In just three hours, Japanese colonial authorities rounded up 466 Seoul residents for black-market trading, sentenced them on the spot, and sent them by streetcar to Seodaemun Prison (July 1945)

This article illustrates an example of the brutal “summary trials” carried out in connection with mass police sweeps against black-market sellers, just one of the ways the authorities in colonial Seoul appear to have been resorting to extraordinarily harsh measures in the streets of Seoul in July 1945 during the last weeks before Imperial Japan's surrender.

Judges and prosecutors left the courthouse and went directly to the sites of the crackdown, backed by plainclothes police. Police rounded up suspected black-market sellers, questioned them at the local police stations, and prosecutors immediately brought charges. Judges then conducted further questioning and handed down sentences on the spot. There was apparently no mercy. According to the article, not a single person was let off with a warning: everyone processed at Dongdaemun Police Station received between six months and one year of imprisonment.

The speed is staggering. The operation began at about 1 p.m. By 4 p.m., 466 people arrested across Seoul had already been sentenced and were being transported by streetcar to the notorious Seodaemun Prison. The entire process (from arrest, to questioning, prosecution, conviction, sentencing, and being sent to prison) took only around 3 hours. It is difficult to imagine how anything resembling a meaningful defense or fair trial could have taken place under such conditions.

The article itself proudly presented this as the first use of this wartime summary-trial procedure anywhere in Korea, made possible by the Wartime Special Criminal Law. About 90 percent of those arrested were women and girls, and the most common goods involved were vegetables.

Unfortunately, substantial portions of the original article have been lost. The newspaper page scanned by the National Library of Korea is extremely badly damaged, with pieces missing from several parts of the page. I previously asked ChatGPT to examine the damage pattern, and its assessment was that rodent gnawing was the most likely cause, based particularly on the curved, scalloped “bite” contours and the way the damage appears to progress inward from several exposed edges of the sheet.

Rodent-gnawed newspaper page from July 3, 1945

What survives, however, gives a remarkable glimpse of just how extreme wartime policing had become in Seoul in the final weeks of Japanese colonial rule.

Japanese colonial propaganda tended to portray black marketeers as greedy profiteers getting rich at the public’s expense. But when you look at the actual cases behind the rhetoric, many seem much more mundane: ordinary people running businesses and trying to buy and sell scarce goods in an economy increasingly strangled by wartime price controls and shortages.

I'm sharing a 1942 article below as one example. Mr. Kunimoto, who ran a restaurant in Yeongdeungpo, bought a bull from a Mr. Jeong for 650 yen and later sold it to a Mr. Yi for 680 yen. In ordinary terms, he made only 30 yen on the transaction. But because the government-fixed maximum price for the animal was 360 yen, the newspaper declares that he had made an “illicit profit” of 320 yen—the difference between the legal ceiling and the price at which he sold it.

Then the story takes a much darker turn. While her husband was being subjected to a “rigorous investigation” by the police, his wife, Gye-jeong, secretly went to the investigating officer’s home. Crying, she begged him to treat her husband leniently. After she left, the officer discovered that she had left behind an envelope containing the enormous sum of 1,000 yen. He reported her, and she was immediately arrested for bribery and detained as well.

Why risk such a desperate measure? As we saw in the July 1945 article, people arrested for black-market offenses could be subjected to extraordinarily rapid prosecution and sent directly to Seodaemun Prison, an institution notorious for the brutal treatment of prisoners. A 1,000-yen bribe was not the action of someone treating the matter as a minor regulatory fine; she apparently believed that something very serious could happen to her husband.

And yet the newspaper has remarkably little sympathy for her. The headline mocks the episode as “A Woman’s Foolish Scheme Fails to Land Her Catch,” while the opening sentence calls her a foolish woman who unsuccessfully tried to “hook” a policeman with money. Her fear and tears become material for ridicule.

That misogynistic tone is something I have started to notice repeatedly in these newspapers. Women—particularly Korean women—are often presented not simply as people behaving badly, but as objects of mockery, scolding, or moral instruction. Other articles attack women for continuing to wear chima or other improper clothing, or chastise women who fail to volunteer for wartime labor as evidence of backwardness or selfishness. 

I'm also sharing a 1941 article below as another example. In this case, the business involved dog pelts. Employees connected with a dog-leather factory bought and sold pelts on the black market rather than supplying them through the channels designated for military use, and the police arrested those involved.

What is particularly striking is how closely part of this story resembles the 1942 case above. Once again, the wife of an arrested man apparently became desperate enough to try bribing the authorities to secure her husband’s release. According to the article, two police officers were each offered 1,000 yen, the same amount that was quoted in the 1942 case.

And again, punishment through humiliation seems to be part of the storytelling. On top of naming and shaming the buyers and sellers, the article ridicules one of the arrested men by quoting him worrying tearfully about his future: with an arrest record like this, how was he ever going to get married?

That detail has little relevance to whether he violated the price-control laws. Its purpose seems to be to make the defendant look pathetic and foolish for the entertainment and moral instruction of the reader. The police investigation becomes almost a cautionary tale: break the economic regulations, and not only will you be arrested, but your name, your family, your embarrassment, and even your fears about your marriage prospects may be printed in the newspaper for everyone to see.

Taken together with the 1942 article, there seems to be a recurring formula here. Wartime economic offenders are labeled as profiteers, their names are publicly exposed, their family members’ desperate attempts to help them are turned into sensational stories, and the defendants themselves are portrayed as ridiculous figures deserving humiliation rather than as ordinary people navigating an increasingly coercive and scarcity-ridden wartime economy.

[Translation]

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) July 3, 1945

The Authorities Unleash Their Long-Reserved Powers Against the “Black Market”
Severe Measures: Prison Terms Imposed in Street-Side Summary Trials

Unable to stand by while markets of black-market peddlers disrupting wartime life operated openly in broad daylight, with goods changing hands at prices dozens of times the official rates, the Seoul District Court Prosecutors’ Office has now stepped up enforcement beyond fines and admonitions. For the first time, it invoked the Wartime Special Criminal Law on the spot. On July 2nd, judges and prosecutors took to the streets, conducted a severe mass roundup, and through summary proceedings sent the offenders directly to prison from the scene. Similar mass roundups will continue in waves, with the aim of wiping out the black market and securing a sound food supply for the people.

At 1 p.m. that day, judges and prosecutors deployed to several black markets within Seoul, and with the assistance of plainclothes police officers swept up the offenders en masse. After questioning at the respective police stations, sentences were pronounced on the spot. By 4 p.m., 127 persons from the Dongdaemun Police Station district, 65 persons from Seodaemun, 45 persons from Seongdong, 76 persons from Honmachi, 80 persons from Mapo, and 73 persons from Seongbuk had been taken by streetcar to Seodaemun Prison.

As many as ninety percent of the offenders were women and girls, and vegetables made up the largest share of the goods involved. At Dongdaemun Police Station, where the disposition of the offenders could be observed, police officers first conducted questioning. The visiting prosecutors Yamaguchi and Terazawa then reinvestigated the cases together with other officials and immediately filed charges. Judges Aihara and Iijima conducted still more rigorous questioning. Not a single offender was disposed of with merely an admonition; all were sentenced to prison terms ranging from a minimum of six months to a maximum of one year and were immediately taken away under guard. This was, in one respect . . .

First Use of the Measure Anywhere in Korea
Explanation of the Summary Trials

With the aim of eradicating black-market activity that is eating away at the home front, the mass crackdown carried out this time by the Seoul District Court Prosecutors’ Office featured, for the first time, summary trials under the Wartime Special Criminal Law at each enforcement site. Black-market offenders were sentenced at the police stations and immediately sent to prison.

These summary proceedings dispense with a formal trial and judgment in a courtroom and instead allow a judge, after reviewing the case in writing, to order the sentence carried out by summary order. Previously, this procedure had been applied to minor offenses punishable by fines and petty fees. Under the Wartime Special Criminal Law promulgated in March 1943, however, it was made applicable even where a prison sentence of less than one year was imposed. This crackdown marked the first time that this procedure had been invoked. It was also the first occasion anywhere in the Korean judicial system on which judges themselves went to the enforcement sites and issued summary orders there.

Crackdown to Continue . . .

The acts of black-market dealers constitute violations of the Enterprise Licensing Ordinance as well as the Price and Related Controls Ordinance. The former is punishable by up to two years’ imprisonment, while the latter is punishable by up to ten years’ imprisonment ...

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) July 24, 1942

A Woman’s Foolish Scheme Fails to Land Her Catch
A 1,000-Yen Bribe in a Plea for Mercy for Her Husband

There was a foolish woman who tried—and failed—to hook a police officer with the hefty sum of 1,000 yen.

