February 1943, Seoul high school girls perform group calisthenics to prepare to become mothers of strong Imperial Japanese soldiers

 

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) February 6, 1943

Behold our training!

Gallantly doing group calisthenics

Seoul No. 1 High School girls aiming to be mothers of healthy soldiers

As the clock struck eleven in the morning, the loudspeaker above the entrance to the school building played a heroic marching song that echoed loudly throughout the school grounds. All the girls, dressed in their dignified Monpe work pants, gathered in the schoolyard at once.

It only took three minutes, but the strict training of Seoul No. 1 Girls' High School began　with the electrifying assembly. The girls' calisthenics exercises were carried out with the blood of the maidens boiling and overflowing in the line of fire. 

The girls' calisthenics exercises, which create a strong power and a robust spirit for striving to become mothers of healthy soldiers, become a ball of fire and cultivate a solid unity that overcomes any difficulties and pushes forward.

Stretch your arms out as far as you can. Stomp your feet. Once you say it's boring, you're out. But with a single command, they can move their own bodies freely. The limbs of one thousand one hundred maidens move in unison. The unrestrained extension of their bodies is controlled by a single will. It may be painful. But when you think that the people in front of you and behind you are doing the same thing, you feel a different kind of power surging through you.

The self that blends into the group. The group! The group! The self moves the group by fully fulfilling its own responsibilities. When you feel this, the joy that rises up in you arouses a new power. This power will not die even when you are alone. It is quick, unyielding, and bold. This is how the bodies and minds of the girls are forged through strong exercises worthy of "mothers of healthy soldiers".

A mere twenty minutes of group calisthenics have such power.　If these were just exercises to merely shake their arms and legs, they would not be training or health exercises. In this school, girls' school calisthenics have been carried out for eight years without a day off, even on days of severe cold and heat, and have borne fruit in terms of training. (Photo: Group calisthenics)

Remarks by the leader, School Principal Kajiwara

"Training should not be conducted like fireworks. The effects of the training can only be achieved through constant and unbending practice. In addition to calisthenics, I am going to have the students do dry towel rubdown therapy or cold water friction therapy at home every morning when they wake up. This is also a form of training."

Source: https://archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-02-06

Reddit Link: February 1943, Seoul high school girls perform group calisthenics to prepare to become mothers of strong Imperial Japanese soldiers : KoreanHistory (reddit.com)

(Transcription)

京城日報　昭和十八年二月六日

拝見”我らの錬成”

颯爽と集団体操

”健兵の母”目指す第一高女生

時計の針が午前十一時を指すと、校舎の玄関の上にある拡声器から勇壮な行進曲が流れ、校庭の隅々にまで高らかに響き渡ると凛々しくモンペ姿に身を固めた全女生徒は一斉に校庭に集結する。

それ迄が僅か三分間、電撃的集合から京城第一高等女学校の厳しい修養錬成は始まる。”女学校体操”が潤み溢れる銃後乙女の血潮を沸らせて繰りあげられる。

健兵の母を目指して強靭な威力と剛健な精神を生み出す”女学校体操”は一塊の火の玉となってどんな難関をも克服、突き進む固い団結心を培う。

両手を思いきり伸ばす。足を踏んまえる。つまらないといえばそれまでだ。然し号令一つで自己の肉体を自由に動かす。千百名の乙女の四肢が一律に動く。奔放な伸び盛りの肉体を一つの意志で統御してゆく。苦しいかもしれない。だが前の人も後の人も同じ動作を行っていると思えば、また自ら異なった沸き上がる力を感ずるのだ。

集団、集団、集団の中に融けこんでゆく自己。その自己は自分の責務を完全に果たすことによって集団を動かしてゆく。そう感じた時に突き上がって来る歓喜が新しい力をよび起すのだ。その力は一人になっても死なない。敏速、不屈、果敢。”健兵の母”たるべき剛操の心身はかくて鍛えられてゆく。

