A Rare 1944 Korean–Japanese Bilingual Propaganda Poster Promoting Forced Labor Conscription

This is a very rare Korean–Japanese bilingual wartime propaganda poster, published in Keijo Nippo (Gyeongseong Ilbo) on October 7, 1944. Keijo Nippo was the official propaganda mouthpiece of the Imperial Japanese colonial regime that ruled Korea from 1905 to 1945.

In the four years that I have been reading and archiving articles from this newspaper, this is the only bilingual poster I have ever encountered. The poster features the bilingual lyrics of a song praising “conscripted workers (応徴士),” referring to young Koreans who were being forcibly mobilized for military labor under the so-called White Paper Conscription (白紙召集) system. 

I originally posted about this poster about two years ago, when the only copies available were grainy microfiche scans from the Internet Archive and the National Library of Korea. Since then, the Digital Newspaper Archive at the National Library of Korea has released high-resolution digital scans of Keijo Nippo, allowing a much clearer view of this poster. The Hangul text is now much more legible, so I am updating this post to share this improved copy and to revisit its historical significance with a clearer image.

The White Paper summons was used for various forms of “educational conscription” and training-related mobilization, such as 教育召集 (educational conscription), 演習召集 (training mobilization), and 簡閲点呼 (roll-call inspection). Both the Imperial Army and Navy could issue these white-paper orders, which in practice became a form of compulsory labor service for Korean men.

According to the article, the poster was distributed across all of Korea to raise “home-front morale.” Yet the context makes it chilling. Just months earlier, in April–May 1944, the colonial regime had launched a campaign to “Drive Hangul out of the streets!”, removing Korean-language signs from public view. This makes the poster especially striking—it was one of the very few instances of Hangul text that was officially sanctioned and publicly displayed by the colonial authorities.

For ordinary Koreans, however, the poster’s cheerful and “forward-looking” tone would have felt deeply insulting. They knew from bitter experience what conscription meant: fathers and sons torn away from their families for grueling labor in mines, factories, and construction sites, leaving wives and children destitute. Even though women were not officially subject to the White Paper summons, many feared being swept up into the system—so much so that some rushed into marriage to avoid possible mobilization or being coerced into military sex work under the Imperial forces.

The following are the original lyrics with English translations, as well as the Korean text (uncertain portions in double brackets):

おうちょう（應徵）戦士 Conscription Soldier
お父さん 萬歳 Father, may you live long!
兄ちゃん 萬歳 Elder brother, may you live long!
うれしいな 白紙應召 How joyful it is, White Paper Conscription!
大進撃 勝って下さい Please win the great offensive!
送れ 送れ Send them, send them!
がっちり しっかり Firmly, steadfastly,
憎い米英 やっつける Defeat the hated Britain and America!

응증전사
증응에 나가신
우리 아버지 만세
우리 형님 만세
참말노 기쁜 증응
[[작고]] 만히보내라
다가치 힘을 합하야
[[원수]]에미국 을때려부시라

[Translation of accompanying explanatory text]

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) October 7, 1944
“Wall Newspaper Praising Labor Conscripts”

The labor conscripts advance. Believing that it is an honor second only to that of a soldier, the labor conscripts hurry to factories and mines. Their fathers, mothers, and children who see them off cry out energetically, “Do your best! We will take care of the rest!”

The League of Mobilization in Korea distributed this scene throughout all of Korea in order to boost morale on the home front. [Photo: Wall Newspaper]

[Transcription of accompanying explanatory text]

京城日報 1944年10月7日
応徴士讃う壁新聞

応徴士は進む。兵隊さんに次ぐ名誉だと応徴士は工場に鉱山に急いでいる。送る父や母や子供は元気で”頑張れ、あとは引受けた”と力強く叫ぶ。国民総力聯盟はこの風景を全鮮に配布して銃後の士気を昂揚した。【写真＝壁新聞】

See also:

• Koreans tried to bribe their way out of Imperial Japan’s forced labor conscription, but patriotic student informants turned them in (June 1945) (link)
• Terrified by rumors of forced labor conscription under the Imperial Army, young Korean women rushed into marriages to escape, prompting officials to hold April 1944 press conference to deny and deflect (link)
• In 1944, Imperial Japan launched an “all-out campaign” to erase Hangul from public life, mobilizing teachers and Korean youth to destroy Korean signs, books, and even phonograph records (link)
• Previous post about the bilingual poster based on blurry microfiche copies (link)

Credit to u/wiseau7 for providing the Korean transcription of this song.

Terrified by rumors of forced labor conscription under the Imperial Army, young Korean women rushed into marriages to escape, prompting officials to hold April 1944 press conference to deny and deflect

This is a 1944 article featuring a damage-control press conference held by Imperial Japanese authorities to publicly address growing panic among Koreans over rumors of an impending forced labor conscription of young unmarried women. Panicked Korean women had reportedly rushed into marriages to avoid being drafted for compulsory labor service with the Imperial Army or Navy under the White Paper Conscription system. The situation apparently became so alarming that the regime felt compelled to hold this press conference to explicitly declare, “There is no female conscription.”

Original Caption: Political Affairs Chief Tanaka speaking with reporters

The rush into marriage seems to suggest a level of desperation and fear that goes way beyond a mere reluctance to work. Why were so many young women so terrified of labor conscription with the Imperial Japanese military that they chose marriage as their only escape? Perhaps they already knew of the grim dangers of forced labor under Imperial Japanese military control: sexual abuse and violence. 

Under the White Paper Conscription system, white paper summons (hakushi, 白紙) were issued to men ordering them to report for “patriotic training” at factories, farms, or construction sites under Imperial Army or Navy command. In reality, however, these so-called training mobilizations functioned as compulsory labor deployments-once a white paper arrived, there was virtually no way to refuse.

Interestingly, the same press conference also touched on another controversy then roiling Korean society: the demotion of a Korean colonial official, Mr. Karasukawa Kyōgen (a.k.a. Jong Gyo-won, 정교원, 鄭僑源), from a high-ranking executive post to a county magistrate. Many saw this as blatant ethnic discrimination by the Japanese authorities. Others, however, despised him as a collaborator. Indeed, he was later arrested as a national traitor after liberation.

TL;DR: Many Korean women were desperately rushing into marriages to avoid forced labor conscription with the Imperial Japanese military, which caused a public outcry and forced Imperial authorities to hold a press conference to explicitly deny that women would be forcibly conscripted.

[Translation]

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) April 6, 1944

Outrageous! Marriage to Evade Labor Conscription

“Hey!” As usual, with his cheerful face, Political Affairs Chief Tanaka appeared in the reception room. It was 11 a.m. on April 5th, his first press meeting after returning from the Assembly. “I have something I would like to speak about today,” the Chief began in a bright tone.

[Photo: Political Affairs Chief Tanaka speaking with reporters]

Political Affairs Chief Tanaka Speaks to the Press

“With regard to general labor conscription, there have been rumors that women will also be conscripted, and it seems that, because of this, there has suddenly been an increase in the number of women marrying to evade conscription. This is unacceptable. There is no such thing as labor conscription for women.

“If it is a proper and genuine marriage, that is a happy thing, of course. But to rush into marriage merely to avoid labor conscription is unbecoming in the current national situation. While men are fighting bravely on the battlefront, it is the women who must naturally take their place and protect the home front. The notion of marrying because of unwillingness to work must be completely rejected. In Tokyo and elsewhere, daughters of respectable families are already actively taking up work.”

Although women are not subject to compulsory labor, Tanaka emphasized that women should voluntarily step forward to work. Then the conversation shifted as he began criticizing bad habits in Korea, giving concrete examples.

“In Korea, there has long been a bad habit of speaking ill of others when they are doing well,” he said. “Recently, when Mr. Karasukawa Kyōgen (a.k.a. Jong Gyo-won, 정교원, 鄭僑源) from the Agricultural Land Development Corporation was appointed as county magistrate, there were immediately people who began to slander him.

“Mr. Karasukawa is not merely an executive in name, but a hands-on leader. Burning with the desire to reform administration at the grassroots level, he had long wanted to serve as a county magistrate. When the Government-General confirmed his determination, we found it to be firm and resolute, and so he was appointed to the post. There are many similar cases like this in mainland Japan, and even the township (myeon) leaders in Korea have carried out grassroots administration reform as well.”

“Yet some people say things like, ‘See? Even Mr. Karasukawa has been demoted from an executive to a county magistrate,’ as though he had been treated poorly. Some even personally attack him. But the idea that he was dismissed because he is Korean is utterly false. We, for our part, look forward to the fine work that County Magistrate Karasukawa will do.”

Amid this very informal conversation, the Political Affairs Chief called upon all 25 million residents of the Korean peninsula to engage in self-reflection.