Kunimoto Toshiaki, 46 years old, who operated an eating establishment at 106 Yeongdeungpo, Yangpyeong-dong, purchased a bull on March 15 from Cheong Yun-hwan (정윤환, 鄭允煥) of 132 Yanghwa-dong for 650 yen, although its officially fixed maximum price was 360 yen. On the 25th of the same month, he sold it to Yi Hak-sun (이학순, 李學順) of 121 Yangpyeong-dong for 680 yen, thereby making an illicit profit of 320 yen. The matter came to light at Yeongdeungpo Police Station. As he is suspected of having committed additional offenses, he is currently undergoing a rigorous investigation by Mr. Moriyama, an officer of the Economic Section.

One night, however, Kunimoto’s wife, Gye-jeong (계정, 桂貞), 36 years old, secretly visited Policeman Moriyama at his private residence. In tears, she pleaded, “If you would show particular leniency toward my husband for what he has done, I would never forget your kindness for as long as I live…” and then departed.

After she had gone, Moriyama discovered a thick envelope. When he opened it, he found that it contained 1,000 yen in a crisp stack of banknotes. Startled, Moriyama reported the matter to Chief Ishikawa the following morning. Gye-jeong was immediately arrested on a charge of bribery and detained at the police station.

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) May 18, 1941

A 1,000-Yen Bribe Hidden Beneath a Seat Cushion
Luck Runs Out at Last for a Gang of Three

[Cheongju] The trial of Takemoto Hiroshi, 45 years old, Kimura Takeo, 20 years old, and Nishihara Taizan, 20 years old, all of Yoshino-chō, Seoul, on charges of violating the Price Control Ordinance and bribery opened at 2 p.m. on May 13th in the courtroom of the Cheongju Branch Court, before Judge Nishiyama, with Prosecutor Mōri in attendance. After about an hour of examination of the facts, Prosecutor Mōri delivered a severe closing argument, seeking a fine of 80 yen for Takemoto, eight months’ imprisonment and a fine of 100 yen for Kimura, and six months’ imprisonment for Nishihara. Defense counsel Iwakiri then presented his argument, and the court adjourned at 3:30 p.m. Sentencing was set for the 16th...

The details of the case were as follows. Kimura was employed as a clerk at a leather factory in Sinseol-dong, Seoul, operated by his brother-in-law Takemoto. In July of last year, he purchased from a certain man surnamed Im (임, 林), of 138 Nambu-chō, Suwon-eup, 214 large dog pelts at two yen each and 66 small dog pelts at one yen 80 sen each, a total of 280 pelts, for 546 yen 80 sen. Instead of supplying them to the military, he resold them to Kim Myeong-su (김명수, 金明洙) of Chuncheon, Gangwon Province.

Then, on March 28 of this year, two workers from the same factory, Kiyomoto Dong-su (동수, 東洙) and Kunimoto Heung-ryeon (흥련, 興連), were arrested at the Shunkyō Inn in Gwancheol-dong in connection with another case by Detectives Itō and Shigeyama of Eumseong Police Station. After witnessing the arrests, Kimura received 2,700 yen from Kiyomoto’s wife, Su-myeong (수명, 壽明), as money to use in securing their release. Together with Nishihara Taizan, he followed the two police officers and arrived in Eumseong on the 29th.

The pair checked into the Toyofuku Inn. At about nine o’clock that night, after discussing what to do, Kimura and Nishihara visited Detective Shigeyama and slipped 1,000 yen beneath the seat cushion on which he was sitting. They then went directly to Detective Itō and, using the same method, placed another 1,000 yen beneath his bedding. After this foolish attempt at bribery, they returned to their inn. The next morning, however, the two officers discovered the respective bundles of banknotes while straightening their bedding. Kimura and Nishihara were immediately arrested that same morning...

After the prosecutor had finished his closing argument, Judge Nishiyama asked the defendants, “Do you have anything to say?” Takemoto and Nishihara merely hung their heads, but Kimura straightened himself and said, “As you know, I am an unmarried man. I can endure the hardship of going to prison, but who will give his daughter in marriage to a man with a criminal record? That is the one thing I cannot bear to think about.” He then broke down in tears.

[Transcription]

京城日報 1945年7月3日

『闇』を撃つ伝家の実力
峻烈、街頭裁判で体刑処分

戦時生活を乱す闇行商の市場が白昼公然と開かれ公定価より数十倍の高値で取引されるのを黙視出来ず京城地方法院検事局では罰金、説諭から今度は取締りを強化して初の戦時刑特別法の現地発動をなし二日判検事が街頭に進出して峻烈なる一斉検挙を行い即決裁判を以て其場から送監した。今後も一斉検挙を波状的に実施し闇の一掃を期し明るい国民食生活を確保する。

此日午後一時、京城府内数ヶ所の闇市場に出動した判、検事は私服警察官の応援を得て一網打尽し、各署で取調の上其場で刑の執行を宣言。之等現行犯は午後四時迄に東大門署管内百二十七名、西大門署六十五名、城東署四十五名、本町署七十六名、麻浦署八十名、城北署七十三名を電車で西大門刑務所に送った。

此違反者は九割までが婦女子、品物は蔬菜が一番多く犯罪者の処断を東大門署に見ると一先ず警察官が取り調べ出張の山口、寺澤両検事が他の係官と共に再調査、直に起訴。相原、飯島両判事が更に厳密な取り調べを行い一人の説諭処分もなく全部を最低六ヶ月、最高一ヶ年の体刑処分が言い渡され即時押送した。之は一面．．．

全鮮初の発動
即決裁判の解説

銃後を蝕む闇行為の剿滅を期し、今回京城地方法院検事局が行った一斉取締には戦時刑特別法による初の即決裁判が各現場で行われ、闇行為者は警察署で刑に服し直に送監された。之は法廷に於ける公判、判決を略し書面審議により判事の略式命令で刑の執行を宣する即決裁判。従来罰金、科料等軽微な犯罪に対して適用されていたが、昭和十八年三月公布の戦時刑特別法により体刑一年未満の場合にも適用することとなり、今回が初の発動であり、判事の現場進出による略式命令は全鮮司法界初めての事でもある。

今後も続行．．．

闇商人の行為は企業許可令違反並びに価格等統制令違反にかかり前者は懲役二年以下、後者は懲役十年以下に処せられる。

京城日報 1942年7月24日

釣り損じた女の浅智恵
夫の命乞いに一千円贈賄

大枚一千円で警察官を釣ろうとして失敗した浅墓な女がある。

永登浦楊坪町一〇六飲食店営業国本俊明（四六）は去る三月十五日楊花町一三二鄭允煥から牡牛一頭（公定最高価格三百六十円）を六百五十円で買受け同二十五日楊坪町一二一李學順に六百八十円で売却し結局三百二十円の不正利得をしたことが永登浦署に発覚。余罪もある見込みで目下森山経済係員の手で厳重取調べ中であるが、国本の妻桂貞（三六）は或る夜秘かに森山巡査の私宅を訪れ『夫の犯行に対し特に寛大な処置をして戴ければその恩は死んで忘れませんから．．．』と涙と共に懇願して立ち去ったが彼女が帰った後で中味の厚い封筒を見つけ開いてみると手の切れるような札束で金千円が封入されてあったので森山巡査は驚いて翌朝石川主任にその旨報告したので桂貞も直ちに贈賄罪として検挙そのまま同署へ留置された。

京城日報 1941年5月18日

座蒲団の下に千円の贈賄
悪運つき三人組遂に挙る

【清州】京城府吉野町武本寛（四五）、木村武雄（二〇）、西原泰山（二〇）の三名にかかる価格統制令違反及贈賄事件の公判は去る十三日午後二時より清州支庁法廷で西山判事係毛利検事立会の上開廷。約一時間に亘る事実審理ののち毛利検事より峻烈な論告があり武本は罰金八十円、木村は懲役八ヶ月及び罰金百円、西原は懲役六ヶ月を夫々求刑。

岩切弁護士の弁論が行われ同三時半閉廷したが判決言渡しは来る十六日．．．

因に事件の内容：木村は義兄武本が経営している京城府新設町皮革工場書記として雇われているうち昨年七月水原邑南部町一三八林某から犬皮（大）一枚につき二円ずつ二百十四枚、同（小）一枚に付一円八十銭ずつ六十六枚計二百八十枚を五百四十六円八十銭で買い入れて軍部に納めず江原道春川邑金明洙に買い飛ばしたほか、本年三月二十八日同工場職工清本東洙及び国本興連の両名が貫鉄町春興旅館で某事件のため陰城警察署伊藤、茂山両刑事に逮捕されたのを見て清本の妻壽明より金二千七百円を運動費として貰い西原泰山と共に前記の両巡査を尾行して二十九日来陰。

