wartime Tokyo?

Gil Song-ja (길송자/吉松子): I was amazed at how well Tokyo regulated its city illumination. On the night we arrived, being country bumpkins, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, and it was so dark that we wouldn't have known if our noses were being pinched. The seriousness of the air-raid drills touched our hearts so much that it made us ashamed of what we were doing. All the girls wore Monpe work pants, which were very different from those worn in Korea and more suitable for practical use. We really felt that we needed to wear them too. They were not the thin, flimsy Monpe work pants that we wear here in Korea, but they were made of simple cut fabric, and we really felt that our work pants had to be like that.

Park Sun-sil (박순실/朴淳實): We were overcome by the greatness of Japan proper and the mental strength of the people of Japan proper, as we were directly confronted by the natural scenery as well as by the men and women who lived there, who were far better people than we were. In Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyushu, we were treated like true sisters. Even the upper-class ladies were full of kindness through their humble words and mannerisms. We felt a beauty that we could never see on the Korean peninsula, and we learned about the strength of the children who grew up there. On the one hand, they are kind, but on the other hand, they are also very strong. We were deeply moved by the training activities of the women's associations and secondary school students, and we were deeply convinced that Japan had to be a strong country if they could do this so well. We strongly felt that Korean women should definitely learn from them.

Keijo Nippo reporter: You must have been deeply moved when you went to many hospitals for comfort visits.

Kim Wol (김월/金月): At every hospital, we would go around to greet seriously injured patients before the performances start. When we finished our greetings at the First Army Hospital, a soldier came to us and encouraged us saying, "I hear that conscription has finally been established on the Korean peninsula. Congratulations! We are relieved to hear that. Please do your best. We're counting on you, we're counting on you..." At that time, we became firmly determined to completely live out our lives strongly as military women.

Kim Jeon-wang (김전왕/金田旺): I believe it was at the Second Army Hospital that the Yomiuri newspaper photography team visited us. As usual, we were visiting patients in the hospital wards, and when we saw one of the patients smiling at us despite the pain of his serious injuries, we were all moved to tears and encouraged by his smile. A patient who could not get up said, "I'm fine, I'm fine," as he turned his head and waved his hand still lying on his back. We met Mr. Ōyama, who was a Korean volunteer soldier, and we were all sincerely happy to see that he was in such good spirits, not at all different from the soldiers of Japan proper. When we greeted Mr. Ōyama saying, "we will serve our nation rising up 25 million strong in the Korean peninsula", Mr. Ōyama's voice and body trembled as he responded with just one phrase, "I'm counting on you".

Yoo San-hong (유산홍/劉山紅): I think that happened at a hospital in Hiroshima. I remember a soldier wearing white who surprised me by suddenly calling out to me, "Sister...." He said to me with the same friendliness that one would show to one's siblings, "Even after you return to Korea, please do your utmost best for the nation. If I go back to the war zone, I will surely tell stories about your heartfelt comfort to my war comrades," whereupon I bowed my head.

Kim Geum-hong (김금홍/金錦紅): At the Red Cross Hospital in Tokyo, there was an isolation room where patients were not allowed to receive comfort during normal hours. The regulations did not allow it, but we were hoping that we could do it here as well for these patients. We asked them if we could give these people comfort visits. When we went to the hospital rooms, we found that all the windows in the hallways had been opened, and there were people lying on bed chairs and in wicker chairs looking out of the windows, and many nurses were lined up behind them.

It was a hot day in the courtyard, but we were about to leave after singing the Arirang chorus and the Patriotic March with all our hearts when we suddenly saw a brave warrior who could not even come to the window sill, borrowing a mirror from a nurse in the room and looking at our reflection. When we saw this, we were deeply moved. We had already said our goodbyes, but we felt that we could not leave just yet, so we asked the branch manager, "Excuse me, but please let us sing one more time", and then we sincerely sang the poem "Outside the city of Jinzhou".

Afterwards, everyone outside also sang the "Baektu Mountain Song" and various other songs before we returned home. We were truly moved by the words of the head nurse who later told the branch manager, "The soldiers are all grateful to you for singing with such sincerity. As we stood by and watched, we could understand why everyone sang so willingly even after the farewell greetings had already been made. I believe that ties between Japan proper and Korea will be strengthened when hard and fast principles are set aside, and our hearts are in contact with one other".

[Photo: The patriotic march sung by the comfort team at the Kokura Army Hospital, censored by the Shimonoseki Fortress Command Headquarters].

