Keijo Nippo (Gyeongseong Ilbo) was Korea's largest newspaper at its peak, boasting the best exclusive news access provided by the colonial regime, the best American printing equipment, correspondents stationed all over the world, printing from Sept. 1906 to Dec. 1945 under 3 different governments

In December 1938, Keijo Nippo newspaper published a self-promoting advertisement on a full-page spread boasting about how it is the number-one newspaper in Korea in every respect: the largest newspaper in Korea with the largest readership, the largest staff, the most financial resources, the best exclusive news access in every part of Korea, the best printing equipment with the latest state-of-the-art rotary presses imported from the U.S.A., longstanding relationships with international press agencies such as the International News Service, United Press International, and Associated Press, and correspondents stationed all over the world including in Paris, New York, Berlin, London, Davao, Hawaii, and Occupied China. Thus, the Keijo Nippo newspaper is a very valuable source of insight into the kinds of information from both inside and outside the country that Koreans might have known about during colonial rule.

In December 1938, Imperial Japan was in the middle of the vicious Second Sino-Japanese War, but it was not experiencing privations to the extent that it would experience during the Second World War, because it still managed to benefit from relatively normal world trade and foreign investment with relatively few sanctions, including from Western countries like the U.K. and the U.S. That would change over the course of the next few years, as relations with the U.S. deteriorated to the point of war. 

This photo montage has a lot of things going on, but let's parse them out. The newspaper building was a cube-shaped brick building just a block away to the north from the then Seoul City Hall (京城府庁). It housed not only Keijo Nippo, but also Maeil Sinbo, the last Korean-language newspaper to remain in Korea after Dong-A Ilbo and Chosun Ilbo were shuttered in 1940. On top of the building is the flag of Seoul, which looks like a black-outlined circle sandwiched between two clamps. On the left side of the building are some slogans: one says "Don't let your guard down after victory! (勝って兜の緒を締めよ)", while the other one says, "Long-term construction is just the beginning (長期建設はこれからだ)" On the right side of the building are the names of its three publications: the Keijo Nippo (京城日報), Keinichi Shinpo (京日新報), and Keijo Nippo Elementary School Edition (京日小学生新聞). On the left side of the photo, staff members are at their desks drafting articles, and a cameraman is taking a picture with his news camera. To the center-bottom of the photo, a man is transcribing a news report which he is listening to over the phone. Above him is a rotary press manufactured by R. Hoe & Co., and below him are bundles of printed newspapers and the delivery trucks which will deliver them to all parts of Korea. On the right side of the photo, there are some workers setting the typesets to print the newspaper editions.

I also included an advertisement for the Elementary School Edition of Keijo Nippo, which was marketed to Korean children, especially with its rather blatant use of the word "second-class national people of Japan" (日本の第二国民). It goes to show the militaristic brainwashing that Korean children received under the colonial regime. This newspaper may have also been read by Korean adults who were studying Japanese.

In September 1906, the Keijo Nippo newspaper (known as Gyeongseong Ilbo in Korean) was founded by Itō Hirobumi to be a mouthpiece of the Office of the Japanese Resident-General of Korea, which controlled Korean foreign diplomatic affairs from 1905 to 1910, when Korea was formally annexed into Imperial Japan. The newspaper was formed by merging two existing Korean newspapers together: the Hanseong Sinbo (한성신보, 漢城新報) and the Daedong Sinbo (대동신보, 大同新報). It started out as a bilingual publication printing both Korean-language editions and Japanese-language editions, but in April 1907, the Korean-language edition of Gyeongseong Ilbo was discontinued. After the annexation of Korea in 1910, Keijo Nippo became the mouthpiece of the Governor-General's Office, the Imperial Japanese colonial government which controlled Korea from 1910 to 1945. 

The newspaper managed to keep publishing for a few months after Korea gained its independence on August 15, 1945, printing its last edition on December 11, 1945. Its printing equipment was subsequently taken over by Hanseong Ilbo (한성일보, 漢城日報) in early 1946. If you look at the logo of Hanseong Ilbo, you can see that they reworked the old Keijo Nippo logo a little bit and kept a similar calligraphy style to come up with the new newspaper logo. The Hanja fonts are identical to the Kanji fonts used in Keijo Nippo.

Keijo Nippo's Korean-language sister newspaper, Maeil Sinbo, printed its last edition in November 1945, then changed its name to Seoul Shinmun and printed its first edition under its new name on November 23, 1945. Today, the Seoul Shinmun skyscraper stands on the site of the old Keijo Nippo newspaper building. 

Today, physical copies of Keijo Nippo are stored at the National Library of Korea and Seoul National University Library. Microfilm copies of Keijo Nippo can be viewed at the Newspaper Reading Room of the National Diet Library in Tokyo, but with no photoduplication available or allowed. In October 2021, an anonymous user uploaded an extensive archive of Keijo Nippo covering 1905 to 1944, appearing to be digital scans of old microfilm. I accidentally stumbled across them just as they were being uploaded. The moment I recognized their historical significance, I decided to slowly prepare transcriptions and translations of these articles and share them online. However, there are many limitations, as the entire year of 1945 is omitted, many scanned pages are in terrible shape with tears, burn marks, and holes in many places, the quality of the digital scans themselves is often bad and makes the text illegible.  The National Library of Korea does provide high-quality scans of Keijo Nippo to the public, but only for a select few issues from the early 1930s and earlier.

Currently, the copyright for Keijo Nippo is held by some murky entities. According to one bookstore website, the "Tokyo High Court and National Diet Library authorizes the reprinted The Keijo Nippo( Kyŏngsŏng Ilbo) only by the publisher, SIM Han Bo,Hanʼguk Kyohoesa Munhŏn Yŏnʼguwŏn". That is, 한국교회사문헌연구원(韓國教會史文獻研究院). The website also says that professors at Waseda University legally go after anyone who repeatedly sells pirated editions. Only the 1905-1918 issues are available for purchase, for an exorbitant 490,000 yen. When ordering, three months are required for copyright processing to be completed. Another bookstore site, Komabook, offers a 20 DVD set containing the September 2, 1915 to December 11, 1945 issues of Keijo Nippo for a grand total of 2,908,500 Japanese yen, which is about $22,000 US Dollars at current exchange rates.

It would seem to me that withholding the content of Keijo Nippo from public release behind such a high paywall and such tight copyright restrictions is not in the public interest, especially as the actions of the Imperial Japanese colonial regime in Korea is of interest to people all over the world. But maybe there is a reasonable explanation for all of this?

My hope is that more of these archives can be made digitally available online for free and then translated more widely so that viewers all over the world can learn more about this very interesting part of Korean history.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) December 26, 1938

The Dignified March of Keijo Nippo

The Great Reform of Our Press Organization along the Lines of the Leap Forward for Korea and the Rebuilding of East Asia

Bathed in the dawn of the New East Asia Cooperative, the Holy Sino-Japanese War is now rushing forward into the third spring of brilliant construction. After 30 years of rule, our Korean peninsula, which has embodied the great spirit of Hakkō Ichiu of which we are proud in world history, is also in lock step with the great strides of the Holy War, and is now playing the role of a "logistics base" in both material and moral aspects as we greet the first spring of the third year of the war. Keijo Nippo, as the honored head of the press agencies of home front Korea based on Japanese-Korean unification, is mobilizing all of its functions and personnel. With the sound of its high-speed rotary press working tirelessly, Keijo Nippo is celebrating a new spring of victorious journalism together with its loyal readers.