当地の豊福旅館に投宿し同夜九時頃木村、西原の両名は種々協議の上、茂山巡査を訪問して金一千円を自分の敷いている座蒲団の下に入れ、その足で伊藤巡査を尋ねて同様手段で敷蒲団の下に又も一千円を入れて浅墓な贈賄を企て宿へ帰ったが、右両巡査は翌朝寝具の整理中それぞれ件の札束を発見。同朝直ちにこれ等二名を逮捕したものである．．．

検事の論告が終って西原判事が被告等に向い”何かいうことはないか”と問えば武本、西原両名はうなだれているばかりであったが、木村は姿勢を正して”私は御承知の通り未婚者であります。懲役に行って苦労するのは辛抱出来ますが、前科者に誰が娘をくれるでしょうか。ただこれだけが残念でたまりません”と泣きくずれていた。

Source: Digital Newspaper Archive, National Library of Korea

Imperial Japan hunted shortwave listeners in colonial Korea: 246 people investigated and 50 radios seized by Inspector Saiga Shichirō, a notorious torturer accused of fabricating cases and sending detainees to their deaths (1942–44)

During World War II, Imperial Japan banned the use of shortwave radios, which tech savvy Koreans were apparently using to secretly listen to the Korean-language service of the Voice of America, which began broadcasting in August 1942. Doing so was extremely risky, since anyone who was caught by Imperial military police faced detention by Inspector Saiga Shichirō, who was notorious for fabricating cases and brutally torturing and killing detainees.

By 1944, a few hundred Koreans were arrested for shortwave radio offenses. Thus, the number of shortwave listeners was probably extremely small, numbering maybe only a few hundred in a population of over 25 million. Nevertheless, it is a testament to the insecurities of the totalitarian regime that it went to such great lengths to crack down on such a tiny circle of listeners, presumably because uncensored news about the war threatened its monopoly over information and challenged its control over the minds of the Korean people. The ominous final paragraphs of the article, hinting at further rounds of arrests, appear calculated to frighten anyone who might still have been listening.

Also reproduced here is a news advertisement from the July 20, 1938, issue of Keijo Nippo newspaper illustrating an example of an AM radio set, which might have been modified by Korean hackers to receive shortwave signals. This particular model is a Sharp M-3 radio set manufactured by Hayakawa Electric, a precursor of the modern Sharp Corporation.

By the late 1930s, technology had progressed enough that the size of the radio sets had shrunk to that of a toaster, and only four vacuum tubes were required to operate it. But the four vacuum tubes had to be specific types: UZ 57, UX 26B, UX 12A, and KX 12F. It is a testament to the resilience and technical expertise of this underground Korean radio hacker community that they were still able to scrounge up enough parts amid wartime shortages and work clandestinely under the noses of the vigilant Imperial police and its informants to even be able to listen to the shortwave broadcasts from the U.S. and breach the regime's information blockade.

I am also documenting four other articles demonstrating just how closely radio ownership and listening were controlled in colonial Korea. Receiver installations required official permission, and the authorities periodically threatened to prosecute people who listened without authorization. I also included articles from 1942 and 1943 reminding the Korean people of the ongoing ban on shortwave radio. 

[Translation]

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo), November 25, 1944

Criminals Who Leave No Trail
Meeting Technical Skill with Technical Skill
Inspector Saiga’s Keen Instinct for Uncovering Clandestine Shortwave Listening

In a remarkably short period of only six months, Inspector Saiga Shichirō of the Special Higher Police Section of the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Department apprehended [redacted] persons involved in clandestinely listening to shortwave broadcasts and seized fifty radio sets. These traitorous individuals had allowed themselves to be captivated by enemy schemes and, posing as well-informed persons, had spread false broadcasts throughout the community as though they were true. For his outstanding achievement in forestalling such subversive activity, Saiga received Korea’s first Police Distinguished Service Award. We asked him to describe the full scope of clandestine shortwave listening.

“While investigating a particular rumor case, we traced it to information that ordinarily could not have been obtained in Korea. Suspecting that shortwave radio was undoubtedly involved, we extended our investigation in every direction, examining connections with dealers as well as with technicians. I shall never forget that we began the investigation on the Day of the Imperial Rescript on February 8, 1943.”

“Even the largest case sounds perfectly simple once it has been solved, but making the arrests was anything but easy. If someone is transmitting radio waves, the source can be located with detection equipment. Reception, however, is different. We had to consider the equipment, its outward appearance, and other circumstances together, identify suspicious persons, and then proceed to arrest them. In practice, this was an extremely difficult problem.”

“As our surveillance expanded, their methods became more ingenious. A set might outwardly be a model certified by the Broadcasting Corporation, while its interior had been skillfully modified, allowing the owner to feign complete innocence. We started seizing actual radio sets only in February. As the investigation became more severe in April and May, suspects began burying receivers in the ground or dividing their component parts into three or four separate hiding places. Even when our preliminary investigation had already secured conclusive evidence, we sometimes had to search a house three times before finally discovering a single component. Technically speaking, their methods were quite sophisticated.”

Inspector Saiga’s skill in dealing with shortwave equipment, relentlessly examining even the smallest and most ordinary-looking component, was cultivated during his military service thirty years ago. As a signals soldier, Private First Class Saiga underwent extensive technical training and devoted himself to operational communications during the Siberian Intervention. By a curious turn of fate, the confidence he gained in those skills has now proved of great value in the Greater East Asia War.

“Even an ordinary radio is difficult to hear when improperly adjusted. With shortwave, clandestine listening is impossible without at least some technical knowledge. Anyone who succeeded in listening had probably ruined one or two radios while learning. From a technical standpoint, therefore, the offenders came from the so-called intelligentsia: people with wireless expertise, people who had studied it at school, or radio dealers.”

“From the police standpoint, the investigation proceeded by following rumors back toward their sources. But the trail often broke off midway and could not easily be followed. People often speak of arrests proceeding 'like pulling up a sweet-potato vine,' with one suspect leading to another, but matters were not so simple in this case.”

“There was, however, technical cooperation among the listeners. One member might say to another, 'I haven't been able to listen very well with mine in recent days. What could be wrong with it? Take a quick look at it for me.'”

“Of the 246 persons who became involved in the investigation, [redacted] persons were convicted. Among them were some pitiable cases, including persons who listened because close relatives were living in the continental United States and they were anxious about their safety. Nevertheless, unlawful equipment remains unlawful equipment, and they had to face the judgment of the law.”

“There was also one admirable person who, despite being exposed to outrageous falsehoods, maintained an iron resolve and personally rejected the subversive rumors.”

“Although women are ordinarily associated with criminal cases, none appeared to have been involved in clandestine shortwave listening. This may have been because of the technical knowledge that the activity required.”

Inspector Saiga believes that the practice has probably been eradicated in terms of its overall scale, but that truly malicious individuals may still be listening secretly. Perhaps he is already devising confidential plans for a second and third round of arrests.

“Work that anyone can undertake can be left to others. I do what no one else will attempt,” says Inspector Saiga. What will be the next achievement credited to him?

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo), June 29, 1943

Controls on the Sale of Radio Receivers

As stronger restrictions on the supply and demand of important materials have made radio receivers and their components increasingly difficult to obtain, the Communications Bureau has decided to regulate their distribution and sale. Therefore, Mr. Fukagawa, chief of the bureau’s Supervisory Section, issued the following statement:

“The allocation of materials for radio receivers and components has recently become considerably tighter. Consequently, we can no longer supply people who wish to use a high-grade receiver merely as an ornament in a room or who unnecessarily install two or more sets.”

“From now on, distribution will be controlled according to a one-receiver-per-household principle, with the objective of making simple and inexpensive receivers widely available. Specifically:”

“1. Requests will not be accepted from persons who already possess a receiver and wish to purchase an additional one, or who wish to purchase a more advanced receiver.”

“2. In places where broadcasts can be received easily, such as cities in which broadcasting stations are located and nearby areas, only simple, inexpensive receivers will be sold, and the sale of high-grade receivers will be prohibited.”

“We particularly ask everyone not to leave the nation’s precious resources sitting idle, but to put them to effective use for listening. If a receiver is no longer needed, please transfer it to someone who requires one. Those possessing two or more receivers should transfer any unnecessary sets to others so that they may be put to use. We also ask listeners to carefully handle the receivers that they are presently using.”