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-08-14

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) August 18, 1943

Here are the patriotic Kisaeng

Beautiful stories about the changes in the members of the performing arts comfort team

Dispatch from Keijo Nippo head office

Impressed by the fighting spirit in Japan proper

At the time, the head office of Keijo Nippo organized a "performing arts comfort team" composed of Korean kisaeng. The group visited army and navy hospitals in various parts of the country, offering heartfelt comfort to the brave warriors in white. One of the members, Ms. Yoshiko Kaneshiro (22), also named Ms. Kim Gang-seok (김강석/金剛石), a kisaeng of the Sanwa Kenban Agency at 107 Hunjeong-dong (훈정동/薫井洞), Jongno-gu, was deeply moved by the divine appearance of the fighting women of Japan proper who were working hard towards finishing the Holy War. She said, "I cannot stand still. I will become a serious woman on the war front and work hard for the sake of the nation". On August 17th, she reported to the Jongno Police Station and surrendered her four-and-a-half-year life as a 'red light' worker.

She submitted a notice of abandonment of the kisaeng trade, saying "Starting today, I will lead a serious life". At the same time, she deposited 100 yen in gold to the head office as consolation money for the Imperial military in commemoration of her giving up the kisaeng trade. She renewed her firm resolve to be an Imperial woman. Ms. Kaneshiro spoke of her joy at the beginning of her new life as follows [Photo: Ms. Kaneshiro].

"I have recently visited the wounded and sick soldiers of the Imperial Military in Japan proper through the arrangement of your company. I was shown the true image of the fighting Imperial Nation, and taught the attitude of an Imperial woman. As a Korean woman, I was able to learn a great deal. In this critical time when we have to eat or be eaten, I continued the trip saddened that we had to live smiling under the 'red light' as kisaeng putting on a face that would have been more appropriate for more normal times, not able to do a thing to help our nation. After returning home to Korea safely, I reconsidered my life and decided to part with my life as a kisaeng and become a respectable family woman, so that I could send out more robust and loyal soldiers of His Majesty from the Korean peninsula, and I have done the necessary paperwork today. From now on, I will keep this inspiration in mind with the determination to live my life without shame as a sister and mother of splendid soldiers of the Korean peninsula. This is a small amount of money, but it is a part of the cost of canceling the reception that was to have been held to commemorate my abandonment of the kisaeng trade, which had been made possible by the generosity of our guests. Please use this money for the sake of the wounded soldiers who were infinitely pleased with our humble Korean performances."

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-08-18

(End Translation)

Notes:

The above articles are about a "performing arts comfort team" of 14 Korean comfort women, or kisaeng, who went to Japan in July and August 1943 to sing, dance, and "comfort" wounded Imperial Japanese soldiers in Japan. 

Kisaeng were Korean female entertainers who sang, danced, played musical instruments and wrote 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. 

I previously posted three other posts on this blog about this comfort team under these titles:

1.    Korean comfort women in a "performing arts comfort team" embarked on whirlwind July-August 1943 Japan tour visiting wounded Imperial Japanese soldiers

2.    Korean comfort women interviewed after whirlwind 1943 Japan tour visiting wounded Imperial Japanese soldiers who 'showed us again and again with their bodies, not with their words, that Japan and Korea were to be unified as one' and 'we were often moved to tears because we did not feel worthy'

3.    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

The August 14th article precedes the August 15th article which I translated earlier under the second previous post. The August 14th article seems like it continues from a previous article, which I have not been able to find so far.

The August 18th article is notable, in that it reveals a slight hint that at least one of the comfort woman was less than happy and even shameful about her line of work, as she announces her intention to retire to "live life without shame as a sister and mother of splendid soldiers of the Korean peninsula". The propaganda articles reveal a tension between the impulse to portray the comfort women's service as patriotic and honorable, and the contradictory impulse to portray the comfort women's work as shameful. The same contradictory impulses can still be seen among Japanese historical revisionists today who deny that comfort women were coerced and even applaud them for their 'service', but at the same time deny their suffering and flippantly dismiss them as willing prostitutes. The 1943 editorial (see above link number 3) attempts to reconcile these contradictory impulses by arguing that the comfort women's service was a sort of initiation rite to turn these comfort women into true Imperial Japanese women, and suggests that this 'initiation rite' could be used more widely to assimilate more Korean women into Imperial Japan.

The First Army Hospital refers to what is now the National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM) in Tokyo.

The Second Army Hospital, where the comfort team met Mr. Ōyama the Korean volunteer soldier, was in Hiroshima, and it was wiped out in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Today, there is a memorial to the former hospital at the landmark: 広島第二陸軍病院跡 (Google map link).

The poem "Outside the city of Jinzhou (金州城外)" (YouTube video of poem recitation: https://youtu.be/3_R2VkZhke0) is about the Battle of Nanshan which was fought between Japanese and Russian soldiers on the southern tip of Liaoning peninsula in 1904 during the Russo-Japanese War.

Baektu Mountain Song (白頭山節) (YouTube video of song: https://youtu.be/-p3H32BXcq4) refers to a Japanese folk song about Baektu Mountain which may be an adaptation of a Korean folk song. 

Kenban Agency (券番) refers to a management agency which manages the kisaeng and their performance fees. The Kenban agency for Kim Gang-seok was located at 107 Hunjeong-dong and is shown on this map of Seoul from 1933:

Today, the agency is gone, and the former location is now a part of Jongmyo Plaza Park.