The Keijo Nippo has walked alongside the New Korea ever since it was welcomed at the time of its annexation, and Korea has experienced thirty years of unyielding progress ever since then. We have challenged ourselves to overcome superimposed difficulties together with the Young Korea. We have fought for each day to be filled with the light of happiness and peace, and we have won the present-day by smearing on it the words: "Leap Forward!". The history of Keijo Nippo, which was inaugurated by the first Chief Superintendent Itō Hirobumi, is also the history of the new century of the Korean peninsula.

It is well known in the pages of this newspaper just how active we have been during the Second Sino-Japanese War, based on the precious past legacy of tens of thousands of Keijo Nippo staff. Needless to say, the complete coverage of the various parts of home front Korea is the exclusive domain of this newspaper alone. We have sent special correspondents to bring back blood-drenched news of frontline Imperial troops deployed on mainland China destroying Chiang Kai-shek's forces. We have established bureaus and a special telegraph network in key areas of new construction, while extending our full coverage on the situation of the dying enemy regime. In the heart of Europe and the United States, which are on the verge of being re-divided by the total collapse of the Treaty of Versailles and the outbreak of a second world war, we have established a powerful and extensive special telegraph team in cooperation with the Yomiuri Shimbun to provide vigorous and hot news. The political and economic situation in mainland Japan, which is being reorganized in various fields, is being reported to the Korean peninsula from time to time without fail by the news axes in Tokyo, Osaka, and Seoul.

Thus, Keijo Nippo, as the largest newspaper on the Korean peninsula, is preparing for a great epoch-making leap forward in 1939. Please look forward to the news reporting of Keijo Nippo, which is undergoing a great reform along the lines of the Leap Forward for Korea and the Rebuilding of New East Asia.

This photo is a montage of Keijo Nippo's news reporting activities. It shows how the news comes to the head office from all parts of Korea, mainland Japan, mainland China, and from all over the world by telegraph and telephone every moment. Then the collected news are drafted, typeset into editions, printed on a rotary press, and then delivered to loyal readers in all of Korea. Our printing plant is the best in all of Korea with respect to its functionality, and it boasts a printing capacity of 300,000 copies per hour on two customized electric high-speed presses, as well as a multi-color high-speed press (manufactured by R. Hoe & Company). Thus, our press organization, fully equipped with human and material resources, is constantly working to provide fresh news and demonstrate their power.

The best facilities in all of Korea!

The Forefront of Wartime Journalism

A powerful and unparalleled communication network

Sharing moment-by-moment world developments to loyal readers in all of Korea

A network is also in place to report on the Sino-Japanese War

In order to accurately and promptly report on the ever-changing political, economic, and social situation in the world, this newspaper has formed a communications alliance with the Yomiuri Shimbun, the leader of the Tokyo newspaper industry, to develop a special telecommunications network, and set up a lightning-like news network around the world. In other words, through a tie-up with Yomiuri Shimbun, we have bureaus (correspondents) in Paris, New York, Berlin, and London, and special correspondents in Davao and Hawaii. We have absorbed special telegrams from the International News Service, one of the world's three most prestigious news agencies, along with United Press International and Associated Press. Our communications network related to the Sino-Japanese War is as follows, and is unrivaled by any other news organization on the Korean peninsula.　

• Permanent military correspondent in Unit [redacted] Shanxi Area
• Branch office in Beijing

Keijo Nippo Elementary School Edition

No one can say, "I am an elementary school student of the shining New Year" without getting the New Year's Day issue of the Keijo Nippo Elementary School Edition. The splendor of the New Year's Day issue of the newspaper is the best New Year's gift for a growing second-class national person of Japan.

There is an assault on a pillbox with live bullets! There is a bombardment by a fighter plane! The invincible march of tanks! If we sing a military song in the red sunset and dream in a field tent, our dreams will lead us home, but if we take up our bayonets and attack in full force, the cheers of 'Banzai!' for peace in East Asia will be as high as the wind carrying the Flag of the Great Rising Sun. Don't you all want to raise Chiang Kai-shek's head with this amazingly beautiful picture Sugoroku printed in four-color offset? The New Year's Day issue is sixteen pages. That is four times the page count of a daily newspaper. It is interesting and informative. There are four times as many wonderful articles, photographs, and manga as there are in a daily newspaper.

• The Governor-General's Story
• A children's story by the famous Katō Takeo
• The two-page manga series is a kingdom of laughter!
• Chinese New Year, Mongolian New Year, a tablespread for the New Year
• What will the air battle of the future be like? It will surely be very awesome.
• New Year's Games
• The World of Science
• Test your academic ability with the New Year Achievement Test

We can only tell you just a little bit about the wonders of the New Year's Day issue. If I were to tell you about the even more beautiful colored pages, I would be in big trouble. Let's all have fun in anticipation for New Year's Day. On New Year's Day, please pick up a copy of the Keijo Nippo Elementary School Edition and be surprised at how wonderful it is, how great it is, and how much you'll love it.

Free gift: The Sugoroku of the Imperial Army's Great Victory

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1938-12-26

(Transcription)

京城日報　1938年12月26日

堂々京日の進軍

躍進朝鮮と東亜再建の線に沿い報道体制の大革新

新東亜協同体の黎明を浴びて、聖戦支那事変は、いまや輝ける建設の第三春へと突進している。統治三十年、世界史に誇る八紘一宇の大精神の体現をなし遂げたわが半島も聖業の巨歩に足並みをそろえ、物心両面において『兵站基地』の役割を果たしつつ戦捷三たびの年の初春を迎えんとしている。そして、わが京城日報は、内鮮一体を基底とせる銃後朝鮮の光栄ある報道部門の首位を担当し、機能総動員、高速度輪転機不休の響きは、戦勝ジャーナリズムのさらに新しき春を、愛読者諸賢とともに謳歌せんとしているのである。

京城日報は併合と同時に迎えた新しき朝鮮とともに歩いた。三十年不屈の前進。重畳たる困難に対して青年朝鮮と共に挑戦した。そして、幸福と平和の光りに充ちみちている今日を―各界躍進の二字にぬりつぶされた今日を闘いとったのである。初代統監伊藤博文公によって封切られた京城日報の歴史は、その儘半島新世紀の歴史である。

過去幾万の京日部隊の尊き遺産のうえに立って、事変下における本紙がいかに活発な活躍をなしているかはすでにその紙面においてよく知られたところ―銃後半島の各部面に対する取材網の完璧なる布陣はひとり本紙にのみゆるされたる独壇場であることは申すまでもなく、大陸に展開されている滅蒋の前線部隊には相次いで特派員を使いして血の滴るようなニュースを送り、新建設の要地には、支局並びに特電網を配するとともに、滅びゆく敵政権の情勢にも万全の触手を伸ばしている。ヴェルサイユ体制の全面的な崩壊によって再分割の地図を描きつつ第二の世界戦争の危機をはらむ欧米の各心臓部には、読売新聞との提携による強力拡汎なる特電陣を整備、溌剌たるホットニュースを提供している。また、各方面において再組織が行われつつある内地の政治経済情勢は、東京、大阪、京城のニュース枢軸によって刻々半島への報道に遺憾なきを期している。

かくてわが京城日報は、半島最高最大の新聞としてさらに昭和十四年における画期的な大飛躍を準備しつつある。躍進朝鮮と新東亜建設の線に沿い大革新を行いつつある京城日報の報道戦果を御期待下さい。