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo), June 26, 1943

The Growing Number of Radio Listeners
Unlicensed Listeners Should Complete the Required Procedures Immediately

Under the conditions of the Greater East Asia War, in which every day is a decisive battle, radio has cast off its former entertainment-centered role. It has become an indispensable part of national life and an important weapon for defending the home front.

The number of listeners continues to rise rapidly. During the five-day period, 6,372 new applications were submitted. On the other hand, 4,976 listening registrations were terminated because receivers had been sold, had broken down, or because their owners had moved elsewhere within or outside Korea. This produced a net increase of 1,396, bringing the total number of registered listeners to 270,854.

A considerable number of people, however, are still listening without having obtained permission, or have reported that they have discontinued listening while continuing to do so. The Communications Bureau, acting in coordination with the Broadcasting Corporation, will shortly conduct simultaneous arrests for these unlawful installations.

Because unlawful radio installations are subject to severe punishment under the Electronic Telecommunications Act, the Communications Bureau urges anyone who has not yet obtained permission to complete the required procedures immediately.

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo), March 12, 1943

Shortwave Receivers Are Forbidden
Anyone Possessing One Must Report It Immediately

Across the skies of the world, a battle of radio waves is unfolding that nothing can obstruct. Radio waves, as “invisible bullets,” transcend time and distance to strike at the heart of the enemy.

The enemy, groaning under defeat, is attempting to compensate for its military disadvantage through schemes and propaganda conducted by radio broadcast. It is expected to intensify its false propaganda in the future in an effort to disrupt our home front.

For this reason, the Communications Bureau prohibited last summer the use of equipment capable of intercepting enemy false broadcasts, namely, shortwave receivers. Perhaps because radio listeners in Korea have not fully understood the purpose of the prohibition, some have failed to report their sets and have continued listening secretly without obtaining permission. More than ten such persons have already been uncovered.

The Communications Bureau urges anyone who has a shortwave receiver in his possession to come forward voluntarily before being discovered and punished.

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo), September 9, 1942

Shortwave Reception Absolutely Prohibited
Severe Punishment for Unreported Listening

Do you possess a shortwave receiver or an all-wave receiver?

For counterespionage reasons under the present wartime conditions, such receivers are absolutely prohibited. Any private individual possessing one must report it immediately to the Communications Bureau, a police station, or the military police, or face punishment.

Those who are using a receiver after partially disabling its shortwave or longwave section are also requested to consult the Communications Bureau or the Broadcasting Corporation regarding the extent of the modification and to take the prescribed measures.

Domestic radio receivers, foreign-made receivers other than models certified by the Broadcasting Corporation, and specially constructed receivers, such as homemade sets, are prohibited if their reception range extends below 550 kHz or above 1,500 kHz.

Anyone possessing such a set must report it, submit it for inspection, and obtain instructions concerning the appropriate measures to be taken. If the set is subsequently discovered, its owner will be severely punished regardless of whether the owner possesses a broadcast-listening permit. The Communications Bureau urges everyone to comply so that no mistakes happen.

[Transcription]

京城日報 1944年11月25日

蔓を持たぬ犯人
技術には技術で
短波密聴に鋭い斎賀警部の勘

敵の謀略にうつつを脱かし物識顔でデマ放送をまことしやかに巷間に流布する短波密聴の売国奴どもを僅か六ヶ月の短期間に関係者〇〇名と五十台の機械を取り押さえ、謀略を未然に防いだ抜群の功で朝鮮最初の警察功績賞を受けた京畿道警察部高等警察課警部斎賀七郎氏に短波密聴の全貌を聴いた。

『ある流言事件の査察をしているうち鮮内で普通には知り得られない流言に辿りつき、これは確かに短波が使用されているという睨みから業者の関係、技術者の関係と各方面から査察の手をのばした。取調を開始したのは忘れもしない昭和十八年二月八日の大詔奉戴日であった』

『どんな大きな事件でも片付いたあとからの話は至極簡単だが検挙は並大抵のものではない。電波を放射する発信なら探知機で突止めることも出来るが、受信となると施設或は外見といった点から綜合して怪しいと狙ったのを検挙してゆくのだから実際にはなかなか困難な問題であった。警戒の手が伸びると巧妙になって外見は放送協会の認定品でありながら実際は内部を巧みに改造して素知らぬ顔をしているといった不逞さであった。現物の押収は二月だけで四月、五月と取調べが峻厳になるにつれ受信機を土の中に隠したり部分品を三つにも四つにも分け、内査では確証を握っておりながら家宅捜査を三回繰返して漸く部分品の一つをさがし出すといった調子で技術的には相当なものだった』

何の変哲もない小さな部分品にまで査察の眼を離さず執拗に喰下る斎賀警部の短波に対する腕の冴えは三十年前の兵営生活に育まれているのだ。通信兵として技術の修練を積んだ斎賀上等兵はシベリア出兵で作戦通信に挺身した腕に覚えの自信がいま大東亜戦争に大きく役立ったのも不思議な因縁だ。

普通のラジオでさえ調節が悪ければ聴きづらいのに、まして短波になると曲りなりにも技術を知らなければ密聴は出来ない。密聴するまでにはラジオの一つや二つは壊したことであろうから機械的には無線の技術をもったものとか学校で習ったもの或はラジオ商といった範囲の所謂インテリ層なのだ。また一方警察的には流言を辿るのだが途中で根が切れてなかなか辿れない場合が多い。よく芋蔓式というが、この場合はそう簡単にはゆかない。然し技術的協力ということはある。つまり自分のは最近聞えないが、どうした調子だろう。一寸検べてくれといった仲間同志の技術の協力だ。迷惑のかかった二百四十六名のうちから〇〇名が有罪となったのだが、なかには肉親が米本土にいるのでその安否を気づかって聴いていたという気の毒な人もあったが、不法施設はあくまで不法施設であって法の裁きは受けねばならないのだ。また或人はとんでもないデマを吹込まれながら鉄壁の決意をもって不逞のデマを自ら打ち砕いていた奇特な人もあった。

犯罪には女がつきものであるにかかわらず、短波の密聴に女が関連していないのも技術といった点から姿が見えなかったのかも知れない。

量的には壊滅したであろうが本質的に悪い奴は今なお密聴しているだろうという斎賀警部の胸中には第二、第三の検挙の秘策が練られているのかもしれない。誰もが手につけるような仕事は他人まかせだ、俺は人が手をつけないことをするという斎賀警部の手に挙がる次の戦果は果して何であろう。

京城日報 1943年6月29日

受信機の販売統制

重要物資の需給制限強化によりラジオの受信機や部分品の入手も相当困難となって来たので逓信局では配給販売を統制することになったが、右に関し逓信局深川監理課長は次の通り談話を発表した。

ラジオの受信機や部分品用材の割当は最近相当窮屈になって来たので今迄のように高級受信機を部屋の飾物にしたり不必要に二個以上据付けるというような向きには配給出来なくなった。今後はこれを統制して次の如く一戸一機主義により簡易低廉な受信機を広く普及する方針にした。即ち、

一、受信機所持者が増設する為に購入せんとするもの又は更に高級受信機を購入せんとするものには応じない。

二、放送局所在地や近距離の所など容易に聴取出来る地では簡易低廉な受信機を販売し高級受信機の販売を禁止する。なお此際特に御願いしたいことは貴重な国家の資源を遊ばすことなく有効に聴いて戴きたい。若し不用ならば必要な向きに譲って貰い二個以上あって不用なものは他に譲って活用して戴きたい。又現在聴取している受信機は大切に取扱って戴きたい。

京城日報 1943年6月26日

増えるラジオ聴取者
無許可者は早速手続を

その日その日が決戦である大東亜戦下のラジオは従来の娯楽本位から脱皮し国民生活と切離すことの出来ない銃後を守る大切な武器となり、聴取者はぐんぐん増加の一途を辿り、五日中の新規申込者は六千三百七十二名であったが、一方受信機の売却、故障、内外地転出で廃止が四千九百七十六名もあり、結局千三百九十六名の純増で総数二十七万八百五十四名となった。

この中には未だに許可を受けずに聴いているもの又は聴取廃止をし、そのまま聴いている者が相当あるので逓信局では放送協会と連絡して之等不法施設の一斉検挙を近く行うが、ラジオの不法施設は電信法により厳重処罰されることになっているから未だ許可を受けていないものはこの際至急手続きをとるよう逓信局では要望している。