(Transcriptions)

京城日報　1943年8月14日

感謝に応え真心の合唱

白衣の勇士から逆に激励受く

芸能慰問隊

帰還報告座談会

本社側：それから東京に廻られたようでしたが、戦時下に於ける東京をどんな風にお感じになりましたか。

吉松子：何と申しても灯火管制の行き届いているのには驚きました。着いた夜など田舎者の私共は勝手が知れませず鼻をつままれても分からぬ位でした。それから防空訓練の真剣さには胸をうたれる思いで私共のやっていましたことが今更恥ずかしいのです。女子はみんなモンペで、このモンペが半島のそれとはおよそ違った実用向きのものなんです。あれでなければいけないなとつくづく感じました。こっちで使うペラペラした薄いモンペ等ではなく、質素な切地で作ったものをはいていましたが、実際あれでなくてはならないと思いました。

朴淳實：自然の風物からも、そこに住まう男からも女からも、私共とは桁はずれに良く出来た人達をじかに見せつけられて内地の偉大さ、内地人の精神力に打ち負かされました。東京でも大阪でも九州でも全く真の姉妹のように扱って戴きました。上流婦人でも謙遜な言葉や物腰から親切心が溢れていて、半島では到底見ることの出来ない美しさを感じ此処に育つ児等の強さを知ることが出来ました。優しい反面にまだ非常に強くもあり、婦人団体や中等学生の錬成の様子を見まして、あれだけやれば日本は強い筈だと深く胸を打たれました。半島女性も是非学ばなければならぬとつくづく考えました。

本社側：沢山の病院を慰問して随分胸をうたれたこともおありでしょう。

金月：どこの病院でも慰問演芸開演前に重傷患者のために挨拶に廻るのです。第一陸軍病院で挨拶を終ると一人の兵隊さんが訪ねて下さいまして、『半島にも愈々徴兵制が布かれたそうですね。お目出度う。自分達もそれで安心した。しっかりやって下さい。頼みます、頼みます．．．』と逆に激励されました。この時には全く軍国の女性として強く生き抜かねば相済まないと堅く決意しました。

金田旺：読売の写真班が来られたのは確か第二陸軍病院だったでしょうね。例によって病棟に患者さんをお見舞いしたら重傷の痛みをこらえて苦しい中からニッコリ笑って応えて下さったのには一同感極まって泣き、逆に激励されました。起てない人が『元気だ、元気だ』と云って仰向いた儘手を振って見せました。此処で半島志願兵出身の大山さんに会いましたが、内地の兵士とちっとも変わりなく、元気な御様子に一同心から嬉しく『半島二千五百万民は総起ちとなって御国の為に奉公致します』と挨拶すれば大山さんは只一言『頼みます』と声も体もふるわせていられました。

劉山紅：あれは広島の病院でしたかしら。白衣の兵隊さんから『姉さん．．．』と突然呼び懸けられたのには面喰いました。『朝鮮に帰られても御国の為にウンと頑張って下さいよ。皆さんの真心籠る慰問の話は自分が再び戦地へ行ったら必ず戦友へ語って聞かせますよ』と兄妹同様の親しさで呼び懸けて下さるのです。私は頭が下りました。

金錦紅：東京の赤十字病院では平素慰問を受けられない隔離病室がありました。規則では許されないが、ここでもやって貰えたらというお話です。私共はこういう人達にこそ慰問をさせて戴きたいとお願いしました。病室へ行って見ますと廊下の窓の戸を全部外して寝椅子に横っている人、籐椅子によっている人達が窓から顔を出して居られ、その後の方には沢山の看護婦さんが並んで居られました。

この中庭で私共は暑い日でしたが並んでアリランの合唱と愛国行進曲を心から歌って帰ろうとしますと、ふと私共の眼に映ったのは窓辺にも出て来られない勇士の方が部屋の中で看護婦さんから鏡を借りまして、私達の姿を写しているのです。私達はこれを見るとハット胸を打たれたのです。もうお別れの挨拶の済んだ後でしたが、どうしてもこの儘帰れないという気持ちになりまして、支社長さんに『すみませんが是非もう一度だけ歌わして下さい』といって『金州城外』の詩吟を真心こめて吟詠しました。

それから外の皆さんも白頭山節やその外色々歌って帰りましたが、後で支社長さんに『ほんとに真心から歌って戴いた事を兵隊さんは皆感謝しています。私共も傍らで見ていまして、もう挨拶が済んだ後にも拘わらず皆さんが進んで歌って呉れた心持がよく分かります。むずかしい理屈よりお互いの心と心の触れ合う時に内地と朝鮮とが固く結ばれるのだと思います』と婦長さんが申されたそうですが、私達はあの時ほんとうに心に打たれるものがあったのです。