Finally, turning once again to another topic, he expressed satisfaction in discussing the South Pyongan Industrial Expansion Promotion Association, which has become a major driving force in strengthening war production, and spoke proudly of the united effort of the military, government, and civilians in South Pyongan Province that he hoped to extend throughout all of Korea.

Afterward, just past noon, the Chief disappeared into the adjoining office.

[Transcription]

京城日報 1944年4月6日

以っての外だ
徴用逃れの結婚とは

”やあー”と、例によって元気な顔で田中政務総監は応接室に現れた。五日午前十一時、議会から帰って初の記者団との会見である。『きょうはこちらから話したいことがある』と総監は朗らかに語りはじめた。【写真＝記者団と語る田中総監】

田中政務総監：記者団に語る

一般徴用に関聯して、女子に徴用があるという噂によって徴用をまぬかれようと急に結婚が増えだしたということだが、これはいけない。女子に徴用はないのである。正当な結婚であればおめでたいことだが、徴用を免れんがために結婚を急ぐということは時局下よろしくないことだ。男子は戦線で奮闘しているとき、当然男に代って銃後を護るべき女子が、働くのがいやだから結婚する、などという考えは絶対に排撃しなければならぬ。東京などでは既に相当な家庭の子女がどしどし働いている。

徴用はされずとも女子自ら進んで働くことを促す監督であった。話題は一転し朝鮮の悪癖を衝き実例を挙げて語り出す。

朝鮮には昔から、他人がよくなると悪く言う、という悪い癖がある。最近も農地開発営団の烏川僑源君が郡守に出たら、早速これを悪くいう者がある。烏川君は平重役ではなく実務をもった重役だが、本人は末端行政の改革をやってみたい思念に燃え、かねて郡守でもやりたいと思っていたのである。総督府でも本人の決意の程をたしかめたところ、牢固たる信念が判ったので今度出てもらったわけである。内地でもこんな例は沢山あり、朝鮮の面長でも実行したのである。ところが『それみよ、烏川君も重役から郡守に出された』などといかにも冷遇したかの如くいう者がある。また烏川君の個人攻撃をやる者もあるが、朝鮮人であるが故に退けたなどということは全くなく、我々としては今後烏川郡守の活躍に期待しているのである。

非常にくだけた話の中に、総監は半島二千五百万民衆の反省を求めるのである。ここで話題は再び転じ、戦力増強に大きな推進力となっている平南生拡推進会の問題にふれ、平南の軍官民一体の総力態勢を全鮮的に押し拡げようと満足気に語り、総監は正午過ぎ隣の総監室に姿を消した。

Source: National Library of Korea, Digital Newspaper Archive 

See also: 

• Koreans tried to bribe their way out of Imperial Japan’s forced labor conscription, but patriotic student informants turned them in (June 1945) (link)

In May 1945, Imperial newspapers in Korea described a hypothetical atomic bomb using nuclear chain reactions that could destroy an entire fleet with a “single matchbox-sized device”

I have been going through Imperial Japanese newspaper articles from over 80 years ago that the National Archives of Korea has recently released through its digital archive, and I came across some very unusual coverage of atomic bombs that really challenges conventional historical narratives. These papers give us a fascinating window into what kind of current event knowledge an educated newspaper-reading public in Korea (and by extension Japan) might have had during the final year of the war.

For example, in December 1944, the Keijo Nippo carried a report claiming that Nazi Germany, under Field Marshal Rundstedt, had already used an “atomic bomb.” Whether this was somehow based on an actual battle event is unclear.

Then, in May 1945, the paper ran a feature on novel weapons being developed by scientists at Keijo Imperial University (the predecessor of Seoul National University). The scientist featured, Professor Honda, was primarily an engine specialist, but he gave an extraordinary explanation of novel weapons—mentioning both rocket torpedoes and atomic bombs. His description of the atomic bomb is strikingly accurate: he explicitly states that it works by exploding the nucleus through a nuclear chain reaction, and that such a device, no bigger than a matchbox, could obliterate an entire fleet in a single stroke. He also acknowledged that Japanese scientists were in an invisible race against “enemy scientists”—clearly suggesting the United States.

This is remarkable, because Honda’s remarks reveal far more technical detail about nuclear weapons than was available to the general American public at the same time in May 1945, when the Manhattan Project was still a closely guarded secret.

One especially interesting comment from Honda is: “There was a time when atomic bombs caused a stir among the public, but before we knew it, they disappeared as mere talk of the town.” This may suggest that the December 27, 1944 report about a German atomic bomb was widely discussed in Korea before being dismissed as rumor.

So by the time the Keijo Nippo reported on the Hiroshima bombing on August 8, 1945, describing it as a “novel-type weapon,” it is very possible that educated readers in Korea already suspected that it was an atomic bomb. They may have understood that it was compact, devastating, and based on nuclear chain reactions. And while this kind of knowledge would have been clearest among the educated, newspaper-reading class, word of mouth could well have spread such ideas to the general public.

TL;DR: Imperial Japanese newspapers in Korea were already talking about atomic bombs months before Hiroshima. A December 1944 article claimed Nazi Germany had used one, and a May 1945 article quoted a Keijo Imperial University professor explaining how atomic bombs work—by exploding the nucleus with a chain reaction, compact but powerful enough to destroy an entire fleet. This was more technical detail than the American public knew at the time, and suggests that by August 1945, educated readers in Korea could have recognized Hiroshima’s destruction as the result of an atomic bomb.

[Translation]

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) December 29, 1944

Germany Uses Atomic Bomb

(Lisbon, 27th – Dōmei News Agency)
A dispatch from London reports: A German radio station announced on the 27th that the German forces under the command of Field Marshal Rundstedt are currently using atomic bombs.

According to the broadcast, in the areas where atomic bombs have been dropped, all plant and animal life has ceased to exist. Forests have been completely incinerated, vast areas have been turned into scorched earth, and anything caught in the massive blast winds is said to have been pulverized into dust.

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) May 26, 1945

Slaughtering an Entire Fleet with a Single Blast
The Emergence of Atomic Bombs is Also Possible
Under the Z-Flag, We Shall Die (Part 1): The Novel Weapons Edition

May 27 marks the 40th Navy Memorial Day. In various parts of Seoul, the Z-flag already flutters proudly, and under this symbol of our forefathers’ glorious traditions and spirit, a surge of fighting resolve is rising. The decisive battle over Okinawa is intensifying day by day, and Korea, too, is hurrying to fortify itself in body and spirit in preparation for the day it becomes a battlefield.

This year’s Navy Memorial Day carries even deeper and more intense significance for our hearts. “The fate of the Empire hangs on this battle"—this phrase has once again become a reality we now face forty years later. Our forefathers, through their victory in that one battle, left behind a brilliant history for us to inherit. Now, as the Z-flag is raised high once again, we, too, pledge under it: “We shall win this battle, resolutely and without fail.” I saw that pledge and surging fighting spirit in the laboratory of the Department of Science and Engineering at Keijo Imperial University.

Scientists, too, are fighting with their entire souls, driven by an ardent wish to complete weapons that will strike without fail. Weapons that will annihilate hundreds and thousands of incoming enemy task forces and aircraft—this is the fervent hope of the entire nation, and it now rests heavily on the shoulders of the scientists. In the foothills of Mt. Bukhan, far from the dust of the city, Professor Honda of the university’s Department of Science and Engineering continues his unseen battle with enemy scientists, devoting himself to researching special internal combustion engines. He paused his experiments to speak passionately about the spirit and aspirations of Japan’s scientists.

"Novel weapons do not appear easily," he began. "There is always a large gap between theory and reality, and we must wait for the sudden inspiration that breaks through after long and difficult thought. Once that new direction is found, the entire power of the nation must be mobilized to carry out mass production—both in quality and quantity."

On the professor’s face was a stern expression, as if reproaching the public for harboring naive hopes about novel weapons.

"The weakness of rocket artillery lies in its imprecise targeting. Right now, scientists around the world are working on how to accurately hit targets using rockets, which are notable for their high speed and simple launching mechanisms. Research aimed at improving the precision of existing weapons may appear plain compared to flashy new inventions, but it is no less important. If we can make rocket projectiles accurate, not a single one of those hateful enemy planes would make it back after flying over our seas or homeland. When considering weapons, we must think on two fronts: First, improving the quality and quantity of existing weapons; second, the appearance of completely novel weapons that catch the enemy off guard. The improvement of existing weapons can hold decisive importance. We should reflect deeply on the example of Germany, which was destroyed despite its novel weapons."

"But Japanese scientists, too, are pouring their entire bodies and souls into their efforts day and night. What might emerge from this is unpredictable. Ideas that once belonged to fantasy or theory confined to the laboratory can suddenly become real. Science has always had a history of breaking through difficulties, so I believe we can place absolute faith in the level of Japanese science."

Although Professor Honda spoke with scholarly humility, he gave a powerful explanation of the real possibility of highly accurate novel torpedoes and atomic bombs capable of annihilating an entire fleet with a single strike.