京城日報 1943年3月12日

短波受信機はご法度
所持する者は今直ぐ届出よ

世界の空には何物にもさえぎることの出来ない電波の攻防戦が展開されている。電波は『見えない弾丸』として時間と距離を超越し敵国の心臓を衝く。敗戦に喘ぐ敵側は武力の不利をラジオ放送による謀略と宣伝戦で補わんと我が銃後攪乱のため今後ますます熾烈なデマ宣伝を企図するものと考えられるので、逓信局では昨夏敵国のデマ放送を傍取し得る機械即ち短波受信機の使用を禁止したが、鮮内のラジオ聴取者には趣旨の不徹底のためか届出を怠り、使用許可を得ずしてひそかに聴取しているもので摘発されたものも十数名にのぼっているが、逓信局では手元に短波受信機を持っているものは摘発をうけ処罰されないうちに自発的に申出るよう要望している。

京城日報 1942年9月9日

短波は絶対禁止
無届聴取は厳重処罰

短波受信機または全波受信機をお持ちの方はありませんか。時局下防諜上の見地から絶対禁止せられているから若し一般の方で、これ等の受信機を持っている方は至急逓信局なり警察署、憲兵隊に申出ないと処罰されます。短波または長波部分を一部切断して聴取している方も改装の程度を逓信局か放送協会に問合わせの上処置せられるよう逓信局では要望している。

国産のラジオ受信機或は放送協会認定品以外の外国製の受信機または自分で組立てたような特殊の受信機で五百五十キロサークルから千五百キロサークルを超えるものは禁止品となっているから届出をなし検査を受け適当な処置を仰いでいないと後日発見されたとき放送聴取許可証の有無に拘わらず厳重処罰されるから間違いの起こらないよう逓信局では要望している。

Sources:

• Digital Newspaper Archive, National Library of Korea
• Internet Archive (Keijo Nippo; June 29, 1943; page 3) (link)

See also:

• Saiga Shichirō (斎賀七郎), an Imperial Japanese Ideological Police officer responsible for the torture, false imprisonment, and deaths of countless Korean patriots, was assassinated in Seoul on Nov. 2, 1945 (reported by newly liberated Keijo Nippo) (link)
• Voice of America Korean Broadcast - first sent by shortwave from Washington, D.C. on June 13, 1942, with more regular Korean programming beginning from San Francisco on August 29, 1942 (Encyclopedia of Korean Culture link)
• Secret Shortwave Listening Incident - an incident in 1942 which Korean broadcasting-station employees secretly listened to shortwave broadcasts from Voice of America and the Korean Provisional Government in Chongqing, then passed along war news - around 300 broadcasting personnel and civilians were arrested and 75 were convicted (Encyclopedia of Korean Culture - link)

Rule by Fear: How Imperial Japan Expanded the Death Penalty and Toughened Sentences in Wartime Korea – Crackdowns on Protesters After Just One Warning (February 1944)

This February 17, 1944 Keijo Nippo article—published during Imperial Japan’s final wartime push—lays out the colonial government’s Special Ordinance for Wartime Criminal Cases as applied in Korea. Framed as a “question-and-answer” explanation of new legal provisions, it offers a rare window into the colonial regime’s obsession with internal control as the war turned against Japan.

Buried beneath the bureaucratic tone is unmistakable evidence of civil unrest in wartime Korea. The detailed sections on riots, “public disturbances,” and “obstruction of wartime industries” reveal that protests and resistance were occurring often enough to alarm the colonial authorities into ramping up criminal sentencing guidelines. The penalties were draconian: ringleaders could face death or life imprisonment, anyone taking part could receive up to fifteen years, and even bystanders risked three years in prison or a fine of up to 1,000 yen. The law also reduced the number of police warnings required before a crackdown from three to just one—a clear signal of zero tolerance for dissent.

These extreme measures underscore both the depth of Imperial Japan’s anxiety over maintaining control and the courage of Korean resistance activists who continued to defy colonial authorities despite knowing that even standing nearby at a protest could mean imprisonment—or death.

The following table summarizes the harsh punishments listed in the February 17, 1944 Keijo Nippo article explaining Japan’s “Special Ordinance for Wartime Criminal Cases” in colonial Korea.

Category / Crime	New Wartime Penalty (1944 Ordinance)
Arson (inhabited buildings, trains, ships, coal mines)	Death, life imprisonment, or at least 10 years’ imprisonment
Arson (uninhabited property)	Life imprisonment or at least 3 years
Arson of aircraft or automobiles	Newly added category; same as above due to military importance
Indecent assault / rape / robbery with violence	Death penalty possible; prosecution allowed without victim’s complaint
Obstruction of air-defense officials	Up to 7 years’ imprisonment
Riot or public disturbance	Ringleader: death, life, or ≥3 years; other participants: 1–15 years or ≤1,000 yen fine; onlookers: ≤3 years or ≤1,000 yen fine; punishment after just one warning
Obstruction of public air defense / observation	Death, life, or ≥3 years; damage to meteorological facilities ≤10 years
Obstruction of communications	Life imprisonment or at least 1 year
Obstruction of vital industries	Up to life imprisonment, including for labor unrest
Hoarding or profiteering	At least 5 years’ imprisonment or ≤10,000 yen fine (or both); merchants punished most severely
Obstruction of wartime transport	≥1 year; if injury or death: death, life, or ≥3 years; interfering with trains/ships: life or ≥5 years; if death occurs: death penalty
Unlawful home entry	≥5 years or ≤1,000 yen fine (even if household member consents without master’s approval)
Corruption / bribery (including intermediaries)	Intermediaries punished the same as direct bribe-givers
Defense attorney limit	Maximum of two defense attorneys, must be appointed within 10 days
Trial system change	Appeals reduced from three tiers to two (effective March 15, 1944)

 

[Translation]

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) February 17, 1944

The Character of the Wartime Criminal Special Ordinance: Q&A
A Single Word: ‘Crackdown!’
Particularly Harsh on Black-Market Merchants
Even Intermediaries in Bribery to Be Punished

On February 15, the government simultaneously promulgated the Special Ordinance for Wartime Criminal Cases, Special Ordinance for Wartime Civil Cases, Court Ordinance Wartime Special Provisions, and other related measures, including the Wartime Special Provisions for the National Defense Security Law and Peace Preservation Law for simplifying judicial procedures in Korea, as well as revisions to the Korean Tenancy Mediation Ordinance and Korean Personnel Mediation Ordinance. These will take effect on March 15.

As the Greater East Asia War enters its decisive stage, Imperial Japan’s one hundred million people must mobilize all their strength to achieve a dramatic increase in war power. The decisive strengthening and reorganization of the Korean judicial system has been completed to ensure domestic peace and the stability of the citizens’ duties and rights, which form the basic conditions for the maximum exertion of the nation’s total war power. Henceforth, citizens must live by the principle of “365 days of law observance.”

Among the new wartime judicial decrees, the Special Ordinance for Wartime Criminal Cases strengthens and systematizes substantive criminal penalties to address various crimes arising under wartime conditions. It prepares for any emergencies that may occur under continuous air-raid blackouts as enemy attacks become inevitable. Even apart from such emergencies, it is the most important criminal provision for domestic security under wartime conditions, designed to preserve social tranquility, accomplish the national defense economy, and ensure an ironclad defense against malicious crimes in wartime governance.

The following is a Q&A interview conducted with Mr. Miyazaki Yasuoki, an official of the Criminal Affairs Division, Legal Affairs Bureau, Office of the Governor-General of Korea, to clarify the full scope and character of this Korean Special Ordinance for Wartime Criminal Cases.

Mr. Miyazaki, Legal Affairs Officer

(Photo: Mr. Miyazaki, Legal Affairs Officer)

Q: How does the punishment for arson differ from before?

A: Under Article 108 of the Penal Code, arson against an inhabited building, train, locomotive, ship, or coal mine carried a sentence of death, life imprisonment, or at least five years’ imprisonment. Now, this has been raised to death, life imprisonment, or at least ten years’ imprisonment.

Arson against uninhabited properties has previously been punished by at least two years’ imprisonment, but the sentence has now been raised to life imprisonment or at least three years. Aircraft and automobiles are now added as new categories, reflecting their wartime importance as weapons.

Q: What about crimes of indecent assault and robbery accompanied by violence?

A: In Germany, these already carry the death penalty. In particular, this provision aims to impose resolute punishment for lawless acts committed during preparations for air-defense operations or under blackout conditions. All such offenses are now classified as non-complaint crimes: whereas previously crimes such as rape could only be prosecuted upon a formal accusation by the victim or her husband, under wartime conditions arrests may be made immediately upon discovery of the criminal act, without waiting for any such complaint.

Furthermore, the offense of indecent assault and sexual misconduct, which had previously been handled under a special decree concerning wartime criminal punishment, has now been consolidated together with robbery accompanied by violence.

Q: What is “obstruction of official duty against air-defense public officials”?