【写真＝小倉陸軍病院における慰問隊の愛国行進曲合唱＝下関要塞司令部検閲済み】

京城日報　1943年8月18日

ここに愛国妓生あり

芸能慰問隊員の転向美談

本社派遣

戦う内地に感激

さきに本社では半島妓生からなる”芸能慰問隊”を組織。内地各地の陸海軍病院に白衣の勇士を心から慰問。予想以上の好評を博してこのほど帰鮮したが、隊員のうち三和券番妓生鐘路区薫井町一〇七金剛石こと金城淑子（二二）さんは内地慰問中、戦う内地婦人達の聖戦完遂に向かって逞しく働いている聖なる姿に痛く心を打たれ、”わたしもじっとしてはおられない。真面目な銃後の女性となって御国のため一生懸命働きます”と過去四年有半の紅灯生活をかなぐり捨てて、十七日鐘路署に出頭。

”きょうからわたしも真面目な生活を営みます”と芸妓廃業届を提出する一方、妓生廃業を記念して金百円を本社へ皇軍慰問金として寄託。皇国女性の固き覚悟を新たにした。金城さんは新しい生活の門出の喜びを次のように語る【写真＝金城さん】

『私はこのたび貴社の御計りで内地の皇軍傷病兵の慰問を行いました。私は戦う皇国の真姿を見せていただき、そして皇国婦女の態度を教えられ、半島女性としてこのうえもない勉強をさせていただきました。喰うか喰われるかといわれるこの重大な時局に私達は何一つ御国のため役立つこともなく、却って非時局的な面で妓生なるが故に紅灯の下に笑いながら暮さねばならないことを一人悲しみながら旅を続けたのでございます。無事に帰鮮致しまして、自分の生活を考えなおし、私共の半島から、より逞しい、より忠良な陛下の兵隊を送り出すため妓生生活と別れて立派な家族婦人に帰ることを決心し、今日その手続きをとりました。今後はこのたび感激を肝に銘じて天晴れ半島出身兵士の姉としてまた母として恥ずかしくない生活を営む覚悟でございます。誠にこれは些少ですが、妓生廃業に際しまして皆さんからの因襲で行われていました廃業披露宴会を取り止めた費用の一部でございます。私共は拙い半島演芸を限りなく御喜び下さった傷痍軍人のために御処理願います』

Korean comfort women in a "performing arts comfort team" embark on whirlwind July-August 1943 Japan tour visiting wounded Imperial Japanese soldiers

 

There was a "performing arts comfort team" of 14 Korean comfort women who went to Japan in July and August 1943 to sing, dance, and "comfort" wounded Imperial Japanese soldiers in Japan. I previously posted two articles from August 1943 on this subreddit about this comfort team, one (Korean comfort women interviewed after whirlwind 1943 Japan tour) was an interview with the comfort women after they returned to Korea from this trip, and another (1943 editorial calls for Korean language to be wiped out) was a government policy editorial saying that this comfort team demonstrated that these Korean women learned Japanese so well because they interacted with Imperial Japanese soldiers as comfort women, so this lesson should be applied in all of Korea so as to "directly bump sincere hearts with each other". 

I've also added some links to Youtube videos that I found of the songs and dances that they performed. Most appear to be Japanese folk songs, but their repertoire also includes some Korean songs in a slight nod to their Korean heritage. Judging from the music selection, I'm thinking these Korean comfort women must have had very specialized music instructors from Japan come to Korea to teach them these very regional Japanese folk songs and dances.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo), July 14, 1943

Giving comfort singing Doraji Taryeong

Korean performing arts comfort team working hard

Burning with heroic determination to serve again, the "Korean performing arts comfort team of the Army and Navy Hospital in Japan proper", organized by the head office of this newspaper and consisting of 14 members including Kim Geum-hong (김금홍/金錦紅), is to depart Seoul Station on the morning of July 14th for Japan proper. By comforting the brave soldiers in white who are single-mindedly focused on recuperation, the comfort team expresses their deepest gratitude to their fellow compatriots for their immense trust and affection toward the Korean peninsula. Prior to their departure, at a little after 2:00 p.m. on the afternoon of the 13th, they visited the Korea Army guided by Mr. Suzuki, Director of the Planning Department of the Head Office of this newspaper. After giving a departure speech to Mr. Kuramo, Director of the News Department, they immediately went to the main hospital of Yongsan Seoul Army Hospital to visit the injured soldiers and held a "performing arts comfort party" rich with the sentiments of the Korean peninsula in the Patriotic Hall in front of 200 soldiers in white.