"As for torpedoes, the enemy is said to have recently developed something like a rocket torpedo. It is launched from an aircraft and flies at high speed through the air for half the distance, then rushes through the water for the rest. Because of its speed, it is believed to have features like reduced deflection from water currents—but the details are unclear. Of course, in Japan, we cannot publicly reveal these developments, but many new innovations are being steadily implemented."

"There was a time when atomic bombs caused a stir among the public, but before we knew it, they disappeared as mere talk of the town. However, scientists are continuing their research into them seriously. Theoretically, they are firmly grounded, and even in experiments, it is possible to photograph the explosion of atoms."

The article then explores the astonishing potential of the atomic bomb—a single matchbox-sized device that could blow enemy warships to pieces.

"The atomic bomb is like someone who has only been eating the flesh of a peach discovering that the seed inside contains even more incredible nourishment. Just as such discovery would completely be a food revolution, the use of atomic energy would represent a complete revolution in the way we use matter, and that could bring upheaval to the history of civilization."

"Up until now, human life has relied on three main types of energy: First, fire; second, the use of explosions to power things like guns and engines; and third, electricity for communication and power. But all of these use the electrons that orbit the outside of atoms. They do not use the real inner power of atoms—the nucleus. The atomic bomb explodes this nucleus. Future research must focus on how to achieve a chain reaction of the nuclei. That is the key. I hope people will believe in the principle that science, after long hardship, can suddenly leap forward and overcome even the most difficult obstacles."

Professor Honda thus emphasized the confident and indomitable spirit of Japan’s scientists. As Navy Memorial Day approaches, this is the fighting spirit being sent from the home front.

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) August 8, 1945

Did the Enemy Use a Novel-Type Bomb?
Small Number of B-29s Raid, Damage to Hiroshima City

Imperial Headquarters Announcement (August 7, 1945, 3:30 PM)

1. On August 6, Hiroshima City sustained considerable damage as a result of an attack by a small number of enemy B-29 aircraft.

2. It appears that the enemy may have used a novel-type bomb in this attack, but the details are currently under investigation.

[Transcription]

京城日報 1944年12月29日

独、原子爆弾を使用

【リスボン二十七日同盟】ロンドン来電＝ドイツの一放送局は二十七日ルントシュテット元帥麾下の独軍が目下原子爆弾を使用している旨放送した。右放送によれば原子爆弾が投下された地域は一切の動植物が生存を停止し森林は焼きつくされ広大な地域を焦土と化し、大爆風に当ったものは誰でも粉微塵になってしまうといわれる。

京城日報 1945年5月26日

一発で全艦隊屠る
原子爆弾の出現も可能
Z旗の下に死なん（上）新兵器篇

二十七日は第四十回海軍記念日である。京城の街の處々には早くもZ旗が翩翻とひるがえり父祖の築きあげた輝かしき伝統と魂に続かむとする戦意はこのZ旗の下に澎湃として沸き起った。沖縄をめぐる決戦の様相は日に日に苛烈の度を加え朝鮮もまた戦場と化する日に備え物心挙げての要塞化が急がれている。

この日に迎えようとする海軍記念日の意義はそれだけ深く強烈にわれらの胸を打つ『皇国の興廃この一戦にあり』は再び四十年後のいまわが皇国が直面した現実である。われらが父祖はこの一戦を勝利をもっていろどり輝かしき歴史をわれらに継がしめた。この日高らかに掲げられたZ旗にわれらもまた誓う『この一戦を断乎勝利へ』とこの誓いと沸る戦意を城大理工学部の研究室に見た。

科学者も精魂をつくして闘っている必生必中の兵器を完成しようとの熱願、来襲機動部隊や敵機が幾百幾千たりともこれを全滅させる兵器―この全国民の熱願はいま科学者の双肩にひっしとのしかかっている。ここ都塵離れた北漢山麓に眦決して敵科学者と見えざる戦いを続ける城大理工学部に特殊内燃機関の研究に没頭する本多教授は実験の手を休めて沸る科学者の戦意と抱負を籠め乍ら語るのだった。

『新兵器は容易に現れるものではない。理論と現実には常に大きな隔たりがあり科学者の永い苦慮を通して突如打開される霊感に俟たなければならない。次にはこの打開された新しい方向には国家の総力を挙げた量と質とへの生産の努力が展開されるのだ』

こう語り出した教授の面には国民が唯新兵器に軽い甘い気持を叱責するような厳しい表情がある。

『ロケット砲の欠点はその照準の不確実にあるが今世界の科学者は如何にしてこの高速度と簡易発射の特長を持つロケットを目的物に命中させるかを研究している。現在ある兵器を単に精度の向上を図るといった研究は奇抜な新兵器の発明よりも地味であるが決して新兵器の発明に劣るものではない。もしロケット弾の精度を決定的にするならばあの憎い敵機を海に本土に邀えて一機も無事に帰えすことはないのだ。兵器は第一に古いものの質と量の向上、第二に全く新しい敵の意表を突く兵器の出現、この二つの面から考えなければならない。古いものの質と量との向上は時に絶対的意義を持つのであって新兵器になお殪れた独逸を深く考えてみねばならない』

『しかし日本科学者も日夜その全身魂をぶちこんで努力しているから何が生れるかは予想も出来ない。全く空想或は実験室の理論であったものが突然現実化する。科学は常に窮しては打開して来た歴史であるから我が日本の科学水準には絶対期待してもよいと思う』

教授の学者らしい謙遜の言葉は必生必中の新型魚雷や精鋭よく一発で全艦隊を屠る原子爆弾の可能性を力強く説くのだった。

『魚雷ではロケット魚雷というものを最近敵で作ったらしい。これは飛行機から放たれた魚雷が行程の半分を高速で飛行し、後の半分を水中で突進するが、速度の大、水流による偏流の減少などの特長があると思われるが、その詳細は不明だ。日本では勿論公表出来ないが新しい工夫はどしどし実施されている。原子爆弾は一時国民に騒がれたが何時の間にか一時の街の話題と消えさったようだ。しかし科学者は之についても真剣に研究を進めている。理論的には厳たる事実であり実験的には原子の爆発を確実に写真に撮ることさえ出来るのだ』

マッチ箱一つで敵艦船を吹き飛ばすというあまりに不思議なこの原子爆弾の威力は掘り下げられる。

『原子爆弾は桃の肉ばかり喰っていた人間が種子の中にもっとすばらしい栄養を発見したようなものだ。これは全く食物の革命だろう。この通り原子エネルギーの利用は全く物質利用の革命であり文明史の動転を意味するほどのものだ。要するに今までの人間生活は三つの面を出でない「火」の利用がその一つ。鉄砲や発動機等を成功させた「爆発」の利用がその二。通信や動力などに活用せられた電気がその三つ。ところが之は総て物質原子の外側を廻る「電子」の力であって原子の真の中味である「核」の力ではない。原子爆弾はこの核を爆発させればよいのであって、今後の研究は核の連鎖反応を如何にして実現するかにあると言ってもよいと思う。科学は長い苦心の後突如飛躍的に難関を打開するという命題には大いに期待してもらいたい』

教授は自身満々たる科学者の精神を強調するのだった。海軍記念日を迎えこれは銃後へ贈る闘魂である。

京城日報 1945年8月8日

敵、新型爆弾を使用か
B29少数来襲、広島市に被害

大本営発表（昭和二十年八月七日十五時三十分）

一、昨八月六日広島市は敵B29少数機の攻撃に依り相当の被害を生じたり。

二、敵は右攻撃に新型爆弾を使用せるものの如きも詳細目下調査中なり。

Source: National Library of Korea – Digital Newspaper Archive

21-year-old Kamikaze pilot Han Jeong-sil (한정실, 韓鼎實) delivering his last testament for radio broadcast before flying to die off Okinawa on June 6, 1945 (inset shows Kamikaze pilot 박동훈, 朴東薫 who died in March 1945)

In June 1945, as Imperial Japan was losing a brutal war against the United States, Korean support for the empire was rapidly unraveling. For years, the Japanese colonial regime had enforced State Shinto and mandatory emperor worship across Korea—forcing everyone, including schoolchildren, to bow toward the Imperial Palace in Tokyo every morning at 7 am in a ritual known as Kyūjō Yōhai (宮城遥拝). But it was becoming clear that no amount of coerced ritual could manufacture genuine Korean loyalty, which the authorities were going to need if the general Korean civilian populace was going to be mobilized into makeshift militias to fight Allied ground forces invading Korea by land.