A: This provision, newly established alongside the crime of treason and insurrection, underscores the critical importance of the air-defense system in this stage of decisive warfare. Any act of violence or intimidation against air-defense personnel in the performance of their duties will incur harsher penalties, punishable by imprisonment for up to seven years.

Q: Who are considered “air-defense public officials”?

A: It naturally includes all government officials involved in air defense. In mainland Japan, air-defense rescue workers are also considered to be public officials.

Q: In wartime riots, how many people constitute a “group”?

A: The number is not fixed; it will be determined by common sense and circumstances.

Q: What punishments apply to rioting?

A: The ringleader shall be punished by death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for not less than three years (formerly one to ten years). Even if there is no ringleader, those who direct the disturbance or take the lead in aiding its momentum shall now face imprisonment of one to fifteen years (formerly six months to seven years). Followers and onlookers who join in are also to be strictly punished: what was once a fine of up to fifty yen has been raised to a fine of up to one thousand yen or imprisonment for up to three years.

When a crowd gathers and the police order it to disperse, the previous rule was that punishment applied only after the order had been given three times and still not obeyed. Under the new provision, punishment now applies after a single order. In such cases, the ringleader may be sentenced to up to ten years’ imprisonment (formerly three years), and others, who were previously subject only to fines, now face imprisonment of up to three years or fines of up to one thousand yen. The public is therefore cautioned to take care not to become entangled in such disturbances.

Q: What is “obstruction of public air defense or observation”?

A: Like the offense of obstructing air-defense officials, this too is a provision newly established under the Special Ordinance for Wartime Criminal Cases in recognition of the critical importance of air defense during wartime. Anyone who destroys an air-raid shelter, public shelter, evacuation site, observation post, or signaling device, or who—even without destroying them—renders an air-raid siren unable to sound, shall be punished by death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for not less than three years. Those who damage meteorological observation buildings or facilities shall be punished by imprisonment for up to ten years

Q: What constitutes “obstruction of public communications”?

A: Cutting postal or telecommunication facilities or wires. Formerly lightly punished under telegraph law, now punishable by life imprisonment or at least one year’s imprisonment.

Q: How about “obstruction of vital industries”?

A: Especially in Korea, where heavy industry is developed, citizens must take great care. This provision has been newly established to ensure the continued execution of industries essential to national defense during wartime. Not only does it apply to aircraft, weapons, and other vital munitions industries, but even when workers cause disturbances over treatment or wages, the maximum penalty prescribed is life imprisonment.

Q: A decisive crackdown is now to be rendered against those engaged in hoarding and withholding goods for profit—acts that most directly concern us ordinary citizens in wartime. In what ways does this differ from the previous provisions?

A: The purpose of this provision is to ensure the smooth balance of supply and demand for daily necessities. Accordingly, anyone who hoards or withholds essential goods with the intent of obtaining illicit business profits shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than five years or a fine of up to ten thousand yen, and, depending on the circumstances, may be subjected to both imprisonment and a fine.

Previously, acts of hoarding or withholding were punishable under Article 105 of the Penal Code, which prescribed imprisonment of at least one year or up to life imprisonment for acts that ‘seriously disrupt the operation of the national economy through disturbances in the financial markets, interference with the production or distribution of essential goods, or other such means.’ However, since not all cases of hoarding or withholding reached that level of economic disruption, this new special decree targets a narrower but more malicious class of offenders—those who hoard or withhold goods with the intent of obtaining illegitimate business profits—who are deemed more blameworthy than those merely violating the earlier regulations on profiteering acts.

Put more plainly, whereas under the previous system both merchants and ordinary individuals were punished equally for hoarding or withholding goods, under the new ordinance merchants are subject to far harsher penalties. In effect, the law’s loopholes have been completely closed.

Q: “Obstruction of wartime traffic” sounds broad—what does it cover?

A: This category includes roads, bridges, railways, signs, and harbor buoys. The provision applies to cases in which these are damaged in a manner that obstructs the operation of trains, streetcars, or ships.

For example, anyone who damages a road, waterway, or bridge and thereby interferes with transportation shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one year (formerly by a fine of not less than two hundred yen or imprisonment for up to two years). If, as a result, a person is killed or injured, the penalty shall be death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for not less than three years. If the act obstructs the operation of trains, streetcars, or ships, the punishment shall be life imprisonment or imprisonment for not less than five years. If the obstruction concerns a train, streetcar, or ship carrying passengers and results in death, the death penalty shall be imposed — a singularly severe punishment applied without exception. These measures underscore how vital transportation is during wartime.

Q: Home invasions have recently caused serious social concern.

A: The maintenance of social order on the home front during wartime must be upheld without fail. Even if one obtains the consent of the wife or other members of the household, entering another person’s residence without the consent of the master of the house constitutes unlawful entry, punishable by imprisonment for not less than five years or a fine of up to one thousand yen (formerly punishable by imprisonment for not less than three years or a fine of up to fifty yen).

Q: Disciplinary enforcement among government officials is becoming ever more stringent, but where does the focus lie in the present wartime offense of official misconduct?”

A: Officials, who ought to take the lead in guiding the people, must, in accordance with the spirit of the recently promulgated Wartime Public Officials Service Ordinance, convert every aspect of their conduct to a wartime footing. Acts of dereliction in office can by no means be tolerated in the present day. Under this new special ordinance, even those aspects that previously escaped punishment are now comprehensively brought within the scope of the law.

Of particular note for the general public is the newly established crime of ‘the giving and receiving of wartime bribery funds.’ Under the previous bribery statute, no offense was constituted unless the act of bribery was actually carried out. Under the new provisions, however, even a person who, for example, is induced by a corrupt broker to take custody of a bribe for delivery to a third party shall be punished by the same penalties as for the act of bribery itself.

Q: In the criminal procedure provisions, the number of defense attorneys has been limited to two. What is the purpose of this restriction?

A: The aim is to simplify court proceedings. Under the pressing conditions of the present situation, it is only natural to eliminate anything unnecessary. Along with limiting the number of defense attorneys, the period for their appointment has also been set at within ten days, so that the power of the courts may be exercised with greater speed.

Q: Under the new special ordinance, the judicial system will be reduced to two instances of trial, to take effect from March 15. What will happen to cases that are already pending before the courts prior to enforcement?

A: Cases in which arguments before the court of first instance have been concluded before March 15 will continue under the existing three-tier system. Cases that are currently in trial before the first-instance court, or have been filed but not yet heard by that date, will be handled under the new two-tier system.

[Transcription]

京城日報 1944年2月17日

あるは”断”の一字
戦時刑事特別令の性格：一問一答
特に厳しい商人の闇
贈賄はその取次ぎ者も処罰

裁判所令戦時特例、民事特別令、刑事特別令、更に半島における裁判手続簡素化のための国防保安法及び治安維持法の戦時特例に関する法律もこれに付随する朝鮮小作調停令及び朝鮮人事調停令の改正が去る十五日一斉に公布され、三月十五日から実施することとなった。

大東亜戦争が決戦の段階に突入、いまや一億は総力をあげて戦力の飛躍的増強に結集。国家の総合戦力を最高度に発揮するための基礎条件である国内治安の確保と国民権義の安定を期した半島司法体制の決戦的整備強化陣は成った。これにより愈愈国民が”遵法三百六十五日”で行かなければならない。この戦時司法令のうち刑事特別令は戦時下における各種犯罪に対処する為の実体的刑罰規定を整備強化して、今や敵襲必至の情勢下、連続実施する灯火管制下に生ずるかも知れない各種非常事態に備えたのは勿論、それまでならなくとも苟も戦時下、社会の安寧、国防経済の完遂、将又戦時運用に鉄壁を期して悪質犯罪を防がんとする国内治安上最も重要な刑罰規定である。

以下は総督府法務局刑事課事務官宮崎保興氏に一問一答を試みた”朝鮮戦時刑事特別令”の全貌とその性格である。【写真＝宮崎事務官】

問：放火罪は従来と如何に違うか？

答：刑法百八条によると、人の現に住まっている建造物及び電車、汽車、汽船、炭坑に放火した者は死刑、或は無期、五年以上の懲役に処せられていたが、これからは刑罰が重くひきあげられ死刑、無期十年以上の懲役となった。また放火場所が人の居ないところでは従来二年以上の懲役であったが、これまた無期或は三年以上の懲役に引き上げた。また放火対象物で右の外に新しく航空機、自動車が戦時下、兵器の重要性によって新しく加わった。