僅か二十分間の集団体操は、こんな力を秘めているのだ。単に手足を振り動かすだけの体操ならば、それは健康法であっても錬成ではない。この学校では”女学校体操”を既に八年前から厳寒、酷暑の日でも一日も休まず実施して錬成の実を結んでいる。【写真＝集団体操】

指導者の弁　梶原校長談

錬成は線香花火式ではならぬ。不断の撓まざる実践からはじめて錬成の効果が挙げられる。体操のほかに、これから生徒達にそれぞれ家庭で毎朝起きたとき、乾擦布摩か冷水摩擦をやらせようと思っている。これも錬成だ。

In Japan-occupied Korea, Koreans often mixed their spoken Japanese with Korean words like 아이고 ('gosh') and 나쁜 ('bad') and English words like 'slogan' and 'service' - in 1942, one Seoul police station cracked down on this by fining employees every time they uttered a Korean or English word

 

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo), July 8, 1942

Saying "Aigo" also results in punishment

Seodaemun Police Officer Suggests a New Idea for Regular Use of Japanese Language

At the Seodaemun Police Station, Chief Yoshioka had been encouraging his staff to use the Japanese language in public and private life. On June 26, Detective Sergeant Hirayama came up with an ingenious idea and put it into practice as a model for others to follow, achieving very good results ahead of the other police stations in Seoul.

In short, it was decided that if anyone unintentionally used Korean or English while working in the station, even if it was just a word, they would be charged 10 sen each time.

Korean and Japanese employees used to exchange unpleasant words such as "aigo" and "nappeun" in Korean and "service" and "slogan" in English. But since then, these impure words have been cleanly eradicated as a result. The accumulated fines will be used as donations for the National Defense Fund.

Source: https://archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-07-08

Reddit Link: In Japan-occupied Korea, Koreans often mixed their spoken Japanese with Korean words like 아이고 ('gosh') and 나쁜 ('bad') and English words like 'slogan' and 'service' - in 1942, one Seoul police station cracked down on this by fining employees every time they uttered a Korean or English word : korea (reddit.com)

京城日報　昭和十七年七月八日

”アイゴー”も懲罰

国語常用に西大門署員が妙案

西大門署高等係では吉岡主任が予て同係職員たちに公私を問わず国語で通すよう慫慂していたが、平山部長刑事が去る二十六日妙案を考え出して実行。府内各署に先駆けて非常な好成績をあげて署内は素より各署職人に範を垂れた。

つまり署内で執務の際は仮令無意識にせよ朝鮮語若しくは英語等を使用した場合は、それが単語であっても一回につき金十銭也を徴収することを決議し実行している。

その結果、従来は内鮮職員が”アイゴー”とか”ナップン”とか英語では”サービス”とか”スローガン”等々の聞き憎い言葉が得々として交わされていたが、爾来これらの雑語類が綺麗に一掃された。積み立てた罰金はそっくり国防献金にするという。

1943 Imperial Japanese editorial decries liberalism, individualistic humanism, rationalism, international universalism, and Marxist materialism of the West for corrupting Japan, and calls for a "high-minded Japanese worldview" and reliance on "irrational and mysterious powers" of the Japanese spirit

 

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo), February 24, 1943

The True Meaning of National Identity and the Righteous Peninsula (3)

By Kamata Sawaichiro

Now is the Time to Deny the Past
Toward the Establishment of a High-minded Japanese Worldview

Looking back at the past, since the opening of Japan to the outside world in the Meiji era, Japan has gradually developed the characteristics of early modern liberalism, following the mainstream of thought since the commercial revolution in Western Europe. However, the liberalism of the early modern period in the West was the mechanization of human life, the promise of unlimited material development, and the construction of a luxurious capitalist civilization on top of that.