Original caption: Corporal Kiyohara making an appeal to all Koreans for certain victory

So in desperation, Japan's colonial authorities turned to a new strategy: manufacturing Korean war heroes. Beginning in early 1945, the Keijō Nippo newspaper began idolizing young Korean kamikaze pilots who had died in suicide missions for the Empire. The first two were Matsui Hideo (Korean name In Jae-ung, died on November 29, 1944) and Lim Jang-su (died on December 7, 1944), whose cults of loyalty were pushed hard in January 1945. The Korean war heroes were not limited to deceased kamikaze pilots — one was Park Gwan-bin (박관빈, 朴官彬), a Private First Class in the Imperial Army who sacrificed himself destroying an Allied machine gun nest with an anti-tank explosive in Myanmar.

By June, two more Korean kamikaze pilots had become posthumous heroes: 21-year-old Kiyohara Teijitsu (Korean name Han Jeong-sil, died on June 6, 1945 off Okinawa), born in North Hamgyong province and Seoul resident, and 21-year-old Ōkawa Masaaki (Korean name Park Dong-hun, died on March 29, 1945 off Okinawa). But there was a new propaganda innovation this time—radio broadcasts of the pilots’ own voices, recorded just before they flew their final missions. These “last testaments,” delivered calmly into a microphone, were aired across Korea, creating the eerie effect of fallen heroes speaking from beyond the grave—not unlike the farewell videos of modern suicide bombers.

The film Love and Vows (愛と誓ひ), released in May 1945, fictionalized such a broadcast on vinyl, but Kiyohara’s and Ōkawa’s messages were very real, and played in Korean households and public spaces. His and Ōkawa’s broadcasts were accompanied by emotional newspaper reports on weeping families and patriotic villagers gathered around radios.

A Korean academic has written a (paywalled) paper on the Imperial propagandization of these Korean kamikaze pilots. Additionally, I used a detailed online roster of Kamikaze pilots, compiled by Japanese blogger, to verify their ages, death dates, and Korean names. 

[Translation]

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijō Nippo), June 13, 1945

The Voice of Corporal Kiyohara

I am convinced of the Imperial Nation’s certain victory, and although unworthy, I have received the Imperial command to attack as a member of the Heavenly Sword Unit. I am overwhelmed with tears of gratitude for this profound Imperial favor.

I am a man born on the Korean Peninsula. Though I am an inadequate person, I wish to express, as a token of my loyalty to the nation, the joy of having been born under the rule of the Empire and the benefit I have received from my training as an Imperial soldier—especially to the young people of the Peninsula who remain behind on the home front. I am still immature and unpolished, but if my words can serve in any way as a reference, I would be most happy.

The pure three-thousand-year stream of the Imperial Nation’s history also flows with the lifeblood of us on the Korean Peninsula. I firmly believe that this history is also our own. Ever since the distant Age of the Gods, the bond between Korea and Japan has never been merely that of so-called "next-door neighbors." Even then, our Peninsula was a child of His Majesty, a powerful and integral corner of the Imperial Nation.

Now, our homeland is at war with the United States and Britain. Conscription, long anticipated, has now been extended to us. Moreover, the path to participation in the Imperial Diet has also been opened. Many of our elders and seniors are already fighting. There is no greater honor than this. Now is the time for young men, burning with the purest patriotism, to step forward without hesitation, enter the military ranks, stand shoulder to shoulder with friends in the Japanese mainland, and fight the enemy.

Let us offer our blood and build a new, refreshing Greater East Asia. Let us not remain confined in a small shell, but rather take joy in serving our great parent (the Emperor), and pass on this legacy for a thousand generations. Even now, the solemn and majestic figure of the Chōsen Shrine comes vividly to mind, as do the people who continue to pay their respects there.

As I depart, I hold firm faith in those who will follow after me.
Young Korean people! Live righteously. Live strongly.
And protect the three-thousand-year history of the Imperial Nation.

This is my unwavering prayer.

Let Us Follow This Heroic Cry
Voices of Certain Victory from the Two Divine Falcons, Kiyohara and Ōkawa, Ring Across the Entire Peninsula

“I am convinced of the Imperial Nation’s certain victory, and although unworthy, I have received the Imperial command to attack as a member of the Heavenly Sword Unit. I am overwhelmed with tears of gratitude for this profound Imperial favor.”

Youthful voices, filled with fierce resolve, echoed through towns shrouded in the approaching dusk. At 8:05 p.m. on June 12th, the Seoul Central Broadcasting Station began airing recordings of the final words of two Korean-born Divine Falcons—Corporal Kiyohara Teijitsu (Han Jeong-sil 한정실, 韓鼎實) and Corporal Ōkawa Masaaki (Park Dong-hun 박동훈, 朴東薫).

In that moment, the Peninsula was enveloped in deep emotion. People across the land listened in solemn silence, determined not to miss a single word from the final voices of the Divine Falcons.

Ah, Corporals Kiyohara and Ōkawa—they left these words as a testament to the Peninsula, then boldly hurled themselves against enemy warships, offering their lives for the homeland in crisis.

Now, even the Peninsula is becoming a fierce battlefield. The enemy—those American devils—may invade the Peninsula at any time. Hearing the final cries of these Divine Falcons, who perished this spring as the vanguard of Korean loyalty, brought especially deep emotion to the Korean people.
The loyal spirits of these two Divine Falcons were seared deeply into the hearts of 26 million people, powerfully awakening a renewed fighting spirit.

“I hold firm faith in those who will follow after me”.

Now, the Peninsula is burning with the resolve to answer this trust placed in them by the Divine Falcons, in the depths of profound emotion.

The Voice of Corporal Ōkawa

"As one of His Majesty’s people, I live with purpose. To have encountered such a time when Heaven and Earth flourish—what joy I feel."

Alone with my beloved aircraft, as I quietly surround myself with this song (Mitamiware), my heart is filled with an indescribable emotion.

Even now, I can already see before me the demonic American and British warships and B-29s. I cannot remain still. I am convinced that the spirits of those who came before us—our seniors, our fathers, and our elder sisters—are with us here, helping us.

Having come to this point, I shall demonstrate the skills forged by our instructors and assistant instructors through their blood and sweat, and I shall prove the strength of this spirit they instilled in us.

Even if our great battle achievements are never printed in the newspapers, I shall strike a blow—one aircraft, one warship. I will smash myself into that hateful enemy vessel and shatter my body into pieces.

To protect our history—let every person from the Peninsula become a special attack warrior and preserve this history for eternity. Know that this is the path we must take.

Let us all, swearing by the five articles of the Special Attack Code, raise the flag of the Rising Sun high and proud.

Father, Mother—please remain well. I deeply apologize for being such an unfilial son who has caused you many worries. But I believe that in light of this noble cause, you will forgive me. I go forward in high spirits.

To my younger brother and sister: Forgive your older brother for never having been able to care for you or do anything for you. Be strong. Live with pride and courage.

Lastly, for the first and only time in my life, I have composed a verse straight from my heart:

"Summoned to Yasukuni, this body—what regret can I have?"

Tear-Streaked Faces Lean Toward the Radio
Villagers Gather for the Broadcasts of the Two Corporals
A Stern Father Nods, a Sobbing Mother Weeps

As the soft crimson sun sank behind the western ridgeline, the lights suddenly flicked on. Gathered beside the altar were eleven members of the household, including the stern father Yeong-bin (영빈, 永彬), age 53, the mother Yeong-sook (영숙, 永淑), age 50, the second eldest brother Jeong-sun (정순, 鼎淳), and even the eldest brother’s grandchildren. They sat formally before the radio, holding their breath, awaiting the voice of their departed loved one.

Original caption: The Kiyohara family gathering together to listen to their son's broadcast.

That day, the home of the fallen Corporal Kiyohara Teijitsu (Jeong-sil) filled with villagers who had come to honor his noble sacrifice. They overflowed from inside the house into the yard, yearning for the sacred moment.

The second brother, Jeong-pil (정필, 鼎弼), age 27, had tested the radio repeatedly throughout the day, wearing a worried expression, fearing that static might interfere.

From across the quiet compound, the croaking of frogs echoed gently through the evening haze, accentuating the solemn stillness of the home.

At 8:05 PM, the solemn voice of the broadcaster announced the beginning of the program. The family members bowed in unison, placing both hands on the floor and lowering their heads.

“I am convinced of the Imperial Nation’s certain victory, and although unworthy, I have received the Imperial command to attack as a member of the Heavenly Sword Unit. I am overwhelmed with tears of gratitude for this profound Imperial favor.”

It was a strong, succinct voice, emblematic of the fierce fighting spirit of the late corporal.

"I am a man born on the Korean Peninsula. Though I am an inadequate person, I wish to express, as a token of my loyalty to the nation, the joy of having been born under the rule of the Empire and the benefit I have received from my training as an Imperial soldier—especially to the young people of the Peninsula who remain behind on the home front."