この写真は京城日報社の報道活動を現わしたモンタージュ写真。全鮮各地から、内地から、支那大陸から、さらに世界各地から、電信、電話に乗って刻々本社へ集まって来るニュースが原稿となり活字に組まれ、版となり、輪転機にかかって印刷され、全鮮の愛読者に新聞が配達されるまでを示しています。本社の工場機能は、全鮮一を誇るもので、二台連結の京日式電光超高速度輪転機は一時間三十万の印刷能力を有し、このほか、多色刷超高速度輪転機（アール・ホー会社製）もその能率を誇っております。こうして、人的物的に完備したわが社の報道体制は不断の活動によって、清新なるニュースを提供し、その威力を示しているのであります。

全鮮一を誇る設備！

戦時ジャーナリズムの最前線

強力無比の通信網

世界各地の動きを刻々全鮮愛読者へ

事変報道網も整備

本紙は、変転極まりない世界の政治、経済、社会情勢を正確に迅速にキャッチ報道すべく、同盟通信によるほか特電網を整備するため現在、東都新聞界の驍将読売新聞社と通信提携をなして、全世界に電光のようなニュース網を布陣しております。すなわち同社とのタイアップによりパリ、ニューヨーク、ベルリン、ロンドンに支局（特派員）、ダヴァオ、ハワイに特置員を配置するとともに、UP・APとともに世界三大通信として権威をほこるインターナショナル・ニュース・サーヴィス社の全世界各地の特電を吸収しております。また本紙の事変関係通信網は現在左の如くで、断然半島他社の追随をゆるしません。　

• 山西方面〇〇部隊に従軍記者常置
• 北京に支局

京日小学生新聞

京日小学生新聞の元旦号を手にしないで『ぼくは輝く新しき年の小学生』などとはいいません。そのすばらしさ、京日小学生新聞元旦号こそ伸びゆく日本の第二国民に贈る最上のお年玉です。

肉弾トーチカに迫る突撃あり。荒鷲の爆撃あり。戦車隊の無敵進軍あり。赤い夕日に軍歌を歌って露営の夢を結べば夢は故郷へも通うが銃剣をとりなおして総攻撃にうつれば東洋平和の万歳は大日章旗の旗風とともに高い。オフセット四色刷の驚くほど美しい絵双六で蒋介石の首級をあげたいとは、皆さん、思いませんか。元旦号は十六ページ。それは日頃の新聞の四倍の分量です。面白い面白いためになる。すばらしい記事が、写真が、まんががひごろの四倍ぶんもあるのです。

• 総督様のお話
• 童話は有名な加藤武雄先生の作
• 二頁一ぱいのまんがはこれこそ面白い笑いの王国
• 支那のお正月、蒙古のお正月。お正月づくし。
• 未来の空中戦はどんなものか？さあ、どんな凄いものでしょう。
• お正月の遊戯
• 科学の世界
• 新年学力テストで皆さんの学力をためしてごらんなさい。

元旦号のすばらしさはホンのチョッピリだけおしらせしてもこのとおりです。この上なお美しい色刷ページのことなどおしらせしたら大へんです。皆さん元旦を楽しく待ちましょう。そして元旦に京日小学生新聞を手にとって『すばらしいな』『すごいね』『だからぼくは京日小学生新聞が大好きなんだ』と、びっくりして下さい。

おまけ：皇軍大勝双六

Mixed marriages in 1939 Korea: a Korean teenage girl left home and married the brother of her Japanese best friend, a Korean husband and Japanese wife met at a Tokyo music school and overcame 'persecution' from friends and family to become 'pioneers of Japanese-Korean Unification'

The following two articles from 1939 profiled two mixed Japanese-Korean families: the first one had a Japanese husband and a Korean wife, and the second one had a Korean husband and a Japanese wife. In both cases, the Korean spouses took on Japanese last names, but in different ways. In the first family, the Korean wife simply Japanized her old Korean last name, Yim, into Hayashi, without adopting her Japanese husband's last name, Se'o. In the second family, the Korean husband decided to adopt his Japanese wife's last name, Suzuki.

These stories were presumably published to encourage Koreans to adopt Japanese last names in the wake of a November 1939 ordinance that was issued to require the creation of Japanese family names for all Koreans. Japanese-Korean intermarriages were actually relatively rare, since they were generally looked upon with disapproval by the vast majorities of both the Japanese and Korean people, so the articles may have also been published as a way to reduce the stigma of intermarriage in the public consciousness.

Unfortunately, the newspaper page was too faded on the second article to make out parts of the first paragraph, so I indicated the omitted sections with […].

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) November 11, 1939

A hopeful start toward the unification of the "family system" [1]

She will first change her name, and then join the Women's Occupational Front with excitement

Marrying into her husband's family is also Japanese-Korean Unification

"Hello Sir, my last name is Yim (林). What Japanese last name should I adopt? Would it be all right if I just went with Hayashi (林)?"

Mrs. Yim and her sister-in-law Kazuyo (inset picture).

This was the question suddenly posed by a beautiful Korean woman as soon as she entered the room accompanied by an ethnic Japanese woman. This was the police counseling center in Jongno's Whashin Department Store. She was so enthusiastic about getting rid of her old Korean name that she jumped into the counseling center, riding the whirlwind of joy caused by her freedom to change her last name.

The subject of this story is 19-year-old Yim Chang-shin (임창신, 林昌信), who lives at 2-57 Asahimachi, Seoul. Her companion was her sister-in-law, 29-year-old Se'o Kazuyo. Chief staff member Mr. Maruyama looked surprised as she related her story, her cheeks flush as though she were enraptured by her rosy future. She was born in Pyongyang. Her father was a renowned painter named Yong-hwan (용환, 用煥), who also went by the pen name Ochiyama. She was a commoner, but she had a happy family. Ever since she was little, she had a very close relationship with Kazuyo which exceeded any familial relationship. She has practiced Japanese-Korean Unification for a long time through her family.

"I graduated from elementary school, and then later on I began staying at Kazuyo's house in Seoul when I was 17. Now we have forged an alliance as sisters-in-law. Since Kazuyo is a hairdresser, I have been learning the art of hairdressing from her. I long to become a professional woman as soon as possible," said Mrs. Yim. Her first hope is to leave the Anbang behind and join the Women's Occupational Front.

"My sister-in-law is helping me get settled into married life. My father wanted me to marry a Japanese man".

Her second hope is to achieve Japanese-Korean unification through marriage.

She said, "That's why I want to change my name to Hayashi Nobuko. This morning, I received a letter from my father in our hometown, and he is also determined to change his last name to Hayashi".

"Hayashi Nobuko, Hayashi Nobuko". She said it over and over again, and then she and Kazuyo looked at each other and smiled, their pure eyes narrowed in anticipation of the future that they both hoped for.

On the evening of November 9th, the day the news of the ordinance was announced, they held an early feast, unable to wait for the New Year's holiday. [Photo: Yim Chang-shin, who will adopt the name Hayashi Nobuko. The inset photo shows her sister-in-law Se'o Kazuyo.]

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1939-11-11

 

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) November 12, 1939

A hopeful start toward the unification of the "family system" [2]

He will humbly borrow his beloved wife's last name

Now is the time to forget the disapproving eyes of the public!

Rejoice little boy, spring has arrived in our family!