Thus, the enlightened individualistic humanism that originated in the Renaissance, flourished in the Reformation, and bore fruit in the independence of the United States, the political reforms in France, and the social revolution in Russia, was the natural destination of the modern spirit that denied God. Static, stagnant societies were replaced by noisy, dynamic, progressive societies. Communal societies were replaced by profit-driven societies. Natural societies were replaced by societies of rights and contracts. Societies of faith were replaced by societies of science. The Kingdom of God was buried, and the Kingdom of Knowledge was established.

People have forgotten the demands of the higher soul or divine value, and have come to place the greatest value only on material value and its increase by various technical means. This has become even more blatant in the Marxist view of materialist history, which was developed due to the impasse of liberalism. Japan in particular, which had lagged behind in the development of capitalist civilization in the early modern period due to the isolationist policy of Tokugawa feudal society, was tasked with the challenge of catching up with the standards of Europe and America in every aspect. It had to concentrate on westernizing the lives of its subjects, even to the point of enduring the humiliations of the Meiji Rokumeikan Era.

During the Meiji era, our predecessors fought with their blood to boldly deny the past. They felt attracted to the rationalism and international universalism of early modern Europe, based on Bacon's assertion that "knowledge is power," and strove for the globalization of Japan. We must not deny that fact.

It was only because of this that Japan was able to liberate itself from its insular lifestyle and emerge as one of the leading peoples in world history, and even if there were some excesses in this process, it was an unavoidable part of the inevitable process of history. We cannot deny the fact that our forefathers, despite their excesses, received the baptism of European culture in a pure and humble manner, and that is the reason why Japan today has become an independent leading nation, different from China and India, with a global mission. The history of the Meiji era was not simply a history of errors to be cleared up.

However, this does not lead us to conclude that the period from the end of the Taisho era to the Showa era was the beginning of a new era of construction and improvement that had its impetus in the Meiji era. No matter how generously we look at it, we cannot deny that contradictory aspects of excess and stagnation appeared, accompanied by the corruption of the nation.

The goal of the education of the intellectual class was focused on "how to get away from being Japanese," and it was thought that to be nationalist or ethnic was reactionary and even a disgrace to the cultured person. For a long time, the selection of intellectuals was based on "how Western" their thoughts and lives were.

In such an atmosphere, it was foolish to grasp the spirit of the founding of the Japanese nation. Even the thought of the purity of the Japanese nation's history was destroyed, and all things related to the Japanese spirit were driven into oblivion. At the podiums of the highest academic institutions, the "Emperor's Organization Theory" was lectured on without any hesitation, to the point where no awe or wonder could be felt. Cynical and shallow imitations of American and British culture abounded, and corrupt journalism further incited and fostered such imitations, to the point of knowing no end.

In the midst of this situation arose the Manchurian Incident, followed by the Second Sino-Japanese War, which stimulated, awakened, and elevated the national instincts of the Japanese people. This, together with the global trend of totalitarian ideology, sparked a serious study of Japanese culture and the Japanese spirit, and finally opened the door for the penetration of the true meaning of national identity.

For the Japanese world of ideas, which had been under the weight of European foreign ideas for a long time, the tide of Japan-centrism that broke out with the calls to "return to the spirit of the founding of the Japanese nation" and "reaffirm the Japanese homeland" was a truly spiritual and historical dawn that shone through the dark night for those who sought its growth. After many years of pilgrimages to foreign ideas, we have finally returned to Japan, the homeland of our souls, and the Greater East Asian War broke out on the eve of the explosion of our unavoidable national desire to seek the majesty and grandeur of the Japanese spirit itself.

Our country, with its long historical tradition since the time of the gods, may have been completely westernized on the outside, but its inner essence had not been lost. It resembles an iceberg floating in the northern oceans.

The iceberg may appear in a very small form, but it has infinite latent power. Once an iceberg collides with something, the latent force that has been submerged under the surface of the water suddenly becomes manifest and exerts an irrational and mysterious power. This is exactly how the Manchurian Incident occurred. In addition to the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Greater East Asia War, the power of the great iceberg has continued to be exerted more and more.