Villagers listening intently to the radio also bowed their heads deeply in silence. As the departed son spoke of the historical significance of Japanese-Korean unification and expressed joy in living as a subject of the Empire, his stern father, Yeong-bin, nodded repeatedly and closed his eyes in deep reflection. His mother, Yeong-sook, was already overcome with tears. She clenched her teeth to endure, but sobs escaped through her trembling lips. She was gripped by the memory of their final parting—when her son, Corporal Jeong-sil, had gently lifted her hand to his forehead in farewell and softly said, “Mother, you are still working so hard,” as he quietly stroked her worn, calloused hand. A single tear rolled down the father’s cheek and dropped silently into the hands folded on his lap. No one reached to wipe away their tears.

"As I depart, I hold firm faith in those who will follow after me. Young Korean people! Live righteously. Live strongly. And protect the three-thousand-year history of the Imperial Nation. This is my unwavering prayer."

The broadcast ended abruptly.

No one raised their head.

Following this, a poem was solemnly recited—a farewell verse left behind, beginning with "a young cherry tree was raised in the fields of the Peninsula..." The broadcast of Corporal Ōkawa’s message then began.

As the family listened, in tears, to the voice of the son and brother who had become one with the gods, the father, Yeong-bin, gently calmed them. He straightened his posture with dignity and listened attentively to Corporal Ōkawa’s broadcast.

Though brief, the broadcast was listened to by all with a longing and joy that surged from the depths of their hearts.

“He did it, he did it!” “He did such a great thing!”

As the program ended, voices of awe and admiration broke out from the crowd that had gathered.

Among them, a young man, trembling with emotion, cried out,

“Kiyohara-kun, you really did it. I will—I will do it too! I will follow after you!”

Tears streamed down his face, yet he made no attempt to wipe them away. He pledged before the spirit of the deceased.

Truly, that vow embodied the unshakable determination of the young men of the Peninsula’s home front, swearing to follow in the path of the shattered-yet-glorious Divine Falcons, Kiyohara and Ōkawa.

And in the softly swaying shadows of the incense smoke, the smiling portrait of the late Corporal Kiyohara Jeong-sil seemed to radiate with a quiet, resolute smile.

Photos: (top) Corporal Kiyohara making an appeal to all Koreans for certain victory; (bottom) The Kiyohara family gathering together to listen to their son's broadcast.

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijō Nippo), June 11, 1945

“From School to Battlefield”
A ‘Child of the Great Sky’ Who Bloomed in Death
The Home of the Brave, Corporal Kiyohara, Heavy with the Fragrance of Honor

Surrounded on three sides by lush green mountains, the home of the brave Divine Falcon Corporal Kiyohara Jeong-sil, heavy with the fragrance of valor, stands in 274 Jōdō-chō, Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul.

His stern father, Mr. Kiyohara Yeong-bin, had long served in government positions, and the family relocated many times across the country. Corporal Kiyohara, the third son, was born in Gyeongseong, North Hamgyong Province. After transferring between the Orang and Jubuk (주북, 朱北) Public Schools, he graduated from Bakcheon Public School, and then entered the Mining Department of Seoul Technical High School.

Corporal Kiyohara (top right), his father Yeong-bin (bottom left)

While in his third year, he was filled with a burning sense of loyalty and enrolled in the Imperial Army Youth Aviation School. There, he displayed a natural talent and, in [year and month redacted], received the Army Air Corps General's Prize, the highest honor for a student pilot.

Afterward, he trained at [base name redacted], and with great enthusiasm, deployed to the front. He joined the Heavenly Sword Unit and dove into the enemy formation, falling gloriously in battle, giving his life to the eternal cause.

Surviving family members include his stern father, Yeong-bin, his kind mother, Yeong-sook, his eldest brother Jeong-sun (age 32), who is a teacher at Ilsan Public School in Jangdan County, and his second eldest brother Jeong-pil (age 27), who works at the Seoul City Office. He also had two younger brothers and three sisters.

His father, Mr. Yeong-bin, now speaks of his late son while holding the pocket watch awarded for the Aviation General's Prize and a single cigarette bestowed upon the Heavenly Sword Unit members when it was formed.

“He simply fulfilled his natural duty as a loyal subject of His Majesty the Emperor. That child was always saying, ‘I am a child of the great sky, a child of the great sky.’ Even though he knew the time and place of his death, he smiled brightly like a child and said that, when he returned, he wanted to make our house look nicer. When he graduated from the Youth Aviation School, his older brothers encouraged him to advance to the Air Officer Preparatory School or Aviation Officer School, but he firmly refused. He said that on the front lines, people were waiting—waiting for someone like him to arrive even a second sooner. Hearing him say that, we felt ashamed of ourselves.”

“Before departing from [base name redacted] after being assigned to the Heavenly Sword Unit, he stopped briefly at home. He asked me to write something on the Rising Sun flag. I wrote, ‘Special Attack Unit.’ He smiled and left. Now, I am simply overwhelmed with gratitude—he truly did well.”

[Transcription]

京城日報 1945年6月13日

清原伍長の声

皇国の必勝を確信し不肖このたび天剣隊の一員として出陣の大命を拝し皇恩の深きに感泣する次第であります。

私は半島に生れた者であります。拙き身ながら皇国に生を享けた喜びと帝国軍人としての修養の一端を銃後の特に若い半島の青少年の方々に報国のつもりで申し上げます。未だ〇〇の未熟の者でありますが何かと参考になれば多幸と存じます。

皇国の清い三千年の流れには私達半島の血潮も咲いております。又一面この歴史は私達の歴史であると信じます。遠い神代からの御交りは俗にいう隣組ではなかったのであります。既にその時から私達の半島は陛下の赤子であり、皇国の力強き一角でありました。

今や私達の祖国は米英と戦っているのであります。私達にも待望の徴兵制が布かれ、また帝国議会参与の途も拓かれたではありませんか。多くの先輩達は戦っています。こんな光栄なことはありません。今こそ若き愛国の至誠に燃ゆる青少年諸君は何のよどみもなく軍門に入り内地の友と伍し敵と戦うべきです。

血潮を捧げ涼しい新たな大東亜を築くべきです。小さな殻に据われず大親に仕える喜びを味わい千載まで貽しましょう。斯くいういまでも森厳な朝鮮神宮の麗姿が、また引き続き参拝せられる人々が目に浮かんで来ます。征くにあたり後へつづく者を堅く信じます。半島の青少年よ、正しく強く生き皇国三千年の歴史を守らんことを祈って已みません。

この雄叫びに我ら続かん
清原・大河両神鷲・全半島に必勝の声

『皇国の必勝を確信し不肖このたび天剣隊の一員として出陣の大命を拝し、皇恩の深きに感泣する次第であります』

烈しい決意を秘めた若々しい声が夕闇迫る町々に響きわたった。十二日午後八時五分、半島が生んだ二神鷲清原鼎実、大河正明伍長の最後の言葉を伝える録音放送が京城中央放送局から開始されたのである。一瞬半島は深い感激に包まれ、神鷲最後の声を一言も聞き洩らすまいと静かに耳を澄ませるのだった。

ああ清原、大河両伍長はこの言葉を半島に遺して敢然敵艦艇に体当たり、危急の祖国に殉じたのだ。

今や半島も苛烈な戦場と化しつつある。敵米鬼はいつ半島に来冠せぬとも限らない。この秋半島尽忠の魁けと散った神鷲の最後の叫びを聞く半島の感激は一しお深く、両神鷲の忠魂は二千六百万の胸底にしっかと灼きつけられ新たな闘魂を逞しくよび起したのであった。

『後に続く者を堅く信じます』

半島はいま深い感動のうちにこの神鷲の信頼に応える決意に燃えきっているのだ。

大河伍長の声

御民われ生ける験しあり、天地の栄ゆる時に遇えらく思えば」独り愛機と共に静かにこの歌に包まれるとき、なんともいえない気持ちで胸一杯であります。もういまでも鬼畜米英の軍艦或はB29が目前にみえて来てじっとしておられません。必ずやここには先輩或は父姉等の精神が籠っていて我々を助けてくれると思います。こうなればきっときっと長い間教官、助教殿より血と汗をもってつくられた腕やこの精神でやってみせます。

大きな戦果が新聞に載らずとも一機一艦あの憎い艦にぶつかって身を粉々にしてみせます。歴史を護る半島人一人一人が特攻隊となってこの歴史を永遠に保ってくれ。それが我々の進べき道と思ってくれ。そうして五ヶ条の精神に誓って日の丸の旗を高く翻えそうではないか。

お父さん、お母さん。元気でいて下さい。いろいろ御心配かけた不孝者洵にすみません。しかしこの際の大義にはこのことをお許し下さることと思って元気で征きます。

弟よ、妹よ。兄は可愛がることも何も出来なかったことを許して、力強くそうして立派にやってくれ。最後に生れて初めての一句を心づくままに作ってみました。

靖国に召されるからだ如何せん。

耳傾ける涙の顔
両伍長の放送に集う村人たち
頷く厳父に嗚咽の母

薄紅の陽が西の山嶺に沈むとパッと電灯がともった。厳父永彬さん（五三）母掌永淑さん（五〇）を初め次兄の鼎淳さん以下長兄のお孫さんまで入れて一家十一人が祭壇の横に据えたラジオの前に端座し、固唾をのんで声の対面を待った。