"[…] we went to Tokyo, […] and we stayed at Kinshi Kaikan Hotel. I wrote my name in the guest book along with my husband's, but the hotel owner did not think we were husband and wife at first, because our last names were different. It was understandable though," calmly recalled Mrs. Suzuki Misaho, a 32-year-old teacher at Jinmyeong Girl's High School who lives at 133 Gye-dong, Seoul.

In 1930, upon graduating from the Japan Music School in Nakano, Tokyo, she and her classmate, Lee Jong-tae (이종태, 李鐘泰), who is now 29 years old, joined their souls together and encouraged each other saying, "We will keep fighting. We will refuse to succumb to whatever kinds of persecution society throws our way. Let's dedicate our hearts and souls to become pioneers of Japanese-Korean unification!" Mrs. Suzuki is the eldest daughter of Suzuki Nagahide, a retired military medical captain from Ōdate, Akita Prefecture. After graduating from Akita Teachers School, she taught at Ōdate Elementary School in her hometown for a while. However, wanting to further develop her talent for vocal music, she soon became a student of the vocal music department at the Japan Music School. Back when she was still a child in the fifth grade of elementary school, her teacher in geography class told her, "Koreans and Japanese are peoples who share a common ancestry. They came together following annexation, so they have completely become one body". Thus, the spirit of Japanese-Korean unification was instilled into her young mind early on. Over the ten years or so that followed, this spirit had always remained alive in Mrs. Suzuki's mind, even as a music school student.

At that time, Mr. Lee Jong-tae, who hailed from Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, happened to rise up in opposition to a school strike. It was at that time that their souls first came into contact.

"There are lots of women in Korea. Why did you have to bring a woman from Japan?" Mr. Lee was subjected to an unbearable barrage of persecution from friends and relatives alike. Needless to say, this persecution only made the couple's determination grow stronger. Soon, Suzuko-chan was born. She is now nine years old and in the second grade at Seoul Teachers School-affiliated Elementary School. The couple are now good parents to a total of three children. They also have another daughter, Etsuko (seven years old), and a son, Tōru (five years old). Moreover, Mr. Lee is in charge of music courses at Ewha Women's College and Buddhist College.

"Considering our children's future, we decided to give them Japanese names, but I wonder if I can replace my own last name with a Japanese last name".

This was the question that had never left Mr. Lee's and Mrs. Suzuki's minds. The long-awaited day finally arrived. With the ordinance issued on November 9th, spring suddenly came to Mr. Lee's household. On the third day of the cheerful family discussions, he said, "I am thinking of humbly borrowing my wife's last name and calling myself Mr. Suzuki …" Mr. Lee was in a great state of exuberance. [Photo: The family of Mr. Lee Jong-tae, who wants to take his wife's last name.]

The Suzuki family

Source: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1939-11-12

(Transcription)

京城日報　1939年11月11日

『家族制度』一体へ希望の門出　【一】

まず名前を変え、胸躍らせて婦人職業戦線へ

お嫁入りも内鮮一体

「小父さん、わたしは林ですが、どんな姓がいいでしょうか。やはりそのままのハヤシでもいいでしょうか」

これは見るからに麗しい一人の半島人女性が、内地人婦人と一緒に入ってくるなりトタンにぶっきらぼうに出した質問だ。ここは鐘路の和信百貨店内警察相談所。「姓変更の自由」がまき起した歓喜の渦に乗って、何はさておき相談に飛びこんだ「旧姓脱却」に意気ごむ人なのである。

当人は京城旭町二の五七林昌信さん（一九）で、連れの婦人は義姉の瀬尾一代さん（二九）。面喰らった主任の丸山さんを相手に彼女はバラ色に輝く将来をうっとり抱きしめるように、頬を染めて語るところは：生れは平壌。父は雅号を落山という名のある用煥画伯。家柄は平民だが幸福ないい家庭で小さい時から瀬尾さんと親戚以上に睦ましい付き合い。家庭を通じての内鮮一体はずっと昔から。

「私は小学校を出てからのち、十七のとしに一代さんの京城のお宅に御厄介になるようになり、今では一代さんとは義姉妹の盟を結んでいます。一代さんが美容師でいらっしゃるので、私もいままで姉さんについて美容術を習ってまいりました。憧れの職業婦人、早くなりたいわ」内房を蹴って女性職業戦線進出が希望の一。

「お嫁入りはお姉さまがお世話下さることになっていますけど、内地の方をと父も望んでいます」

結婚で内鮮一体が希望の二。

「ですからアタシ林信子と改姓改名したいのです。今朝郷里の父から手紙をいただきましたが、父も断然ハヤシと改めるといっています」

林信子、林信子。何べんもいってみて瀬尾さんと顔を見合わせて希望の未来へ純粋の瞳を細めてはニッコリ笑うのだった。

制令発布のニュースのあった九日の晩は来年正月を待ちきれぬ早手回しの祝宴を張ったということだ。【写真＝「林信子」を名乗るという林昌信さんと図形が義姉の瀬尾一代さん】

 

京城日報　1939年11月12日

『家族制度』一体へ希望の門出　【二】

愛妻の苗字拝借

世間の白眼も今こそ忘れて

坊やよ、喜べ我家の春

「[…]上京しまして、[…]の金鵄会館に泊まったことがあります。宿帳に主人と列べて私の名前を書いたのですが、会館の主人は最初どうしても私達を夫婦だとは思って呉れないのです。夫と妻の苗字が違うんですもの。そう思うのも無理ありませんわ」と京城桂洞町一三三、進明高女教諭鈴木美佐保さん（三二）はしんみりと語るのである。

昭和五年東京中野の日本音楽学校を卒業と同時に、「どんな世間の迫害にも負けずに闘って行こう。身をもって内鮮一体の先駆者になろう！」とお互いにはげまし合いながら同期卒業の李鐘泰君（二九）と魂と魂を結んだのだった。鈴木さんは秋田県大館の退役軍医大尉鈴木長秀氏の長女。秋田師範を出て暫く郷里の大館小学校で教鞭をとったが、好きな声楽の才能を更にのばそうと間もなく日本音楽学校の声楽科の学生となったのである。鈴木さんが未だ幼い時―尋常五年の時だといっている。地理の時間に先生から、「朝鮮と日本とは同じ祖先の民族だ。それが合併して一緒になったのだから全く一体である」と幼い頭に早くも内鮮一体の精神をすっかり刻み込まれたのである。それから十何年、音楽学校生徒の鈴木さんの頭からもこの精神はいつも生きていた。

この時たまたま学校のストライキに反対して起ち上ったのが慶北金泉出身の李鐘泰君だった。二人の魂がはじめて触れ合ったのはこの時。

「朝鮮にも沢山女はいるじゃないか。何を好んで内地の女を連れて来なければならなかったのだ？」と李君は友人からも親戚の者からも堪え得られない迫害、迫害の連射を受けた。而し二人の意志は迫害を受ける度に強くなって来たのはいうまでもない。間もなく生れた鈴子ちゃんは今では九つになって京城師範附属小学校の二年生になっており、越子さん（七つ）、徹君（五つ）と三人の子供達のいい父、いい母となった。しかも李君は梨花女子専門、仏教専門で音楽講座を担当している。

「子供達の将来のことを考え、名前だけは内地式にしたが、苗字は内地式にかえられぬものだろうか」

これが李君と鈴木さんの脳裡から一刻も離れなかった問題であった。その待望の日が遂に来た。九日発布された制令と共に李君の家庭には俄かに春が訪れた。何としようかと朗らかな家庭会談三日目：「家内の苗字を拝借して鈴木ともしようかと考えているところですが．．．」と李君はひどい張り切り振りである。【写真＝奥さんの姓を名乗りたいという李鐘泰氏の一家】

Korean and Japanese kindergartners holding rising sun flags shouting 'Banzai!', schoolchildren worshiping at Shinto Shrine chanting 'defeat the U.S. and Britain', high school girls ice skating on Chundangji Pond in Changgyeonggung Palace grounds - photos of student life in Seoul, late January 1943

The third and final school semester (January to March) began in Seoul in late January 1943, and the Keijo Nippo news cameramen took photos of student life from many different angles as they started school. Some scenes look ordinary enough: students walking to school, boys practicing Kendo in the cold mornings, schoolgirls working on science projects, high school girls ice skating in the old palace grounds. But look more closely, and you can see some disturbing scenes and elements too - the wartime militaristic propaganda enforced by mandatory visits to Shinto Shrines and celebrations of the Flag of the Rising Sun.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) January 16, 1943

We won't be defeated by the cold!