However, just as aviation heroes need excellent airplanes, in order to win this great battle, it is not permissible to rely only on irrational and mysterious powers. The time has come for us to establish a high-minded Japanese worldview that is unbeatable and indestructible, to cultivate the fundamentals of the true meaning of national identity, to give courage to the will, joy to the emotions, and insight to the intellect, and to make it the final unifying principle of all our activities.

Source: https://archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-02-24

Reddit Link: 1943 Imperial Japanese editorial decries liberalism, individualistic humanism, rationalism, international universalism, and Marxist materialism of the West for corrupting Japan, and calls for a "high-minded Japanese worldview" and reliance on "irrational and mysterious powers" of the Japanese spirit : badphilosophy (reddit.com)

(Transcription)

京城日報　昭和十八年二月二十四日

国体の本義と道義半島（三）

鎌田沢一郎

今こそ過去否定の時代
高邁なる日本的世界観樹立へ

翻って思うに明治開国以来の我国の思潮は、西欧商業革命以来の思潮の主流を追うて、次第に近世自由主義の特徴を具備して来ったのであるが、西欧近世の自由主義は人間生活の機械化であり、物質の無限的発展の約束であり、その上に豪華な資本主義文明を構築することであった。

かくてルネッサンスに発源し、宗教改革に於いて華を開き、米国の独立と、仏蘭西の政治改革と、さらにロシアの社会革命とに実を結んだ啓蒙個人主義的ヒューマニズムこそは、神を否定した近代精神が当然赴くところであり、従って静的な停滞的な社会は喧噪な動的な発展的な社会に代わり、本来共同的な社会が、利益社会に代わり、自然的な社会に対して権利の社会、契約の社会が現れ、信仰の社会に対して科学の社会が現れ、神の王国が葬られて、知識の王国が樹立せられたのである。

人々は高き魂の要求、或いは神的価値を忘却して、ただ物的価値とその諸々の技巧手段による増加とのみに最大の価値をもつに至り、そのことは自由主義の行き詰まりによって展開されたるマルキシズムの唯物史観に於いて、さらに一段露骨なる鋒鋩を現すに至ったのである。殊に徳川封建社会の封鎖政策のため、近世資本主義文明の進展に一歩遅れをとった我国においては、あらゆる部面において欧羅巴の水準を追いつくということが仕事であり、課題となり、たとえば鹿鳴館時代のごとき屈辱を敢えて忍んでまで、その国民生活の西欧化に熱中しなければならなかった。

さりとて、われらの先覚が血によって闘いとった明治時代の大胆なる過去否定と、「知識は力也」とのベーコンの主張によるヨーロッパ近世の合理主義、国際的普遍主義に魅力を感じ、日本の世界水準化を目ざして邁進した勇気と実践をまで否定してはならない。

これあってこそ狭い日本が島国的生活から自己を開放して世界史的指導民族の一つとして登場することが出来たのであり、そこに多少の行き過ぎはあったとしても、それは歴史の必然的過程の一断面として、むしろやむを得ざるもの。われわれの父祖達は、かかる行き過ぎを犯してまで、飽くまで謙虚な態度もて純真にヨーロッパ文化の洗礼を受けたればこそ、今日の日本が支那や印度と異なった独立的な指導国家として世界的使命を担うものになり得た事実を否定することは出来ない。明治の歴史は決して単に清算さるべき誤謬の歴史ではなかったのである。

しかし乍ら大正の末期より昭和にかけては、この明治の余勢を駆って建設向上の一路を踏み来ったものとの理解には到達し得ない。如何に贔屓目に見るも、そこには行き過ぎと停滞の矛盾の相が現れ、民族の堕落さえ伴って来たことは否定し得ない。