Following the opening address by the group director Mr. Suzuki, Kim Jeon-wang (김전왕/金田旺) spoke on behalf of the entire group by saying, "We have decided to comfort the wounded soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy with our humble performances as a way of thanking our compatriots in Japan for their kindness on the eve of the glorious conscription order. Today, instead of a departure address, we will hold a performance in front of you, and although we are not sure if we will be able to comfort you all, we will do our best. We are reminded of the fact that we have been your sisters in the front lines as members of the glorious Imperial Army, and we are all filled with joy standing in front of you all and giving you comfort. We pray non-stop that you will all recover completely and that the day of your re-entry into the service will come sooner than expected", giving her kind and sincere opening speech in fluent Japanese. Then the group started the performance.

All the performers, dressed in their traditional Korean clothes, sang "Arirang", a well-known Korean folk song. The beautiful melody of the ancient folk songs of the Korean peninsula thrilled the white-robed warriors to their hearts' content, and the Doraji Taryeong, a dance unique to the Korean peninsula, was performed with graceful Korean-inspired dance moves. The audience gave thunderous applauses to "Yasugi-bushi (安来節)" and "the Mother of Kudan (九段の母)" performed by Kim Geum-hong (김금홍/金錦紅).

The comic storytelling of the "New Family Scene" brought a whirlwind of laughter, followed by enthusiastic performances of "Sado Okesa (佐渡おけさ)" and "Night in Suzhou (蘇州の夜)", and everyone sang a lively rendition of the "Patriotic March (愛国行進曲)", bringing the comfort performance to a close at 3:30 p.m. [Photo: The performing arts comfort party]

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-07-14

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo), July 15, 1943

A trip to comfort the brave wounded soldiers.

Performing arts team departed for Japan proper this morning

After the send-off party and the visit to the Army Hospital to comfort the wounded soldiers on July 13th, the 14 members of the "Korean performing arts comfort team of the Army and Navy Hospital in Japan proper", organized by the head office of this newspaper and led by Kim Geum-hong (김금홍/金錦紅), visited Seoul at 8:00 a.m. on July 14th to make a departure speech, and then departed from Seoul Station at 10:05 a.m. The team members were in high spirits as they were seen off by many executives of the head office of this newspaper as well as friends and relatives, and they made their way onto the "Nozomi" train, with the crimson-red circle Hinomaru insignia on the left sides of their chests shining brightly to protect them on their 24-day trip. They left waving their hands in the air and saying, "See you later! We'll do our best". Kim Geum-hong (김금홍/金錦紅), a member of the group, spoke in clear Japanese recounting the excitement of the departure.

"We are not used to this kind of trip, so we are all talking to each other about trying to compose ourselves and avoiding any trouble as much as possible. If the songs and dances of inexperienced people like us can offer even a little comfort to the white-robed warriors in Japan proper, we will be very happy. We will do our best with all our hearts. Most of the members in this group are excited because it will be the first time for them to visit Japan proper. I am also very grateful that we will be able to pay homage to the Imperial Grand Shrine at Ise and other precious places, and to see the beautiful Mount Fuji". [Photo: the Korean performing arts comfort team departing Seoul Station]

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-07-15

Song Links:

Arirang Dance: https://youtu.be/Bms4dx9ayhQ

Doraji Taryeong: https://youtu.be/o36IFUfTCMg

Yasugi-bushi: https://youtu.be/e3eMaefRU1s

Mother of Kudan: https://youtu.be/F8kVbUNsOs0

Sado Okesa: https://youtu.be/qYt7ax54eXI

Night in Suzhou: https://youtu.be/4HB-kzjWc8U

Patriotic March: https://youtu.be/2CpcztEOSrs

(Transcription)

京城日報　1943年7月14日

トラジで慰める

張切る半島芸能慰問団

雄々しくも再起奉公の決意に燃え、只管療養に専念する白衣の勇士の慰問を通じて内地同胞の我が半島に寄せる絶大の信頼と厚情に満腔の感謝を表する本社主催『内地陸海軍病院半島芸能慰問団』一行金錦紅さん以下十四名は愈々十四日朝京城駅発、一路内地に向かうが、晴れの出発に先立って十三日午後二時過ぎ、団長鈴木本社企画部長に引率されて朝鮮軍を訪れ、倉茂報道部長に出発の挨拶を述べたのち、傷兵慰問のため直ちに龍山京城陸軍病院本院に向い、愛国館で白衣勇士二百名を前に半島情緒を豊かに盛った『芸能慰問会』を開催した。

鈴木慰問隊長の挨拶に次いで、金田旺さんが一同を代表して『輝かしい徴兵制を目睫に控えて内地同胞の方々にお礼の意味で陸海軍傷兵を私達の拙い芸でお慰めすることになりました。本日は出発の挨拶に代えて皆様の前で慰問芸能会を開かせて戴きますが、果して皆様をお慰め出来るか心配ですが、一同ははり切って慰問致します。私達同胞が栄えの皇軍の一員として皆様の弟となって前線に起ったことに思いを致し、こうして皆様の前に立って慰問することに私達一同は無上の喜びに胸一ぱいです。何卒全快されて再起奉公の日一日も早からんことを祈って止みません』と優しい真心こもる開会の言葉を流暢な国語で述べ、それより演芸に移った。