問：猥褻姦淫罪及び強窃盗罪は？

答：ドイツではすでに極刑をもってのぞんでいる。特にこれは防空態勢下の準備及び灯火管制における不逞な行為に対し断乎たる処罰を期するもので、その中総てが非親告罪となったことは、これまで強姦などは被害者とその夫の告訴によって成立したのが、戦時においては親告をまたなくとも犯罪事実発覚次第いくらでも検挙が出来る。

なお猥褻姦淫罪は戦時犯罪処罰の特令に関する件だったのがこんどは強窃盗罪と一緒に纏めている。

問：防空公務員に対する公務執行妨害罪とは？

答：国政変乱罪と共にこの方は新しく設けたものである。勿論決戦下の防空体制の重要性を現わしている。防空公務員の職務遂行に対する暴行、脅迫も刑罰が過重され、何れも七年以下の懲役に処せられる。

問：防空公務員とは如何なる範囲のものか？

答：防空関係の官公吏をいうのはいうまでもないが、内地では防空救護員も公務員としている。

問：戦時騒擾では、幾名をもって集団と看做すのか？

答：その数は一定していないといっても常識をもって判断する。

問：その刑罰はどんなものか？

答：首魁は死刑、無期及び三年以上の懲役（従来は一年以上十年以下の懲役）首魁がなくても指揮者及び率先して勢を助けたものは、これまで六月以上七年以下が一年以上十五年以下、それに雷同者、野次馬も厳重に処罰することとなり、従来五十円以下の罰金が千円以下の罰金または三年以下の懲役。

多数の者が集って警察官から解散を命ぜられた場合、いままではその命令が三回発せられてなおこれに服従しないときは罰せられたが、こんどはそれが一回となり、その中首魁は十年以下（従来は三年）その他も罰金のみだったのが三年以下の懲役及び千円以下の罰金と刑罰を過重した。若しもの場合、民衆はこのような騒擾に巻き込まれないように注意すべきである。

問：公共防空、観測妨害とは？

答：防空公務の執行妨害と同様にこれも戦時下、防空の重要性によって設けられた戦時刑事特別令であって、防空壕、公共待避壕、避難所、監視所、信号器などを破壊した者、壊さないまでも防空サイレンを鳴らないようにした者も死刑または無期、若しくは三年以上の懲役に処せられる。気象観測の建造物、施設を損壊した者は十年以下の懲役である。

問：公共通信妨害とは何をいうのか？

答：郵便、電気通信建物、工作物及び電線を切断した場合をいうものであって、従来は単なる電信法によって刑は軽かったが、これからは無期または一年以上の体刑となった。

問：重要産業妨害の場合はどうなるか？

答：半島は特に重工業が発達しているので、余程民衆は注意すべきである。

戦時下の国防重要産業の遂行を確保せんがために新しく規定されたものである。航空機その他兵器、軍需関係の重要工業は勿論、その建造物、施設を損壊し待遇や賃銀の問題で労務者が騒動を起した場合でも最高無期懲役まで規定せられている。

問：戦時下われわれ庶民大衆に最も問題になる買溜め、売惜しみの輩に対し”断”が下されるが従来と異なる点は？

答：目的とするところは生活必需品の円滑なる需給関係を確保するにある。従って今回の対象は業務上不正の利益を得る目的をもって生活必需品を買占め、または売惜しんだ者に対しては五年以上の懲役または一万円以下の罰金に処せられ、情によっては罰金の上に体刑を併せ科せられることになっている。

従来この種買溜め、売惜しみに対しては刑法百五条の”金融界の擾乱、重要物資の生産および配給の阻害その他の方法によって国民経済の運行を著しく阻害し”に対して一年以上無期懲役が科せられているが、この程度まで国民経済を深く阻害するに到らずといって単に”暴利を得て物品の売惜しみ、買占めをなす者”に対する暴利行為等取締規則に抵触する者より悪辣なる”業務上不正の利益を得る目的をもつ者”に対し今回の特令が下ったものである。

もっと解り易くいえば今までの買占め買惜しみに対する処罰は商売人でも普通の個人でも同じであったものが商売人の場合は厳罰をもって臨むことになったもので、法の穴を全面的に地均らしたのである。

問：戦時往来妨害というと非常に範囲が大きいが具体的にはどうなっているか？

答：道路、橋梁、鉄道、標識、港湾浮標などがこれに入る。これらを損壊し汽車、電車、船舶の運行を阻害する場合に適用される。

例えば道路、水路、橋梁を破損し交通を邪魔した者は一年以上の懲役（従来は二百円以上の罰金または二年以下の懲役）そのために、たまたま人が死傷した場合は死刑、無期または三年以上の懲役。そのため、汽車、電車、船舶の運行を妨害した場合は無期または五年以上の懲役、人が乗っている汽車、電車、船舶を妨害し、そのため人が死んだ場合は死刑ただ一本をもって臨むという厳刑である。

戦時下交通運輸を如何に重大視しているかが証明されよう。

問：家宅侵入も最近しばしば深刻な問題を生んでいるが。

答：決戦下銃後の社会治安は断じて護らねばならぬ。たとい主婦、家人の承諾を得ても主人の承諾を得ずして他人の住居に入ると不法侵入になり五年以上の懲役または千円以下の罰金である（従前は三年以上の懲役または五十円以下の罰金）

問：官公吏の綱紀粛正はますます峻厳になって行くが今回の戦時涜職罪の重点はどこにあるか？

答：民衆に率先、指導の任にあるべき官公吏はさきに公布された戦時官吏服務令の心構えで総てを戦時に切り換えねばならぬ。今日職を涜すが如き断じてあってはならぬ。今回の特令により今までは処罰出来なかった面をも漏れなく把握することになった。

特に一般が注意すべきは『戦時贈賄資金の授受』の罪である。従来の贈賄罪は事実において贈賄しなければ罪を構成しなかったが、今回より例えば悪ブローカーに乗ぜられ贈賄物を第三者に伝達すべく預かっても贈賄の罪と同じ刑に処せられる。

問：刑事手続関係中、弁護人が二名以内に制限されたが主旨は如何？

答：裁判の簡捷化にある、喫緊の現時局下必要以上のものは排除するのが当然である。弁護人の数を制限すると共に選任の時期を十日以内としたのも裁判の力を迅速に発揮しようとするにある。

問：新特別令にすれば二審別となり三月十五日から実施されるが実施前に裁判所に繋属中の事件はどうなるか？

答：三月十五日以前に第一審裁判所の弁論を終結した事件は従来通り三審制で続ける。第一審において現に公判中のものまたは公判前の受付をなしたものは二審制になる。

Source: National Library of Korea, Digital Newspaper Archive 

‘Selfless’ Imperial Japanese policeman visits pregnant Korean mother daily and delivers her baby after forcing her husband into Imperial war service: a 1945 ‘heartwarming’ propaganda tale

In the waning days of Japanese colonial rule in January 1945, a propaganda article was published in the Keijo Nippo newspaper in Seoul, Korea retelling what appears on the surface to be a heartwarming story of selfless generosity. A Japanese police officer Korea went above and beyond to help Mrs. Ryōko Hirata, a heavily pregnant Korean mother, after her husband was conscripted into the Imperial war effort. The officer was the one to hand the conscription order to her husband. After the reluctant husband was sent away, the officer reportedly visited Ryōko daily, provided money, arranged for medicine and a midwife, and even helped deliver her baby. It is presented as a tale of compassion and duty.

Original caption: Officer Okamoto with the joyful Hirata family

But was it truly altruism? Or did the officer have ulterior motives? While the article paints a rosy picture, a more critical examination of the narrative suggests that maybe this is not the entire story. The mother is later expected to "work" once she recovers. Why? How exactly was she supposed to "repay" the officer’s kindness? This raises uncomfortable questions: Was the officer creating a sense of indebtedness to manipulate her? If there was a romantic interest involved, his actions could have been aimed at building a more intimate relationship with Ryōko, more akin to grooming behavior.

Another disturbing aspect is from the perspective of Ryōko’s husband. Deployed on mandatory Imperial war service, he may have been deeply uneasy about a Japanese officer becoming so intimate with his wife in his absence. Yet he had no choice but to put on a brave face. In a humiliating show of forced gratitude, he referred to the officer as his family’s "guardian god" in his letters—an acknowledgment likely born of necessity rather than true sentiment.

Furthermore, it is important to consider the role of Imperial police officers during this era. These were influential figures who not only enforced colonial law but also worked closely with the Imperial Army and local patriotic groups (neighborhood cells). Police officers often wielded significant power over local communities, including decisions on conscription. It is entirely plausible that this officer played a role in determining who received conscription orders and may have ensured that Mr. Hirata was drafted—potentially setting the stage for his narrative of "saving" the Hirata family in the husband’s absence.