知識階級の教養の目標の如きは「如何にして日本人であることから離れること」にあるかに集中せられ、国民的、民族的であることこそ即ち反動的であり、文化人の恥辱であるとさえ考えられ、久しきに亘り彼等知識的選良を以て任ずる人々の思想と生活は「如何にして西欧的であるか」に根拠を置いていたのである。

かかる雰囲気の中にあっては、肇国の精神を把握することは愚か、国史の純潔を誇る思惟すら滅却され、日本精神のあらゆるものが、忘却の彼方に追いやられて、最高学府の講壇では平然として「天皇機関説」が講義せられて何等の不可思議すら感ぜざる程に立至り、巷には皮相浅薄なる米英文化の模倣が充満し堕落したジャーナリズムはさらに一層それを扇動助長して停止するところを知らざる有様となった。

かかるさ中に勃発した満州事変引き継ぐ支那事変こそは日本人の民族本能を異常に刺激し、覚醒し、高揚せしめた。これが世界的風潮としての全体主義的な思想と相俟って日本文化、日本精神の真剣な研究は、その口火を切られ、国体の本義透徹の門戸はようやくにして開かれんとする端緒に到達した。

久しくヨーロッパ的外来思想の重圧下にあった日本の思想界にとって「肇国の精神に還れ」「祖国を再認識せよ」の声とともに、ここに勃発として動く日本主義の潮流は、その生長を希求するものにとって暗々たる夜色を通じて輝き出でたる真に精神史的な黎明であり、外来思想への多年の遍歴ののち、ようやく魂の故郷日本へ帰り、日本精神そのものの中に荘厳偉列なものを希求せんとする、やむにやまれぬ民族的欲望が、その爆発の前夜にあるところへ、大東亜戦争が突発したのである。

まことに神代以来悠久なる歴史伝統を有する我国は、たとい外面的には西欧化し尽くしたかに見えていても、その内面的本質は、これを失ってはいなかったのである。それは恰も北氷洋上に悠然と浮遊する氷山にも似ているのである。

氷山は、現るるその姿は僅少であって、無限の潜勢力を有している。一度氷山が何物かに衝突する場合、今まで水面下に沈積されていた潜勢力は忽ち顕勢力となって、むしろ非合理不可思議なる力を発揮する。満州事変はまさに、かくのごとくにして起ったのである。さらに支那事変、大東亜戦争と、ひきつづき大氷山の威力は多々益々発揚されてやまぬものがある。

しかし乍ら恰も航空勇士に優秀なる飛行機が必要なるごとく、この大決戦に勝ち抜く為には、ただ非合理不可思議なる力にのみ信倚することは許されない。完勝と壮大なる大建設を目ざし、今こそ必勝不壊にして且つ高邁なる日本的世界観を樹立し、国体の本義に徹するの根本を培い、意志には勇気を感情には歓喜を、知性には達観を与えて、一切の活動の最後の統一原理たるの性格を備えしめなければならぬ時期こそは到来したのである。

In 1942 Busan, Korean pastors and foreign residents (Russian Tatar family, English woman, Chinese consul) praise Imperial Japan as British POWs captured in Malaysia start arriving in the city

 

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) September 24, 1942

People on the ground asked about the captured prisoners of war landing on the peninsula

By Oyama (Korean surname: 'In') and Suyama, correspondents at Busan

Prisoners of war are coming, prisoners of war are coming! Prisoners of war who were captured in Malaysia have come to Korea in big ships. The British soldiers were once seen together in the midst of war, but on the 24th, [redacted] prisoners of war are to land in Busan, vividly showing the war achievements of the Imperial Military. Hearing the announcement of the Korean army, the 24 million people on the peninsula were filled with gratitude and excitement that they had been born in the Imperial Kingdom on this day and at this time. We would like to ask each of the 280,000 residents of Busan Prefecture, who are now looking at the crumbling remains of the British Empire with their own eyes, striving to complete the Greater East Asia War and learn wisdom from the follies of others, to give thanks for the announcement made today.