Dashing young kendo athletes rampage during a cold morning practice session

Spiritedly shouting "Omen!" and "Okote," the youthful kendo athletes valiantly trained barefoot from 7:00 a.m. in an extremely cold morning. Here at Seoul Migeun-dong National School, 100 boys in the fifth and sixth grades were selected to participate in a martial arts cold practice session every morning from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. at the school's auditorium from January 15th to January 20th. On the first day of training, the principal, Mr. Terada, the male school staff, and the children arrived at the school on time.

After the national worship ritual, the students were divided into groups and began sparring, full of energy. After the first day of practice, the students said, "It felt so good! It was cold, but that was nothing when you consider what the soldiers protecting the northern borders have to go through. Studying martial arts like this will help a great deal when we become soldiers," they said, smiling with cheeks like apples. [Photo: Migeun-dong National School students practicing in the cold]

Everyone is in good spirits going to school (article published on January 17)

Today is the beginning of the last school semester

The sounds of strong footsteps of the third school semester are heard at the school gates, which open quickly to the left and right. After a long winter break for training, this group of young students is ready to valiantly fight decisive battles for the final semester of the school year, and they will start school today.

Seoul Teachers College-Affiliated National School, which was the first in all of Korea to end its winter break, will beat the opening drum and rush into the final semester of the school year on January 16th.

After that, the students will move on to the next grade level. The first day of their decisive battle has begun today. [Photo: Students of Seoul Teachers College-Affiliated National School arriving at school after the winter break]

Vigorous young maidens in fierce competition like flying swallows (article published on January 17)

The Ice Competition of Seoul No. 1 Girls' High School, rich with a wartime spirit

The brightness of the silvery ice surface was reflected in the bright blue winter sky. No matter how many degrees below zero it was, the skaters glided over the ice with the lightness of flying swallows.

The Seoul No. 1 Girls' High School Ice Competition were held at a special competition venue set up at Chundangji Pond in Changgyeongwon from 9:00 a.m. on January 16, and the competition began with classroom teams paired against each other in relay races, which was a befitting format for a wartime training event for maidens on the home front. The cheerleading squads were stomping on the ice and cheering enthusiastically as the girls engaged in powerful offensive and defensive battles, as if the relay races were establishing an air defense posture. The girls on the home front were cheerful and lively. The competition ended at around 2:00 p.m., the girls having shown off their vigorous spirit which blew away the winter and the cold. [Photo: The Ice Competition]

Well-behaved young children studying science (article published on January 19)

Wartime education at the Women's Teachers School-Affiliated National School

"Why does this propeller turn?" asked a cute first grader with a bowl haircut as she eagerly fiddled with a model airplane, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"The propeller spins because there is an elastic rubber band, and the propeller spins as the elastic band unravels. Real airplanes have engines," explained a bigger girl in the sixth grade. On the other side of the room, second grade girls were tinkering with paper tanks and cars, expressing their adorable admiration and gratitude for the Imperial Military Science Corps, which has performed brilliantly in the Greater East Asia War. This group of scientific youngsters consists of students of the National School affiliated with Seoul Women's Teachers School. These are the products of the homework projects that each of them worked on during the recent winter break, twisting their young minds with creativity. These homework projects of one hundred promising 'well-behaved children of science' were set up for display in the school work room.

Among the projects made by the older students were a wooden "charcoal box" and a wooden "book stand", as well as beautiful playing cards featuring '100 patriotic poems' made by sixth graders with all their hearts and souls. Surrounded by the happy children and their works, Mr. Watanabe said,

"These are all works that the students voluntarily created during the winter training period as a result of their scientific education, so to speak. I try to nurture the children's creativity as much as possible. I believe that this kind of scientific training will also help them to become highly qualified mothers of healthy soldiers." [Photo: Students at Seoul Women's Teachers School-Affiliated National School performing science]

We will not lose either (article published on January 20)

Hinode National School students pledge to bless the nation with their academic work

The four warm breezes crossed the pine trees on Mount Namsan. But the shrine head was covered with frozen snow that had fallen some time ago. A group of schoolchildren walked up the stone steps of the shrine head. The city of Seoul was spewing morning smoke as the day's activities got underway to fight decisive battles. The group of schoolchildren lined up in front of the Shinto shrine. The children were beginning their third semester of studies at Seoul Hinode National School on January 19th after their winter break. After the opening ceremony at 9:00 a.m. that day, Principal Etō and three other teachers led the children to Keijō Shrine to worship the shrine's guardian deities.

Bowing deeply before the shrine, they let their Imperial blood surge in their young hearts. They vowed with their adorable voices, "We will study even harder with our strong hearts to defeat the U.S. and Britain! We will not lose to British and American children!" They clapped their cute hands and prayed for the longevity and military success of the Imperial Japanese military. They earnestly vowed to serve on the home front as schoolchildren. [Hinode National School students worshiping at Keijō Shrine]

[Note: This Japanese-language academic paper from Kyushu University indicates that Hinode National School only enrolled ethnic Japanese students and few, if any, ethnic Korean students.]

Banzai to the Flag of the Rising Sun!　(article published on January 28)

On this day, when you peek into the Patriotic Kindergarten in Seoul, you can see 285 Japanese and Korean children, some as young as six and some as old as seven, lined up in the bright winter yard, holding the "Rising Sun Flag" in their hands. Principal Asagara said to the children:

"Look everyone! This is the flag of Japan, the strongest country in the world. This flag is used by the soldiers who are fighting in the Great War to defeat the soldiers of the United States and Great Britain. Today is the anniversary day of this flag."

Then the "Hinomaru March" began, followed by the lyrics "the Rising Sun is dyed red on white …" which was performed with great energy and enthusiasm. Then, the children celebrated by shouting "Banzai to the Flag of the Rising Sun!" in a loud voice, led by Principal Asagara. [The Rising Sun Flag celebrations at the Patriotic Kindergarten]

[Note: According to this 1942 brochure from the actual kindergarten, there were a total of 287 students: 176 ethnic Japanese students (61%), 108 ethnic Korean students (38%), 2 Chinese students, and 1 Turkish student.]