楚々とした朝鮮服に着替えた全員はお馴染みの”アリラン”を斉唱。美しい半島古来の民謡の旋律に白衣の勇士を心ゆくまで陶然とさせ、半島独特の舞踊トラジでは優雅な半島情緒纏綿とした踊りを繰展げる。金錦紅さんの十八番”安来節”、”九段の母”には一同割れるような拍手を送る。

漫談新家庭風景はドット爆笑の渦を巻かせ、かくて”佐渡おけさ”、”蘇州の夜”など熱演があり、全員愛国行進曲を活発に斉唱、同三時半心からなる慰問演芸の幕を閉じた。【写真＝同慰問演芸会】

京城日報　1943年7月15日

勇躍傷兵慰問の旅へ

芸能一団行、けさ内地へ出発

十三日壮行会、陸軍病院傷兵慰問を終えた本社主催”内地陸海軍病院半島芸能慰問団”一行金錦紅さん以下十四名は鈴木団長に引率され、十四日午前八時本府を訪問して出発の挨拶を行い、同十時五分京城駅発”のぞみ”で本社関係幹部並びに友人縁故者など多数の見送りを受け、勇躍壮途に上がったが、団員一行は左胸に二十四日間の慰問の旅を守護する如く耀く真紅の『日の丸』の胸章も晴れやかに展望者に現れ、”ではいって参ります、しっかりやってまいります”と手を打ち振りながら出発した。一行中の金田旺さんは、その出発の感激の中にハッキリとした国語で語った。

「慣れない旅ですが、皆心を引き緊めてできるだけ御厄介をかけないように努めましょうとお互い話し合っています。私たちのような未熟なものの歌や踊りがもし内地の白衣の勇士の方々を些かでもお慰め申しあげることが出来ますれば、こんな嬉しいことはありません。真心をこめてやって参ります。それから一行の中には内地行きは初めての方が大部分ですので、皆さん胸をワクワクさせています。それに伊勢の皇大神宮初め尊い御ところにお詣り出来ますことや、綺麗な富士山をみることの出来ますことを心から感謝いたして居ります」【写真＝京城駅出発の半島芸能慰問団】

Korean comfort women interviewed after whirlwind 1943 Japan tour visiting wounded Imperial Japanese soldiers who 'showed us again and again with their bodies, not with their words, that Japan and Korea were to be unified as one' and 'we were often moved to tears because we did not feel worthy'

 

Notes: This article contains an interview with the Korean comfort women who were part of a 'comfort team' which went on a whirlwind tour of Japan in 1943 visiting Imperial Japanese soldiers throughout the country. I highly recommend reading the related 'wipe out the Korean language' editorial, which I posted last month. This notorious editorial essentially says, to paraphrase, "These comfort women were not the brightest or the best educated, but look at how well they learned Japanese once they served Imperial Japanese soldiers! We should expand this out to all of Korea, so Korean women can learn Japanese faster." 

This is the horrific truth that almost no one mentions about Korean comfort women for some reason - their sexual exploitation was just a trial run as part of a much larger plan to wipe out the Korean language and ethnic identity and thoroughly instill the Japanese language and culture in all of Korea. The network of concentration camps for the young Korean girls was also going to be greatly expanded. The model of linguistic and cultural assimilation carried out in Korea was to be eventually replicated in all other territories occupied by the Imperial Japanese military. The only thing that prevented this grand plan from being carried out in its entirety was defeat in World War II. 

There is an editorial which I posted under the title, 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. It essentially says that the model of governance developed in Korea will be exported to all parts of the world that are occupied by the Imperial Japanese military. I won't link it here, because it contains some hateful language that led to me being banned from the r/badphilosophy subreddit, despite previously posting other Imperial Japanese editorials without any problems - apparently the content was so disturbing and distressing that the mods decided to ban me. If you still want to read it, you can find it on this blog by going to the 'philosophy' label. 

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. 

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 as happy encounters. 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.

This article mentions the daily 7 am and 12 noon prayers that all Koreans in the Korean peninsula had to participate in. There were usually loud sirens marking those two times of the day, and you had to immediately stop what you were doing and perform the prayers. The 7 am Kyūjō Yōhai ritual (宮城遥拝) involved bowing several times in the direction of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo while standing, almost reminiscent of the Muslim salah prayer in the qibla direction of Mecca. The noon prayer was a moment of silence in honor of the Imperial Japanese soldiers.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijō Nippō), August 15, 1943

Mother and son have a good time together

Heart-struck by the pure innocence of the heroes in white

A round-table discussion on the return of the performing arts comfort team

Moon Young-ja (문영자/文英子): "We were made to feel that the soldiers were really great men. The reason for this is that they showed us again and again with their bodies, not with their words, that Japan and Korea were to be unified as one. The pure and frank soldiers thanked us from the bottom of their hearts when we comforted them in Korean clothes, and they vowed to serve us again. We were often moved to tears because we did not feel worthy. It became clear to us why our heroes are the strongest in the world on the battlefield.