"Don't be arrogant after victory"

Shin'ichi Yamashita, Prefectural Governor of Busan

We have to win the war. The British prisoners of war who were defeated in the war also took up their swords for the sake of their country, but in the end they spared their own lives and exposed their own shame. The final decision and attitude of a person, not just a warrior, is important. I felt deeply that the saying in Hagakure's Analects, "A warrior must find it in himself to die," was true in all cases. It is only natural that they should be punished for their selfishness and injustice in East Asia before the war. No matter what kind of nation you are, you should never get carried away. Winning and not being arrogant about it is the essence of the Japanese spirit. Japan, as a victorious nation, must not make the same mistake that Britain, the home country of these prisoners of war, made. Photo: Yamashita, Prefectural Governor of Busan

The Joy of Living in Japan

A pro-Japanese White Russian family

By correspondent Takahashi

Mr. Baigudin Gusman (45), who has lived in Japan for 21 years and now runs a clothing business in Okura-machi 3-chome, Busan, has a very pro-Japanese family. He is a Turkish Tatar with the same red blood of the Orient running through his veins as ours. Mr. Gusman praised the greatness of Japan as follows.

"I think it is a natural judgment of God that the U.S. and Britain, which did not realize Japan's fundamental strength and underestimated its economic power, were defeated without a moment's hesitation and came ashore as pitiful prisoners of war. We are observing the one month Muslim fast since the eleventh day of this month in order to express our gratitude for the happiness of living peacefully and without inconvenience as residents under the grateful patronage of Japan. During this period, we will pray to God for the completion of the Greater East Asia War. On the day the fast ends, we will donate the living expenses we have saved during this period to the National Defense Fund and offer a small token of our gratitude". Photo: Mr. Gusman and his family

Mr. Bunkichi Sakata, a member of the Gyeongnam Provincial Council

The destruction of the Anglo-Saxon race is a self-inflicted wound. In contrast to their misjudgment of Japan's capabilities before the war, our country is well aware of the other side and is steadily making giant strides in building a new world order. We the gun-toting people must strengthen our determination to work together and be ready for tomorrow.

Comments by Reverend Minister Elder Yang 

"In all my dealings with the British and the Americans over the past few decades, they have never expressed their own faults or regretted them. I think it is because of their greed and contempt for East Asians. That is why they pretend to be sheep on the surface, but when you look deeper, you see that they are always two sides of the same coin. Although they are people who believe in Jehovah God, they have been using the natural resources and man-made treasures given to them by God for the purpose of exploiting East Asia, hiding behind the name of religion. In the Bible, it is said that 'God opposes the proud'. The fact that they were defeated by the righteous advance of the Imperial Army and are now prisoners of war who have arrived in Korea, I believe that God has taken away their blessings".

Heaven's Punishment

Comments by Elder Seo

"It is a great joy to be able to use the British and American prisoners of war from the Greater East Asia War for the construction of East Asia in Korea. Of course, they should be defeated if they extend the evil hand of aggression in the name of religion. That is the punishment that Heaven has sent down. I can remember when I was in church and they were preaching the way of God with their mouths, but their attitude was always one of contempt. I have no doubt that we, the people of East Asia, should strive for the construction of Greater East Asia with a Japanized Christianity". (Photo: Elder Seo)

Now I know the sins of my ancestral country

Englishwoman Maria's Story of Repentance

By correspondents Suyama and Aoki

Maria Yarmouth Debritt (21), also known as Keiko Suzuki, whose parents are both British, has been living in Japan for over 20 years and is now making her own living running a coffee shop in Busan, in order to live strongly in accordance with her strange fate. When it was announced that the prisoners of war would arrive in Korea on the 24th, she told her defeated ancestral country about her joy of living in Japan.