この日神鷲清原鼎実伍長の録音放送を待つ生家には故伍長の遺烈を慕う村の人達が室内から庭前にまで溢れて聖なるひとときを待ちわびていた。

次兄の鼎弼さん（二七）は昼間から何度もラジオの試聴をして雑音が入らねばよいがと案じ顔だった。

烟の面を伝って蛙の声が尊い家の静寂を引き立たせている。

八時五分放送員の厳粛な声が放送開始を告げると家族は等しく両手をついて頭を垂れた。

『皇国の必勝を確信し不肖このたび天剣隊の一員として出陣の大命を拝し皇恩の深きに感泣する次第であります』

熾烈なる故伍長の闘魂を象徴するような力強く簡潔な語調である。

『私は半島に生れた者であります。拙き身ながら皇国に生を享けた喜びと帝国軍人としての修養の一端を銃後の特に若い半島の青少年の方々に報国のつもりで申し上げます』

じっとラジオに耳傾ける村の人達も深々と頭を垂れて聴き入った。内鮮一体の歴史的意義を解明し皇国の民としての喜びを語る我児の言葉に厳父の永彬さんはうんうんとうなる様に相槌を打ちながらじっと眼を閉じて聴き入った。女親の永淑さんはもうすっかり涙である。じっとこらえて喰いしばる歯の間から嗚咽が洩れる。最後の帰郷の時、母親の手をそっと押し頂いた鼎実伍長が『お母さんまだ苦労していますね』と脂気の失せた手を静かにさすってくれた在りし日の思出がぐんと胸を衝きあげてくるのだった。父親の頬を一筋すっとながれたものがボトリと膝に重ねた手の中に落ちた。誰一人涙を拭う者すらない。

『征くに当り後へ続く者を堅く堅く信じます。半島の青少年よ、正しく強く生き皇国三千年の歴史を守らんことを祈って止みません』ぶつりと終った。誰一人頭を上げようとはしない。続いて半島の野辺に育ちし若櫻．．．外一首の遺詠が荘重に朗誦され、大河伍長の録音放送に入った。

神と去りましし我児我兄の声に唯涙して聴き入る家族の者を父親の永彬さんは静かにたしなめると威儀を正して大河伍長の放送を傾聴した。

ほんの僅かな放送時間ではあったが、肚の底からこみあげてくる懐しさ、嬉しさで聴き入った人達である。

『やったやった』『よくやってくれたなあ』放送が終ると同時に集い寄った人群のなかから感嘆の声が巻き起った。なかに年若い青年は感激に身をふるわせ、『清原君やってくれたか。俺も俺もきっとやるぞ。あとから続くぞ』とあふれる涙を拭いもやらず霊前に誓う者もいた。まことこの誓いこそ玉と砕けし清原、大河両神鷲に誓う若き半島銃後の固い決意でもあるのだ。心なしかゆらぐ香煙の影に凛たる故清原鼎実伍長の遺影もまた莞爾とほほえんだことであろう。

写真＝（上）全半島に必勝を呼びかける清原伍長、図内は大河伍長（下）我子の放送に一家揃って聴き入る清原家

京城日報 1945年6月11日

『進学より戦場へ』
散って咲いた『大空の子』
武勲一入薫る清原伍長の生家

三面を翠緑の山に囲まれて武勲一入薫る神鷲清原鼎実伍長の生家は京城府永登浦区上道町二七四だ。厳父永彬氏は多年官界に勤め、各地に転勤したが、同伍長は咸北鏡城にて三男として生れ、漁郎、朱北両国民学校に転学の後、博川国民学校を卒業。京城工業学校鉱山科に進学。三年在学中殉忠の意気に燃え、〇〇少年航空学校に入学。在学中は生まれながらの才能を発揮し〇年〇月少年飛行士の最高の栄誉たる陸軍航空総監賞を受け、その後〇〇基地にて訓練を積んでいたが、勇躍前線に出勤、天剣隊の一員に加り敵陣に突入散華し悠久の大義に生き抜いたのである。

遺家族は厳父永彬氏、慈母永淑さん、長兄徳淳（三二）＝長湍郡一山国民学校訓導＝次兄鼎弼（二七）＝京城府庁勤務＝がおり、その外二人の弟と三名の姉妹がいる。厳父永彬氏は航空監賞の懐中時計と天剣隊編成時に賜わった恩賜の煙草一本を前にして在りし日のわが子を思いながら語る。

天皇陛下の赤子として当然の本分を尽くしただけで、あの子は何時も『大空の子、大空の子』といっていましたが、死に場所も時も知っていながら帰って来たらもっと家を綺麗にすると子供のように朗らかに笑っていました。また少年航空学校を卒業した時に兄達が航空予科士官、航空士官へと進学を進めたが、あの子はきっぱり断り第一線では自分等を一瞬でも早く来るのを待っているといった時は却って私達が恥ずかしくなったのです。

天剣隊に編入され〇〇基地に出発する前に家に一寸よったが日の丸の旗に何か書いてくれといわれといわれたので『特攻隊』と書いてやったらにっこりと笑って征きました。ただただ今はよくやってくれたということで胸一杯です。

Sources:

• National Library of Korea - Digital Newspaper Archive
• Kamikaze Pilot Deceased List (特別攻撃隊 戦没者名簿)
• 이형식. (2012). 太平洋戦争時期における帝国日本の軍神作り — 『毎日新聞』の朝鮮人特攻隊報道を中心に (韓鼎実 / 清原鼎実). 日本學硏究, 37, 193–217. Retrieved from [earticle.net Article A184665]

Minor note: There is one place in the published articles where Jeong-sun (鼎淳) is mentioned as the second eldest brother (次兄), but this is probably a typographical error. Jeong-pil (鼎弼) is mentioned as the second eldest brother twice elsewhere in the articles.

The film that tried to make Koreans see Imperial Japan as their “Omoni” (Mother): Inside the 1945 propaganda movie “Love and Vows" (愛と誓ひ, 사랑과맹세)

This is my review and analysis of a deeply unsettling Imperial Japanese propaganda film, Love and Vows (愛と誓ひ), which was screened in late May 1945 with the aim of reaching as many Koreans as possible in the final months of the war. The film was part of a larger effort to emotionally manipulate Koreans into sacrificing their lives for the Empire as Japan prepared for an Allied invasion. To ensure the message was driven home even to those who might have missed the screening, the authorities serialized a novelized version of the film’s story in the Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) newspaper — I have transcribed and translated that version below. The entire film can still be viewed today, with Korean subtitles at the Korean Film Archive, or without subtitles on YouTube (where it has been uploaded by @날보라-l9u, a Korean vlogger who expresses misguided, revisionist views sympathetic to Imperial Japan). I have provided some links to key scenes in the YouTube video for reference as timestamps.

Shiraishi Keiko with her biological son Toyoo (left) and her adopted Korean son Kim Young-ryong (right).

In the final year of World War II, as Imperial Japan braced for an expected U.S. invasion of both the Japanese mainland and the Korean peninsula, it embarked on an all-out propaganda campaign to prepare the Korean population for what was intended to be a suicidal last stand. The authorities planned to mobilize nearly every able-bodied man, woman, and child into citizen militias under direct Imperial Army command to resist the Allies to the death. To convince the Korean people—many of whom were deeply resentful of decades of exploitation, abuse, and humiliation under colonial rule—to sacrifice their lives for Imperial Japan, the state turned to cinema as a powerful tool to appeal to emotion and instill the required mindset.

One of the centerpiece works of this effort was the propaganda film Love and Vows (愛と誓ひ), directed by renowned filmmakers Imai Tadashi (今井正) and Choi In-gyu (崔寅奎). This film was produced with the full backing of the Imperial Navy and the Governor-General’s Office. It ran for 1 hour and 14 minutes and featured an all-star cast including Takada Minoru (高田稔) as Editor-in-Chief Shiraishi, Takehisa Chieko (竹久千恵子) as Mrs. Shiraishi, Dok Eun-gi (독은기, 獨銀麒) as Lieutenant Murai, Kim Shin-jae (김신재, 金信哉) as Murai’s widow, and Shimura Takashi (志村喬) as Murai’s father.

Love and Vows was first shown at two invitational test screenings (試写会) at the Bumingwan Hall (府民館) in Seoul on May 23, 1945. Beginning on May 24, it was screened across theaters throughout Korea until June 1. Special group discounts were offered to neighborhood Patriotic Groups (愛国班) presumably so their leaders could explain the film’s propaganda message to the audience and, where necessary, translate the dialogue for those Koreans who did not understand Japanese.