Source 1: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-01-16

Source 2: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-01-17

Source 3: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-01-19

Source 4: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-01-20

Source 5: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-01-28

 

(Transcription)

京城日報　1943年1月16日

寒さに負けるものか！

朝の寒稽古に颯爽少年剣士の乱撃ぶり

『オメン！』　『オコテ！』裂帛の気合も若々しく少年剣士は、凛冽の寒朝、午前七時からその素足も健気に錬武する。ここ京城渼洞国民学校では同校五、六年生男子百名を選抜して十五日から二十日まで毎朝午前七時より同八時まで講堂を道場として武道寒稽古を行っている。その初日寺田校長初め男子職員、児童達は定刻に参集。

国民儀礼ののち、各組に分れて元気一ぱい剣道開始。火花を散らして天晴れ銃後学童の意気を見せ猛稽古を行ったが、その初日を終えた児童達は、「とても気持ちがよいのです。寒さですが、北の護りの兵隊さん方のことを思えばなんでもありません。こうした武道の勉強が僕らが兵隊となるときの大きい役割をつとめることでしょう」と林檎の様な頬をさせてニッコリと笑う。【写真＝渼洞国民学校生徒の寒稽古】

みんな元気に登校　(1月17日)

きょう最終学期始め

さっと左右にひらいた校門へ、第三学期の逞しい足音も勇ましい。鍛錬の冬休みを終えた少国民の一群が決戦学期への構えも雄々しく愈よきょうから登校開始だ。

全鮮で一番早く休みを切り上げた京城師範附属国民学校では十六日から始業の太鼓を打ち響かせて最終学期への驀進だ。

これが過ぎれば進学だ。いよいよ僕らの決戦第一日もきょうから始まったのだ。【写真＝冬休みあけて登校する京師附校の児童達】

溌剌乙女ら”飛燕”の熱戦　(1月17日)

戦時色も豊かに第一高女の氷上大会

まっ青な冬空に映ゆる銀盤の輝かしさ。その上を零下何度、何十度あろうと物かは身を飛燕の軽やかさで滑る。

京城第一高女の氷上大会は、十六日午前九時から昌慶苑春塘池の特設競技場で開催されたが、競技は各組対抗継走に幕を切っておとした。継ぐ競技種目も戦時下銃後乙女の錬成にふさわしく時局色を盛った氷上行進。防空態勢を整える聯絡競争などと力強い攻防戦を展開すれば、応援団は氷を踏み鳴らしての熱援。まこと銃後の女生徒達は明朗快活。冬も、寒さも吹き飛ばした溌剌たる意気を誇示して午後二時ごろ終了した。【写真＝氷上大会】

科学するヨイコドモ　(1月19日)

女師附属国民校の決戦教育

”このプロペラはどうして廻るの？”一年生の可愛いおかっぱ頭が模型飛行機を熱心にいじくりながら好奇心にみちた目差しで尋ねる。

”それはね、弾力性のあるゴム紐があってプロペラを廻してよれたゴム紐がほどけるため廻るのよ。本物の飛行機は発動機”と六年生らしい大きいおかっぱの嬢ちゃんが教えているのだ。その側では二年生のお嬢ちゃんたちが紙の戦車や自動車をいじりながら大東亜戦で赫々たる武勲を樹てている皇軍科学兵団への可憐な思慕と感謝を寄せている。この科学する幼い群は京城女子師範学校附属国民学校の生徒たちで、先ほどの冬季休暇中、各自が幼い頭をひねて創った家庭作業の収穫で、それを同校工作室に陳列して全校児童百名が決戦下”科学するヨイコドモ”の頼母しさを見せているのだ。

高等科の生徒たちが作った木工細工の『炭箱』、『本立』そうかと思えば六年生の丹精をこめての作品、綺麗な”愛国百人一首”もある。このほほ笑ましい作品と児童の中に埋まって渡辺主事は語る。

「これはみんな生徒たちが自発的に冬季鍛錬期間を利用して作ったもので、謂わば科学教育の成果です。私の方ではできるだけ子供達の創作意欲を育んでやりたいと努めているのです。こうした科学的錬成も招来健兵の母として高い素質となることを信じます。【写真＝科学する女師附属国民校生】

僕らも負けずに　(1月20日)

日出国民校生学業報国の誓い

四温の風が南山の松を渡る。でも社頭にはいつの日にか降った雪が凍ってついている。学童の一隊がその社頭の石段を上ってゆく。京城の街は朝煙を上げて決戦今日の活動に入っている。学童の一隊は神前に整列した。決戦態勢下に学びながらすくすく伸びて、皇国の輝かしい将来を担って起つ小国民の意気を見せて京城日出国民学校では冬休みも明けた十九日から第三学期の学業をはじめたが、この日午前九時児童たちは始業式後江藤校長先生ほか三名の先生達に引率せられ、氏神の京城神社へ参拝。

神前に深く頭を垂れて幼い胸に沸り上る皇国の血潮を波たたせて”米英撃滅の強い心で僕らも一層勉強します。米英の子供に負けませぬ”可憐な誓いをたて、更に可愛い手で拍手を打ち皇軍の武運長久を祈って学童としての銃後奉公を固く固く誓った。【京城神社参拝の日出国民校生】

日の丸の旗バンザイ！！　(1月28日)

この日京城府内愛国幼稚園を覗けばまだ六つ、七つといういたいけない園児達が内鮮合せて二百八十五名、手に手に”日の丸の旗”を持って冬の明るい園庭に並んでいる。園長の麻柄先生が、

「みなさん、これは世界で一ばん強い日本のお旗ですね。この旗が今大戦争をしていらっしゃる兵隊さんと一緒にアメリカやイギリスの兵を攻めたいらげているのです。今日はこの旗の記念日です」とのお話。

ついで”日の丸行進”が始まった。それから”白地に赤く日の丸染めて．．．”の遊戯が元気一杯に行われて麻柄先生の発声で”日の丸の旗バンザイ”と声高らかに祝われた。【愛国幼稚園の日の丸遊戯】

Imperial Army general describes crowded movie theaters and cafes in Myeong-dong where Japanese and Korean 'young people in flashy overcoats would flow into coffee shops, chatting with their friends using exaggerated American gestures' in his January 1943 essays about daily life in Seoul

I found these four 'slice-of-life' personal essays written by an Imperial Army general in the Imperial Army press department describing his personal thoughts and observations about life in Seoul, which ultimately veer into propaganda exhortations for Korean youth to come to their senses.

Crowded streetcar scene in Seoul, November 28, 1939.

Lining up to ride the streetcar in Seoul, November 28, 1939

• In the first essay (January 16), the author describes how he sweeps the streets every morning and criticizes the perceived bad manners of the passersby, as well as the uncleanliness of Seoul in general.

• In the second essay (January 17), the author exhorts people to reduce food and energy waste by throwing away less, even if it means eating the leaves of daikon radish.

• In the third essay (January 18), he complains about how crowded the streetcars are and how people should walk whenever possible, railing against drunk passengers and idle people who take the streetcar just to hang out at cafes.

• In the fourth essay (January 19), the author describes the bustling scenes at coffee shops, cafes, and movie theaters where Japanese and Korean young people freely mix, which the author is not very happy about. He gets very judgmental, declaring that coffee shop fans must be exterminated somehow.

This is an ominous prelude to what would follow later on in 1943 and 1944, when jazz music would be banned in cafes, bars, and restaurants (February 1943), and cafes would be raided to catch 'idle people' (August 1943).

(Translation)

New Year Essays by Shūzō Kuramo, Chief of the Korean Army Press Department and Major General of the Imperial Army

Sweeping the Streets (January 16, 1943)

When I wake up, I routinely sweep the street in front of my house. This is for the sake of my health, and first of all, it is very hygienic.