In Imperial Japan, there were different types of conscription orders differentiated by the color of the paper that they were printed on: red (赤紙, Akagami), white (白紙, Hakushi), blue (青紙, Aogami), and also pink paper (紅紙, Kōgami).

White Paper conscription was used for "educational conscription" and training-related activities, such as "教育召集" (educational conscription), "演習召集" (training mobilization), and "簡閲点呼" (roll-call inspection). Red and pink papers were generally used for calling people into active military service, and blue papers were used for short-term homeland defense, particularly against events like air raids.

Given that Mr. Hirata was a married father with children, he may have been issued a red, pink, or blue paper on this particular occasion. The issuing of these orders was a way to manage the different needs and urgencies of military and homeland activities during the war period.

We can safely assume that the Hirata family was ethnic Korean, as another propaganda article from 1943 featured a model Korean family from the same neighborhood, Sungin-dong, and Ryōko appears to be wearing Hanbok in the news photo. The police officer in question, Officer Okamoto, is described as hailing from Kagoshima Prefecture, so he is ethnic Japanese.

[Translation]

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) January 10, 1945

On Days Off, Officers Dedicate Themselves to Welfare Visits

Two Policemen Protect the Families of Conscripted Warriors

"Maintaining public order is not the sole duty of a police officer." This is the story of a policeman who steadfastly supported the family of a conscripted warrior, ensuring that a heavily pregnant wife on the verge of homelessness received proper care, including medicine and medical attention, and safely delivered her child. It is also the story of another policeman who, despite his modest salary, set aside part of his income each month to provide living expenses for conscripted families. These two heartwarming episodes of compassion and unity between police and citizens shine as inspirational examples of humanity and courage to mark a bright and resolute start to the New Year.

Officer Yoshiaki Okamoto, originally from Kagoshima and stationed at the Dongmyo Police Substation under the Dongdaemun Precinct in Seoul, visited the home of Mr. Takemitsu Hirata in Sungin-dong, Dongdaemun District, one bitterly cold evening in December of last year. He carried with him an official conscription deployment order.

Upon receiving the conscription deployment order, Mr. Hirata was taken aback and turned to look at his wife. His wife, Ryōko, was in the final month of her pregnancy and could give birth at any moment, whether that day or the next. Desperate, Mr. Hirata pleaded with Officer Okamoto, asking if there was any way his departure could be postponed until after the child was born. Officer Okamoto was troubled by the request but knew that a supreme national mandate could not be swayed by personal circumstances.

Thus, Mr. Hirata, unable to wait for his child to be born, resolved himself and left for his conscription duty. At that moment, Officer Okamoto firmly vowed in his heart, "Alright, I will take full responsibility for what comes next." From that day forward, he visited the Hirata household daily, attending to various needs. Additionally, he gave her an envelope of money, instructing her to use it for childbirth expenses.

Upon learning of the situation, Mr. Motoki Matsue, the neighborhood leader of the sixth patriotic group, also stepped in. Declaring, "It is the duty of our patriotic group to protect the families of conscripted warriors," he contributed 50 yen. Together with Officer Okamoto, he worked tirelessly, arranging for medicine and a midwife, their efforts marked by heartfelt determination.

Thus, Ryōko, despite feeling the loneliness of a home without her husband, safely delivered her child amidst an outpouring of kindness that brought her to tears. The baby, born healthy, welcomed the New Year in good health.

Officer Okamoto was not only known for his recent acts of kindness. In the past, he had selflessly taken a penniless blind man to Seoul Imperial University Hospital at his own expense, where he arranged ten days of treatment for him. For this compassionate act, he was commended by Chief Ushijima of the Dongdaemun Precinct. When Officer Okamoto received his year-end bonus, he chose not to celebrate solely for himself. Instead, he decided to share the joy of the New Year with thirteen families of conscripted soldiers within his jurisdiction who faced the holiday without their loved ones. To these families, he sent heartfelt year-end gifts filled with warmth and care.

Ryōko Hirata said, "When my husband left, I felt a deep sense of loneliness and wondered how we would manage. However, thanks to Officer Okamoto’s many acts of kindness, my child was born safely. I informed my husband of everything, and he replied, 'Officer Okamoto is a living guardian god for our family. Please express my heartfelt gratitude to him. I will work with all my might to repay this debt of gratitude, but you must not rely too much on his kindness. As soon as you recover, work to repay his generosity as well.' Now that I have recovered, I am ready to take on any work," she said, her voice trembling and filled with tears.

[Photo caption: Officer Okamoto with the joyful Hirata family.]

Similarly, Officer Shigeru Yamaguchi, also stationed at the Dongmyo Substation and originally from Wakayama Prefecture, took it upon himself to assess the living conditions of conscripted warriors’ families. During his visits, he discovered that the wife of Mr. Yoshimichi Niraku, living at 52-7 Sungin-dong in Dongdaemun District, was struggling to support four children in a rented home and could not even afford rice. Moved by their plight, Officer Yamaguchi secretly began sending monthly financial support to the family. On his days off, he made it a point to visit and provide further assistance. Working together with the aforementioned Officer Okamoto, they encouraged each other and alternated visits to the family every two days.

When Precinct Chief Ushijima learned of these acts, he was overjoyed, saying, "You have done a remarkable job. I wholeheartedly commend your efforts and have also given a small monetary reward as an example for others to follow."

[Transcription]

京城日報 1945年1月10日

非番の日は必ず慰問

応徴士の家族を護る二警官

『治安維持だけが警察官の務めではない』臨月の腹をかかえ路頭に迷わんとする応徴士の家族をしっかと護り、薬よ、医者よと世話をし、健やかにお産をさせたお巡りさん。同じく少ない俸給を割いて毎月応徴家族に生活費を贈っているお巡りさん。これは『明朗敢闘』の新春を飾る警民一体の人情佳話二篇。

府内東大門署東廟派出所勤務の岡元良秋警官（鹿児島出身）が徴用出動令書を持って東大門区崇仁町平田武光君の家を訪れたのは旧臘十二月寒さのきびしい或る夕方だった。

令書を手にした平田君ははっとして妻をかえり見た。それは妻女良子さんが臨月できょう生れるか明日産むかのときであったからだ。そこで平田君はなんとか子供が生れた後に行くように延期は出来ないものかと頼んだ。岡元警官は返事に困ったが、国家の至上命令は私ことで左右さるべきでない。

かくて平田君は子供の生れるのも待たず意を決して立って征った。その時岡元警官は「よしっ、後は必ず引受けるぞ」と心に固く誓い、それから毎日此家を訪れては何かと世話し、またお産の時に使って呉れと金一封を贈った。

このときこれを知った同組六班長の松江元揆さんも『応徴士を護るのは愛国班の務めだ』と五十円を贈り、岡元警察官と心を合せ薬よ産婆さんよと涙ぐましい世話をした。

かくして良子さんは夫なき淋しい家ながら人の情にむせび泣きつつ目出度く安産をした。そしてその子は健やかに正月を迎えたのである。

この岡元警官はそればかりでなく前にはビタ一文持たぬ盲を自費で城大に連れて行き十日も治療を施し牛島東大門署長に表彰を受けた奇特な人であるが、年末の賞与を貰ったときは自分ばかりが喜ぶより主なき正月を迎える応徴家族にも共に正月の祝いをしようと受持管内にある十三軒に温かい心のこもるお歳暮を贈った。平田良子は、

夫が行くときはほんとうにどうなるのかと心淋しく思っていましたが、岡元さんから色々世話して戴き、このように子供も無事に生れ、このことを主人に知らせました處、主人から『岡元さんは我が家の生き神様だ。お前からお礼を申上げて呉れ。私も命がけで働いて御恩返しをするつもりだが、お前も余り温情にあまえずに体がよくなり次第働いて御恩返しをしろ』と言って来ました。私ももうよくなりましたから、どんな仕事でもやりますと、涙にむせびうるんだ声で語るのだった。【写真＝岡元警官と喜ぶ平田一家】

◇．．．同じく東廟派出所勤務の山口茂警官（和歌山県）は応徴家族の生計状況を見て廻ったが、そのうち東大門区崇仁町五二の七、二樂喜道君の妻女が四人の子供をかかえ間借りのうえに米代すらないのを知り、人には秘して毎月生活費を贈り、非番の日には必ず慰問して廻ろうと前記岡元警官と励まし合って二日おきに見舞っている。この話を聞いた牛島署長も我がことのように喜び、『よくやって呉れたと、私は心からほめてやり、他の範にすべて金一封を贈りました』と語っている。

Source: 키워드 검색 - 신문 검색 - 대한민국 신문 아카이브