The film’s narrative centers on Kim Young-ryong (김영룡), a Korean orphan raised by a Japanese foster family who becomes inspired to volunteer for the Imperial Navy after learning about a heroic Korean kamikaze pilot, Lieutenant Murai. In the early scenes of the film, Murai flies his Kamikaze plane into a U.S. aircraft carrier and make the news headlines (6:24). Murai is a thinly fictionalized version of the real-life Korean kamikaze pilot Matsui Hideo or In Jae-ung (인재웅, 印在雄) who died on November 29, 1944. The orphan visits Murai’s school, playground, and home, absorbing reverence for the deceased hero, and listens solemnly to Murai’s recorded final words on a vinyl record. The story is crafted to venerate Murai as a god-like figure, but also to present him as an accessible role model so ordinary Koreans could imagine themselves becoming suicide fighters for Imperial Japan. Indeed, Korean Kamikaze heroes dominate the pages of Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) newspaper in 1945, and reverential, hagiographical accounts of their humble lives are published in exquisite detail to exalt them as role models for the Korean people. This is highly evocative of the personality cult dynamics seen in later North Korean propaganda. 

Stories of Korean orphans raised by adoptive Japanese parents were a common allegorical device in Imperial Japan’s colonial propaganda. These narratives framed Japan’s rule over Korea as the benevolent adoption of a troubled and wayward child — with Japan portrayed as the patient, magnanimous parent who takes in and raises the orphan despite his misbehavior or attempts to run away. Such imagery served to justify the brutal suppression of the Korean independence movement, casting it as the necessary discipline of a child who did not yet understand what was good for him. In Love and Vows, this theme is central: Young-ryong, the orphaned Korean boy, tries to run away, but the kindly Shiraishi forgives him, takes him back, and ultimately wins his loyalty by touching his heart. Shiraishi also does not shy away from using corporal punishment to beat Young-ryong for cowardice (1:05:29), as a way to shape him into an honorable Imperial soldier.

The plot also includes a speech to young Korean students by Shiraishi proclaiming that anyone, through effort and loyalty, can become as great as Murai. The film also features a Japanese teacher teaching an eager Korean student the motto 七生報国 (“even if I am reborn seven times, I will dedicate myself to serving my country each time”), attributed to medieval Japanese hero Kusunoki Masashige, and a quote from the Taiheiki: “Because it is the nature of battle, you should not necessarily judge the entire war by the outcome of a single skirmish (合戦の習にて候へば、一旦の勝負をば必しも不可被御覧),” encouraging Koreans to persevere despite Japan’s mounting defeats (21:14). 

The serialized short story version of the film that appeared in Keijo Nippo (京城日報) differs from the surviving film print in key ways. In the novel, the orphan’s indiscretion is getting drunk on whiskey, while in the surviving film, the orphan's indiscretion is sabotaging the fuel of a bus carrying Korean recruits. The emotional scene where the orphan cries out Omoni (어머니, “Mother”) in anguish at not being punished like the biological son—highlighting the message that Imperial Japan is a mother figure to Koreans—is absent in the surviving film, possibly because that copy was an early screen test that was not used for general release. This copy survived only because it was archived at the Tokyo National Film Center and later transferred to the Korean Film Archive before being uploaded to YouTube by @날보라-l9u. 

The authorities spared no expensive in ensuring this film would move Korean audiences. They enlisted top directors and actors and devoted scarce resources to create the special effects depicting the exploding U.S. aircraft carrier, to create a high-quality production capable of persuading Koreans on an emotional level to die for Imperial Japan. The story was calculated to instill loyalty, glorify self-sacrifice, and portray discipline from colonial masters as an expression of parental love—framing the empire as a caring Omoni for its Korean subjects. Coincidentally, North Korea similarly educates its citizens to call its Party their Omoni, promoting the song "당이여 나의 어머니시여 (The Party is My Mother)".

The film ends with Young-ryong holding hands with Shiraishi Keiko and Murai's widow Yeong-ja in a striking pose symbolizing Japanese-Korean unity (1:12:14), followed by a printed message, “Even today, divine falcons are sinking enemy ships to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Who will follow them and defeat the enemy? You will! You are going to do it! (神鷲は今日も敵を太平洋の底に沈めつつある。これに続いて敵を破るもの、それは君達だ。君達がやるのだ)” (1:13:56)

[Translation]

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) May 23, 1945
Long-Awaited Film “Love and Vows”
Preview Today at the Bumingwan Hall

Under the guidance of the Imperial Headquarters Navy Press Department and with the support of the Ministry of the Imperial Navy, the Korea Film Company began filming the naval motion picture Love and Vows on March 15. The production has now been completed. On the 23rd, two invitational preview screenings will be held at the Bumingwan Hall, one during the day and one at night.

This film depicts the spirit of the Korean Navy Volunteer Soldier System and dramatically portrays the true spirit of the Special Attack Units through an engaging story. It brims with warm humanity as unfortunate people help one another, aiming to revive the love that is apt to wither during wartime.

In summary: Kim Young-ryong (김영룡, 金英龍), a Korean orphan who lost his parents and siblings at a young age, was taken in by Editor-in-Chief Shiraishi of the Keijo Shimpo Newspaper out of compassion. While working as an office boy at the newspaper, he led a warm, peaceful life. Assigned to gather material for an article, he visited the home of Lieutenant Murai, a member of the Special Attack Forces. Together with Murai’s widow, Yeong-ja (영자, 英子), he walked to various places such as the classroom where Murai had studied (36:03), and the simple fields and riverbanks where Murai played as a boy. Upon returning, lost in quiet reflection, they found that a phonograph record had arrived, containing a recording of Murai’s voice on the night before his sortie (40:16).

“Now the time has come. Just as you instructed, I will go with a smile,” rang out Murai’s bright voice (41:42). Overwhelmed by a solemn feeling, Young-ryong was frozen in place. Supported by the special affection shown by the widow Yeong-ja, Young-ryong spent a few days in a dreamlike state. Profoundly impressed, he returned home and wrote an excellent article, and with firm resolve Young-ryong followed in Murai’s footsteps by volunteering for the Navy. [Photo: A scene from Love and Vows]

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) May 25-27, 1945
The Story of the Film “Love and Vows”

Love and Vows was completed recently and released to the public on the 24th. The film portrays the determination of Korean youth to serve at sea in response to the Naval Special Volunteer Soldier System.

Mr. Shiraishi (right) meeting Lieutenant Murai on the rooftop of the offices of Keijo Nippo Newspaper.

(1)

“The sky over Korea is as beautiful as ever, is it not?”

“Yes. But this beautiful sky connects to the great skies of the battlefield where you will go.”

Shiraishi Goro, Editor-in-Chief of the Keijo Shimpo Newspaper, said this with deep emotion as he gazed up at the clear sky after taking a rooftop photograph of Lieutenant Murai, the only son of his former mentor, who was leaving for the front. Suddenly noticing a boy peeking out from behind a wall, he exclaimed sharply, “Is that you, Young-ryong? Where have you been wandering?” and strode over (4:26).

This boy was Kim Young-ryong, an orphan whom Shiraishi had picked up from the backstreets of Jongno four years earlier and taken into his home. Young-ryong now worked as an office boy at the newspaper while attending night school, but his vagrant habits remained, and after a minor mistake a few days earlier, he had run away from home.

Hearing the circumstances, Lieutenant Murai said, “That will not do. You must not cause such worry. It is now your turn to be strong,” and clapped Young-ryong on the shoulder. He then asked Shiraishi, “How about taking one more photo of us together, for both our sakes?”

Shiraishi, sensing the Lieutenant’s firm resolve in his words, “That will not do ... it is now your turn to be strong,” raised his camera once more to capture the pair standing side by side (5:41).

Soon after, news was announced of the glorious deed of the Kamikaze Special Attack Unit, and among the names was Murai Shinichiro—Lieutenant Murai (7:29).

(2)

“Do you know the name of the boy standing next to my late husband?”

Yeong-ja is holding her son, to her left is the nanny, and Shiraishi Keiko is sitting

When Shiraishi's wife visited Murai’s widow, Yeong-ja, bringing the photograph of Lieutenant Murai taken at the newspaper office, she whispered this. Yeong-ja, who lost her parents during the Shanghai Incident and was separated from her five-year-old brother Kim Young-joo (김영주, 金英柱) when she was repatriated to Korea, felt the boy’s face somehow resembled that of her lost brother (19:36).

“This boy is an orphan we took in. His name is Kim Young-ryong.”

Mrs. Shiraishi replied sympathetically and promised to have her husband arrange for Young-ryong to visit.

Meanwhile, at Murai’s former school, Shiraishi addressed the students: “When you hear of divine falcons (kamikaze pilots), you may think of them as men born great, beyond your reach. But that is not so. If you become fine soldiers, you too can become divine falcons. Study well every day and strive to become fine soldiers.” Thus, Shiraishi appealed to their young hearts with words that were easy to understand, encouraging them to follow in Murai's footsteps (25:18).