There is an old saying that discipline begins at the front entrance at home. A neat and tidy front entrance gives a good impression to visitors. On the other hand, if the front entrance and the street in front of the house are cluttered, then it is as though the visitors can peer into the house and see the unpleasantness inside.

There is a Senryū poem that says, "They carelessly clean the reception room for visitors". I don't appreciate this.

If you are going to clean anyways, then you should clean the reception room thoroughly. Especially when I look at how Korean people clean, it seems that many of them adopt careless cleaning methods.

When it comes to cleaning, you should clean every nook and cranny, and the most important thing is the finishing touches. All that cleaning will be for nothing if the finishing touches are not tidy. Even if you wipe the top of the desk clean, it will be ruined if you carelessly put an ashtray on it.

It is obvious that there are two ways to arrange things: perpendicularly or in parallel. Otherwise, it is not tidy. The house staff and housewives should remember this.

Now, let's talk about street sweeping. I always sweep the streets every morning. Of course, people pass by while I am sweeping.

As I sweep with brooms and rakes, dust is generated. Some people, usually lazy young men or idle women, pass by with frowns on their faces. If the street is even half swept, they prefer to walk on the clean side of the street. It is obvious that these people have never cleaned the streets themselves.

There are also people like the following. When I am cleaning, they walk on the dirty side of the street that has not been cleaned yet, not on the clean side that has just been cleaned. When they walk by, they never forget to thank me for my hard work. I believe that such people have cleaned the streets before themselves, and they are very conscientious people who do not want to make the cleaned side of the street dirty.

It is human nature that no one would want to pollute something that is beautiful.

People coming from mainland Japan say that Seoul is "an incredibly dirty town". They are always pointing out the pitifully dirty condition of the streets, with phlegm spattered everywhere, paper scraps strewn about, and finally, the public restrooms that are so dirty that you have no choice but to urinate standing right next to them.

If people in each household would take responsibility and clean up even just the street in front of their own homes, then the city would be much cleaner. At least some of the filth would disappear, and there would certainly be fewer illnesses.

Let's clean up the streets together.

On conserving supplies (January 17, 1943)

Japan is not the only country that has supply shortages in wartime. Not only our German and Italian allies, but even the U.S. and Britain, which boasted of their material power, have recently been complaining of supply shortages, especially when it comes to food.

At first, there were some very unhappy complaints that there were not enough supplies, but these days, such complaints are not heard so often anymore. Is it because they know that it is useless to complain? I don't know exactly what is going on, but I think that Japanese people are patiently enduring the inconveniences of daily life with the mindset of 'never complain until we reach victory'.

As you can see, food is also in short supply these days. By the way, what kinds of measures are being taken in the kitchens to cope with food shortages? If we continue to cook the same way as we did in the past, when there was an abundance of food, then the food shortages will continue to grow.

A quick peek into the trash bin makes this point clear. The leaves of daikon radish are thrown away without a care in the world, and a lot of coal is thrown away mixed in with coal combustion scraps. It is a shame. It is wasteful both in terms of conserving supplies and in terms of the labor of the trash collectors.

If you don't have enough supplies, then you have to use 100% of what you don't have enough of. The leaves of daikon radish, trimmings from a sweet potato, or a piece of carrot as fine as a whisker are all fine foods. If we just concentrate on conserving rice, then we tend to forget about the other foods. If we do not make the most of what we have, then we are just not being wise enough.

Let's send a green signal to the kitchens, telling them to switch to a wartime stance as soon as possible!

Walk! Walk!　(January 18, 1943)

Not that the Railway Bureau or Seoul Railways asked me to say this, but when the trains are crowded, as they are these days, walking is the only way to go. The trains have many long-distance passengers, so it is impossible to ask them to walk, but it would be better for them to walk if they were on a streetcar. If you are in Seoul, you are encouraged to walk on your way to work in the morning and especially in the evening when you leave work.

It is a great way to stay healthy and reduce congestion.

If you are a woman or a person with children, you will have a hard time getting on the streetcar. No one is kind enough to give you priority, and the conductor would ring the departure bell even though you are in the middle of boarding the streetcar. I am amazed that no one gets hurt. We all need to be a little kinder to each other. It is just very embarrassing.

Of course, there are people on the streetcar who have some urgent business, but there are also people who seem to have nothing better to do than to go out for a cup of tea in the Honmachi area (as you can imagine from the way they talk about it). You should try to avoid riding the streetcar, regardless of whether it is crowded or not. If you walk, you will no longer want to drink tea. Such people, in particular, don't worry about inconveniencing others at all. Let's look at the actual situation on the ground.

One of the things that concerns me is the scene on the last streetcar. Ruddy-faced young or middle-aged gentlemen (?) would get on the last streetcar of the night together with ruddy-faced women who look like they are waitresses from bars or cafés, shamelessly reeking of alcohol. Such completely embarrassing scenes, which bring shame upon subjects of Imperial Japan in a time of war, can still be seen in Seoul.

These are disgusting scenes that I hope will disappear soon!

Maybe if the train conductor had the right to refuse boarding to such people, then the cold nightly breeze would sober them up a little.

Coffee shops, bars, cafés, movie theaters, etc. (January 19, 1943)

I'm not sure how to say this, but let me try to explain. I have no intention of interfering with the business of the coffee shops, bars, cafés, and movie theaters, but I am amazed at how prosperous they are these days.

The coffee shops are packed as soon as they open at around 10:00 a.m., and they continue to be packed until they close. The majority of customers are young people of working age.

When the cafés open for business in the evenings, there are bustling scenes of activity showing 'Japanese-Korean unification'. However, I am not very happy to see 'Japanese-Korean unification' being practiced in such places.

It is no different at movie theaters, where people wait in long lines even before the doors are opened.

Why in the world are the entertainment businesses so prosperous? It makes me feel somewhat ashamed.

Especially on the busy streets of Honmachi and Myeong-dong, young people in flashy overcoats would flow into coffee shops, chatting with their friends using exaggerated American gestures.

They listen to music records, drink coffee and tea (the drinks at such coffee shops don't even taste good these days), and kill precious time. What a waste. It is true that not all of them are idle people, but most of them certainly are.

I hope that these young people, whose blood ought to be boiling with inspiration, will come to their senses in a big way about the current situation. It is not that there is anything wrong with going to such places. However, I believe that the so-called coffee shop fans (silverfish) must be exterminated somehow. Comfort and entertainment are not easily available at bars and cafés. That is indeed the reality of "Japan at war today". Even if we have to do without comforts for one or two years, or even for 50 or 100 years, that is something that we must endure.

We must close our eyes and strive for victory.

This is our present mission. We must only move forward. What can we do in the time that we usually spend at the coffee shop? If you have free time to drink alcohol with women and other such nonsense, then use that time to accomplish something else instead. The scale of my outrage at the apathy of some of the youth is proportionate to the scale of the mission that is entrusted to them.

I pray that the youth of the entire nation will rise up to the occasion.