We, too, were made to realize that this was a 'divine country', and we were given a silent reminder that, soon, the Korean peninsula was also going to do its part on the home front. We saw a group of soldiers and their mothers at the Red Cross Hospital, where they were to be photographed after the comfort visit. One seriously wounded man said, 'I really want to join in,' and he invited an elderly woman who looked like his mother to go join him in the photo shoot, and they looked very satisfied. According to what we heard, the brave warrior had written to his mother from the distant countryside to invite her to come to the event, and he had been looking forward to it for several days, counting down the days with his fingers. Knowing what had happened, we were all touched by the news."

Kim Sook-gyeong (김숙경/金淑瓊): "It was twelve o'clock at night when we arrived in Hiroshima, and everyone was very tired. Our manager, Kim Geum-hong (김금홍/金錦紅), collapsed due to her chronic beriberi disease. However, she insisted on carrying on and forcing herself to perform by giving herself an injection, saying that she couldn't take a break seeing just how happy the soldiers were. But we implored her to take a break, since we could all work together to compensate for her absence, and she relented and took a break. That was how we all felt."

Kim Gang-chun (김강춘/金剛春): "I was completely pessimistic when I was asked what kinds of performances a kisaeng does, but once the performance was over, my attitude suddenly changed as I was inundated with soldiers holding autograph books (laughter). At times like these, I became happy and felt that it was worth it. In Shimonoseki, a soldier with a limp said, 'Thank you so much for today, please drink a little of this...' and offered us two bottles of Homare Sake. We tried refusing this sincere gift several times, but eventually we accepted it."

Kim Jeon-wang (김전왕/金田旺): "As I mentioned earlier, this was my third time in Japan proper, but it was my first time visiting a Shinto shrine. When I stepped into the shrine, I felt that I was touched by the nobility and beauty of Japan. I couldn't help but think that Japan is a divine country and that it is natural for strong soldiers to be born there, so we were compelled to adopt a more serious attitude. We Koreans, who have a low level of spiritual life, felt inadequate and ashamed of ourselves everywhere we went. We were determined to become strong and respectable mothers as soon as possible and raise our children to succeed us in the next generation. I have no parents or siblings, and if circumstances allow, I would like to become a volunteer battlefield nurse in the future."

Kim Wol (김월/金月): "When I came to Japan proper, I noticed something strange. In Korea, we pray at 7:00 a.m. bowing to the Emperor's palace in the Kyūjō Yōhai ritual, and at noon, we hold a silent prayer for the Imperial Japanese troops, but this is not the case in Japan proper. I wondered why. However, I gradually came to understand the reason. There are shrines all over Japan, and people worship at them with reverence in the morning and evening. You can even see them from the windows of the train.

This is why the people of Japan proper know that the gods are always with them, and they don't have to worship at set times like in Korea. I felt that we Koreans need to move forward to the point where we are always living with the gods in our daily lives."

Ahn Chun-il (안춘일/安春一): "When we went to a hospital in Japan proper, we saw women who were not nurses washing the soiled clothes of the soldiers. Asking around, we learned that there was a variety of women's groups performing labor service. We also began to feel like going to some hospital and helping out."

Keijō Nippō Reporter: "I see. I'm sure you've made yourselves mentally prepared as Korean women in a variety of ways."

Kim Geum-hong (김금홍/金錦紅): "I am amazed at how gentle and kind the local women are in Japan proper. This is something that I think Korean women should learn from. Unlike Korean women, the upper-class women in Japan are not pretentious, but are kind and sincere, and I enjoyed spending time with them wherever I went. Mrs. Takamiya, the wife of the president of the company who rode with us on the train to Yokosuka, paid special care to look after the luggage of people like us. We completely bow our heads in gratitude for all the help that we have been given. The kindness was so sincere, and we were so engrossed in our conversations on the train on our way home, that we even rode all the way to Tokyo Station, missing our stop (laughter). Even though Korean women are sometimes very stiff and formal, I think we need to train ourselves to be a little kinder to each other.

At any rate, in Tokyo and everywhere else in Japan proper, on the electric trains and on steam locomotives, we were very sorry to see so many brave men with the wounded soldier insignia on their chests. Fortunately, a conscription system has been established in Korea, and I believe that now is the time for Korean men and women of all ages to really rise up this autumn as Imperial people."

Keijō Nippō Reporter: "Thank you very much for spending so much time with us." 

Photo: The team comforting the seriously wounded soldiers in white clothes at the First Army Hospital.