That night, returning late from Murai’s home, Shiraishi's wife Keiko found their son Toyoo and Young-ryong in an uproar, having drunk whiskey mistaking it for wine.

“Why would you do such a thing while your mother was away?”

Mrs. Shiraishi, who arrived home earlier than her husband, scolded Toyoo harshly but did not scold Young-ryong. Expecting to be rebuked, Young-ryong felt all the more lonely for the lack of scolding, and, unable to bear the solitude of his longing for affection, retreated to his room. There, he quietly wept, calling out for his “mother.”

Later, when Mr. Shiraishi heard the story from his wife Keiko and peeked into Young-ryong’s room, he noticed the word “어머니” (Mother) scratched into the wall. He chided his wife, “Why did you not scold Young-ryong too? Look at this. He wanted to be scolded as well.”

Omoni is written in Hangul in the middle of the Japanese text.

(3)

“This is an excellent report of your visit. It is filled with sincerity.”

Yeong-ja proudly looks on at Young-ryong who is about to be deployed as an Imperial soldier.

Mr. Shiraishi praised Young-ryong’s account of his visit to the Murai home and promised to make him a trainee reporter. But unexpectedly, Young-ryong did not rejoice. Instead, he said he wanted to become a Navy man, not a reporter trainee, and asked to enter the Special Volunteer Soldier Training School (1:10:39).

A major reason for this change of heart was the sight of the Korean recruit, unable to board a bus due to a traffic accident, who said resolutely, “It is fine, I will run to the station,” and dashed off along the road (58:06), stirring Young-ryong’s young blood with this image of such courage and determination.

“I see, so you wish to become a Special Volunteer Soldier,” Shiraishi said with heartfelt joy and gave his enthusiastic encouragement.

Thus, in April, with the cherry blossoms in bloom, Young-ryong’s wish was fulfilled as he, accompanied by Yeong-ja and the Shiraishis, proudly set off for the Special Volunteer Soldier Training School (1:13:56).

(The End)

[Transcription]

京城日報 1945年5月23日

待望の『愛と誓い』
きょう府民館で試写会

大本営海軍報道部企画指導、海軍省後援のもとに朝鮮映画社は三月十五日から撮影を開始した海軍映画『愛と誓い』はこのほど製作完了。二十三日昼夜二回にわたり府民館で招待試写会を行う。

これは半島海軍志願兵制度の精神を現すと共に特攻精神の実相を劇的興味ある物語で綴ったもので不幸な人々が相助け合う温かい人情味を盛って戦時下ややもすれば荒みがちな愛情をよみがえらせるもの。

その梗概をみれば幼なくして父母兄弟を失った天涯の孤児金英龍は京城新報社白石編集局長の情けでその家に引取られ、新聞社の給仕を勤めつつ温かい生活を続けていたが、特別攻撃隊員村井少尉家へ社命で記事取材のため訪問。村井少尉の学んだ教室、遊んだ純朴な野原や川のほとりへと未亡人英子と共に歩いた。彼等が静かな物思いに耽りつつ帰って来ると、恰度村井少尉出撃前夜の声を録音した音盤が届けられていた。

『いよいよ出動です。かねてお訓しのように笑って出かけます』と音盤から明るい声が流れ出た。この厳粛な気持に英龍は身じろきも出来なかった。また英子未亡人の殊更な愛情も手伝って夢のような幾日かを過し、深い感銘をいだいて帰った英龍は素晴らしい記事を残して決然と村井少尉のあとに続き海軍に志願した。【写真＝愛と誓いの一場面】

京城日報 1945年5月25日～27日

映画物語『愛と誓い』

海軍特別志願兵制度に応えて半島に沸きあがる青少年の海への決意を描く朝映の『愛と誓い』はこのほど完成。二十四日から封切られた。

（１）

『相変らず、朝鮮の空は美しいですね』

『そうだ。でもこの美しい空は、君の征く戦場の大空へ、つながっているのだよ』

京城新報社の編輯局長白石五郎は、出征にあたって、社へ別れに来た恩師の一人息子村井少尉の写真を屋上で撮り了ると、沁々とした面持で、澄みきった大空を仰いだが、フト向こうの壁のところから、チラッと覗いた一人の少年の姿を目ざとく見付けると、『英龍じゃないか。何処をうろついていたのだ』と、劇しい言葉を浴びせて、近寄って行った。

この少年は、四年まえ鐘路の裏街から白石が拾ってきて、ずっと自分の家で面倒を見てやっている金英龍という孤児で、いまは社の給仕をさせながら夜学へ通わせているのだが、未だに放浪癖が抜けずもう二三日まえから、一寸した失策から家を飛び出しているのであった。村井少尉は、白石局長からその事情をきくと、『いかん、そんな心配をかけるものではない。これからは君たちがしっかりする番だよ』と言って、英龍の肩を叩くと、『どうです、二人の分も一つ、もう一枚とって下さいませんか』と白石局長へ頼んだ。

白石は『いかん、これからは君たちが、しっかりする番だ』という村井少尉の言葉に、なにか劇しい少尉の決意を予感しながら、再びならび立った二人へカメラを向けた。

果たせるかな。それから間もなく神風特別攻撃隊〇〇隊の壮挙が発表されたが、その中に村井信一郎－村井少尉の名前があった。

（２）

『この良人の傍に立っている子供の名前を、御存じでしょうか』

村井少尉が社へ訪ねてきたときにとった写真を持って、白石夫妻が恩師の宅を訪問すると、少尉の未亡人へささやいた。英子は、上海事変のとき両親を失い、朝鮮へ引き揚げるとき、五つになっていた弟の金英柱ともはぐれて仕舞ったのだが、その弟の幼顔に何処かその少年の顔は、似ているというのである。

『この子供は、私の家に引取っている孤児ではありませんか。金英龍といいますの』

白石夫人は、気の毒そうにそう言うと、それでも一度良人へ頼んで、英龍を訪ねさせようと、約束するのであった。

その頃、白石は恩師の学校で、全校生徒を集めて、『神鷲というと、あなた達は自分の手の届かないような、大変生れつきから偉かった人のように考えるでしょうが、決してそうではありません。立派な軍人になれれば、きっと神鷲になれるのです。あなた達だって、毎日をよく勉強して早く立派な軍人になって下さい』と、判り易い言葉で、烈々と村井少尉のあとへ続く、その童心へ呼びかけていた。

しかしその夜、遅く村井家から白石夫妻が帰ってみると、子供の豊夫と英龍は葡萄酒と間違えてウィスキーを飲み大変な騒ぎをしているところであった。

『お母さんの留守に、なぜこんな真似をするのです』

白石より先に帰ってきた夫人の桂子は、激しく豊夫を叱ったが、英龍は叱らなかった。当然叱られることを覚悟していた英龍は、かえって叱られないことが淋しく、愛情の孤独に耐えかねて、自分の部屋へ悄然と戻ると、声を忍ばせて泣きながら、お母さんと呼びつづけるのであった。

後から帰宅した白石は、桂子から事情をきいて、眠っている英龍の部屋を覗いたが、共入口の壁にかかれている어머니（オモニ）という爪文字を見ると、なぜ英龍も、叱ってやらなかったのだ、之を見るがいい、きっと英龍も叱られたかったのだと、桂子をなじった。

（３）

『これは立派な訪問記だ。君の真心がこもっている』

金英龍に村井家を訪問させた白石は英龍の書いてきたその訪問記を見て、非常に激賞すると、君も今度から記者見習いにしてやるといった。しかし英龍は意外にも、それを喜ばなかった。そうして自分は、記者見習よりも、海軍軍人になりたいから、特別志願兵訓練所へ入所したいと言った。

村井家を訪問した英龍の心の中に、大きな変化を起させた一つの原因は村井家から帰る日、自動車事故のためにバスに乗れなくなった半島の入営壮丁が、いいです駅まで走りますと、みんなの心配顔へ、決然として言うと、一散にバス道路を駅へかけて行ったその雄々しい姿であった。あの雄々しさ、あの毅然たる姿、それを思いうかべると、英龍の若い全身の血は沸り立つのであった。

『そうか、特別志願兵になるか』白井は心からそれを喜ぶと、大いに激励した。

やがて桜咲く四月、念願の叶った英龍は、英子や白石夫妻に送られて勇躍〇〇特別志願兵訓練所へ急ぐのであった。（了）

Source: National Library of Korea, Digital Newspaper Archive

External blog links covering "Love and Vows":

• https://blog.naver.com/bumryul/223117000706 (in Korean)
• https://beh3.hatenablog.com/entry/2021/10/02/151951 (in Japanese)
• https://ameblo.jp/jk-nextfilm/entry-10461126501.html (in Japanese)

Link to the YouTube video of the entire film (no subtitles): https://youtu.be/AsmQjtVSUyA