Source 1: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-01-16

Source 2: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-01-17

Source 3: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-01-18

Source 4: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-01-19

(Transcription)

新春随想　倉茂周蔵　朝鮮軍報道部長、陸軍少将

道路掃除　（1943年1月16年）

私は起きると、習慣として家の前の道路を掃除する。これは健康のためだし、第一衛生的に甚だよろしい。

昔から躾は入口からということがある。玄関口がきちんと整理整頓してあることは外来者によい印象を与えるだろう。反対に、玄関口や家の前の道路が散乱していると、どうも家のなかまで見透かされたようで気持ちの悪いものだ。

川柳に「居候かくい座敷を丸く掃き」、というのがある。これは感心しない。

せっかくやるなら、かくい屋敷は角く掃除してもらいたいものだ。特に半島の人の掃除ぶりをみると、このかくまる式が多いようだ。

掃除というからには隅から隅までやるべきである。そして肝腎なのはこの仕上げだ。せっかく掃除しても仕上げの整頓が悪ければ何んにもならない。机の上を綺麗に拭いても、その上に煙草盆を出鱈目に置いたのではぶちこわしだ。

物を置く、置き方はわかりきったことだが、直角か、平行かの二つである。それ以外は整頓にならない。給仕君や主婦たちはよく覚えておいて頂きたい。

さて、道路掃除である。私はきまって毎朝掃除をする。道路だからもちろん掃除中にも人が通る。

箒や熊手でせっせと掃いていると埃もたつ。この埃を嫌いな顔をして通り抜ける人がある。のらくらの青年か、有閑らしい御婦人にきまっている。そしてこの人たちは、もし道路が半分でも掃除してあれば、その綺麗な側を好んで通る。自身で掃除などをしたことのない人だな、ということがよくわかる。

またこんな人もある。私が掃除をしていると、開いた方の綺麗な方は通らないで、まだ掃除してない方を歩く。そして、通り抜けるときに、御苦労さんの一言を忘れない。こんな人は自分でも掃除したことのある人だし、綺麗になった道路はなるべくよごしたくないという甚だ心掛けのよい人だと思っている。

美しいものは誰もよごしたくないのは人情だ。

京城の街は内地から来た人にいわせると「あきれかえるばかりによごれた町」である。そこかしこに痰が吐き散らしてあったり、紙屑が散乱していたり、遂には共同便所の横で立小便をせざるを得ないほどの哀れむべきよごれ方であると決まって指摘される。

一軒の家が責任を待って自分の家の前の道路だけでも綺麗にすれば、街は明粧され、不潔さの幾分かはなくなり、確かに病気も減ってくると思う。

みんなで街を綺麗にして見ようではありませんか。

物の節約に就いて　（1943年1月17年）

戦争になって物が不足するのは日本だけではない。盟邦独伊はもとより、あの物質力を誇った米国や英国でさえ最近は物不足、特に食糧不足で悲鳴をあげているようである。

最初はものが足らぬと随分不満な苦情の声もあったが、最近ではその声をあまり聞かなくなった。言っても無駄だから、言わないのか。足らぬ中を不平をいわずに切り詰めてやり抜こうというのか、そこのところははっきり判らぬが、日本人なら「不平はいわぬ、勝つまでは」の気持ちで日常生活の不便をじっと耐え忍んでいることと思う。

なるほど、食料品も最近はかなり不足している。ところでお台所の方では不足した食料品にどういう手段をとっているかが問題だ。あり余った昔と同じような料理方法を考えては、足らない品物はますます足らなくなる。

ちょっと塵芥箱を覗いて見ると、このことがはっきりわかる。大根のなっぱが平気で捨ててあったり、石炭の燃焼屑の中に多くの石炭が混ざって捨てられたりしている。惜しいもんだ。物の節約という点からも、塵芥運搬人の労力から考えても、共に無駄なことである。

物が足らなければ足らないものを百パーセント利用しなければならぬ。大根のなっぱも甘藷の切れっぱしも、ヒゲのように細かい人参の一本でも立派な食料だ。お米だけを節約しても、副食物の方はとんと忘れがちである。生かして物を利用することをしないで足らぬ足らぬでは、これは智恵が足らぬと申しあげるほかはない。

戦時生活への切り替えを示す青いシグナルを、一日も早くお台所に揚げて頂きたい。

歩け！歩け！　（1943年1月18年）

別に鉄道局や京電から頼まれたわけではないが、最近のように乗車物が混雑するときには歩くに限る。汽車は長距離客が多いので、これは歩けというのが無理だが、電車ならもっと歩いた方がよさそうだ。京城市内なら、朝の出勤も、殊に退勤退社の夕方などは、大いに歩いて頂きたい。

健康と混雑緩和に一策であること間違いなしである。

婦人や子供づれの人が電車に乗ろうとすれば、これは一苦労である。誰も優先的に乗せてくれるような気の利いた親切な人もいないし、乗りかかっているのに車掌も平気で発車のベルをならす。よく怪我をしないものだと感心させられる。もう少しみんなお互いに親切にしなくちゃ。まるでこれではお恥ずかしい次第である。

電車に乗っている人の中には、もちろん忙しい用件の人もあろうが、どう見ても用のなさそうな、本町あたりにお茶でも飲みに行こうという恰好（これは連中の話ぶりで想像出来る）の人がある。これなんか混雑しているようとなかろうと電車など遠慮すべし。歩いて行けばお茶など欲しくなくなること請合だ。こんな徒輩に限って人の迷惑なんかちっとも考えない。実際どうかと思う。

どうかと思うことの一つに終電車風景がある。赤い顔をした若いあるいは中老の紳士（？）が、これもまた赤い顔をしたバーやカフェーの女給らしきものと、平気で酒の匂いを発散させながら乗り込んで来る。戦時下の日本帝国臣民としては全くお恥ずかしい風景がいまだに京城にはある。

”早く消えて欲しい嫌な風景だ”

こんなのは車掌に権利を持たせて、乗車お断りとやれば冷たい夜風で少しはこたえるかも知れない。

喫茶店、バー、カフェー、映画館など 　（1943年1月19年）

いや全く何と申してよろしいか。これでは困ります。喫茶店やバー、カフェー、映画館の営業妨害をするつもりはいささかもないが、最近この方面の盛況ぶりには漫ろかされる。

午前十時ごろ、開店と同時に喫茶店は満員となり、閉店までつづく。若い働き盛りの青年がお客さんの大多数を占めている。

カフェーはこれまた夕方の開店を待ちかねるようにして賑やかな内鮮一体風景を描く。こんなところの内鮮一体はあまり嬉しくはない。

映画館も御多分に洩れず開場前から一列励行の長蛇の列。

一体全体、何故かくもかかる享楽面が繁栄するのか。私はいささか情けない気持ちになる。

特に本町や明治町あたりの目貫街で、派手なオーバーを着た若い青年たちが、大げさなアメリカ式の身振りでその友人と語り合いながら決まって喫茶店へと流れ込む。

音盤を聞き、コーヒー、紅茶を（最近はこれら喫茶店の飲物は決して美味ではない）飲みつつ貴重な時間を潰している。勿体ない話だ。全部が全部これら閑人ばかりではないことは事実だが、ほとんどが閑人であることに間違いはない。

時局柄、奮起すべき熱血のたぎっている青年層の大きな自覚を望む。こんなところに行くのが悪いというのではない。しかし、いわゆる喫茶店ファン（銀魚）は何とか退治しなければならぬと思っている。慰安や娯楽はバーやカフェーに転がってはいない。まして『決戦日本の現在』だ。一年や二年、よしんば五十年百年慰安がなくても我慢しなければならぬ。

目をつぶって必勝へ。

これがわれわれの現在の任務だ。ただ前進あるのみだ。喫茶店でトグロを巻くひまに何かすることはある。女ども相手に酒など悪意味に飲む暇にやることは果して頂きたい。青年に課せられた今後の使命が大きければ大きいほど一部これら青年の無気力さには憤慨せざるを得ない。

いざ全国青年の奮起を祈ってやまない。