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-08-15

(Transcription)

京城日報　1943年8月15日

母子揃って楽しい一時

胸搏たれる白衣の勇士の純情

芸能慰問隊・帰還報告座談会

文英子：兵隊さんはほんとに偉いと感じさせられました。内鮮一体を言葉でなく身をもって度々示されたからです。純真で率直な兵隊さんは朝鮮服で慰問する私共に心から感謝し再起奉公を誓って下さるのです。勿体なくて泣かされた事も度々でした。勇士が戦場に出て世界一強い理由がハッキリしました。

私共もこれこそ”神の国”だと悟らされ、半島の銃後も愈々これからだ、との無言の暗示を受けました。或る一組の兵隊さんとお母さんを見ましたが、やはり赤十字病院で慰問の後、記念撮影することとなり、一人の重傷者は『自分も是非入りたい』。それから、その日見えたお母さんらしい年老いた方をも差しまねいて一緒に入って、とても満足そうでした。聞く處によりますと、その勇士は半島慰問団が来るというので遠い田舎から手紙で母親を呼び寄せ、自分も幾日も前から指折り数えて充分楽しむことが出来たと非常な喜びようでした。事情を知って私達一同も今更胸をうたれた次第でした。

金淑瓊：広島に着いたのは夜中の十二時で、みんなも相当疲労して監督格の金錦紅さんは持病の脚気がつのって遂に倒れましたが、あんなに喜んで下さる兵隊さんの様子をみると休むことは出来ないと注射を打って無理に舞台を勤めようとするのを姉さんの分はみんなで勤めますから、どうか休んで下さいと無理に頼んで休んで戴きました。そんな風に一同張切りました。

金剛春：妓生の芸なんてどんなことをするんですかーと言われた時は全く悲観しましたが、講演が終ると俄かに態度を改めて『やあ全く素晴らしい』とサイン帳など持って殺到されるんです（笑声）。こんな時には、やはり甲斐があったと愉快になりました。下関では、足の不自由な兵隊さんが『今日はほんとに有難う、これは少しですがみんなでのんで下さい．．．』と”ほまれ”二個を差し出された誠意に何度もお断りましたが、結局戴きました。

金田旺：私は先程も申し上げましたように、内地は今度で三度目ですが、神宮参拝は初めてです。神域に一歩足を踏み入れると日本の気高さ美しさに触れた気がしまして、日本は神の国だ、強い兵士の生れるのは当然だと襟を正さずにはおれません。精神生活活程度の低い半島の私達は何処に行っても引け目を感じて全く恥ずかしい思いをしました。私達も一日も早く強い立派な母になって次代を継ぐ子供を育て上げねばと決意しました。それから親兄弟の無い私は境遇が許せば、将来は篤志願看護婦を志願して働きたい念願です。

金月：私は内地へ参りまして、不思議に思ったことがございます。それは朝鮮では午前七時に遥拝し、正午に黙祷をするのですが、内地ではそれが行われ居りません。何故であろうかというのが私の疑問でございました。ところが、それが段々分かったのです。それは内地では到るところに神社がありまして、人々は朝夕心から敬虔の念を持っておがんでいるのです。汽車の窓からもこれを見ることが出来るのです。

だから内地の人々は神様といつでも一緒に居るのだということが分かり、殊更朝鮮のように定められた時間にしなくともいいのではないかということが分かったのであります。私達も毎日の生活の中にいつでも神様と一緒に生きているのだというところ迄進まなければいけないのだと感じました。

安春一：内地の病院へ行って見ますと、看護婦さんと違った婦人達が兵隊さんのよごれたものを洗って居りましたので、よく聞いて見ますと色々の婦人団体の方々が勤労奉仕をして居られるのだと聞きまして、私達もこれからどこかの病院へ行って御手伝いして上げたいと思いました。

本社側：そうですね。半島女性としての覚悟も色々とできたことと思います。

金錦紅：内地婦人の淑やかで親切なことは驚くばかりです。これは半島婦人は是非学ぶべきだと思いました。半島婦人と違って、上流婦人といってもたかぶらず、優しく誠意があって何処へ行っても楽しく過ごすことが出来ました。横須賀行きの列車で御同車願った高宮社長婦人など私等の如き者の手荷物にまで気を配られて、何くれとなく御世話下さったのには全く頭が下りました。御親切が身に沁んで帰りの汽車中では話に夢中になって、東京駅まで乗り越した程です（笑声）。半島婦人は堅苦しい点があるのでも、少し親切を尽くし合う様お互いに修練を積む必要があると思います。

兎に角内地では東京初め何処に参りましても電車の中、汽車の中、到る處に傷痍徽章を胸に付けた勇士の姿に数多く持して、ほんとうに相済まなく存じました。半島にも幸い徴兵制が布かれましたので、青年も婦人も老若挙って今こそ皇国民として真に総起ちの秋だと存じます。

本社側：長時間に亘って色々と有難うございました。

【写真＝第一陸軍病院で重傷の白衣勇士を慰問する一行】

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/korea/comments/sy6iuk/korean_comfort_women_interviewed_after_whirlwind/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

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