"I was born in Kobe and grew up in Japan, and I imagined my ancestral country as though it was an illusion to me. But now, with this reality in front of my own eyes, I know East Asia more clearly, and I have come to know Japan as a country with a strong sense of justice. The sins of my ancestral country over the past several hundred years have been thrown off the face of the earth, along with their mask hiding their aggression in East Asia. I am determined to live my whole life in Japan, offering my gratitude for this great unfolding history, in which a brighter world will be built together with Japan". (Photo: Keiko speaking)

Very moved to contribute to this country

Consul Zhou of the Republic of China

"By welcoming the British prisoners of war, we can clearly understand how bravely our friends of the Japanese military fought for the construction of Greater East Asia. Witnessing the capture of the British prisoners of war has become a splendid teaching tool for those who have little awareness of war, teaching them that 'the war is something that should be won'. All the peoples of East Asia must cooperate with each other as much as the heroes on the front lines, and push forward to complete the objectives of the war with all the strength of our alliance. I am pleased to have the honor of expressing my feelings today in the same spirit as the Japanese people, who are my friends". (Photo: Mr. Zhou Jiren)

Industrialization of Logistics in the South Pacific

The peninsula is the best place

Remarks by Mr. Hoshihiyoshi Konishi on his visit to Seoul

Naval Captain Hoshihiyoshi Konishi (51), a former researcher at the Planning Institute and managing director of the South Pacific Economic Research Institute, a foundation famous for its research on the South Pacific, came to Seoul on the 21st as a member of the Colonial Management Committee.

He visited Governor Koiso, and held various discussions on the issue of corporatization of South Pacific resources on the peninsula. On the 23rd, he visited his nephew Ukita at his lodgings in 46 Kitayonekura-cho, and we asked him about his visit to Korea. (Photo: Mr. Konishi speaking)

"I have a deep connection with Korea. Around the time of the Sino-Japanese War in 1894, my father came to Korea to advocate for the spread of the Imperial Way, and his relatives have lived here since then. That's why this place is very nostalgic for me. I had visited here when I was in the naval academy and last June, but this time I wanted to do a field survey on the economic partnership between the peninsula and the South Pacific.

First of all, I think that the goods that Korea needs from the South Pacific are wood, rubber and iron. In particular, Korea has made great progress in the rubber industry, which is ideal. We should bring both wood and iron and industrialize them on a large scale. Also, I think it is urgent to send more and more settlers from Korea to the South Pacific, especially to Mindanao and New Guinea".

Reporting about the situation on the ground

Association President Hada

To the Imperial Cooperation Conference

How is the total power movement in Japan proper becoming more active? How should the general movement in Korea make great strides in the future? With such aspirations for the management of the Association in mind, Lieutenant General Hada left Seoul at 14:40 on the 23rd on the Akatsuki train accompanied by Mr. Akita, Chief of the General Affairs Division, to attend the Central Cooperation Conference of the Imperial Rule Assistance Association and the Third Liaison Conference for the Imperial Supporters' Movement for Japan and the Colonies to be held in Tokyo from the 26th to the 29th as a representative of Korea. Before his departure, the President said that he would bring back many gifts and that he had the following aspirations for his trip.

"The Central Cooperation Conference, which includes the principals of national schools and even the principals of girls' schools, is truly a general meeting of the people. For this reason, Japan proper is a step ahead of Korea in terms of the total power movement reporting the situation on the ground to the higher-ups, and there is much to be heard.

Fortunately, I will be there as a representative of Korea, but I would like to listen to this conference from a Korea-centered standpoint, asking myself 'How should I apply this?' I am sure I will bring back many gifts. Representatives from Taiwan, the South Seas, Sakhalin Island, Kwantung Leased Territory, and other areas will gather at the liaison conference on October 1, and three representatives from Korea are scheduled to attend. The liaison conference has not yet reached the point where the various regions can come up with a comprehensive agenda and make it a movement at once".

The president is scheduled to return to his post on October 5.

All the above photos have been censored and the articles have been approved by the Korean Army.

Source: https://archive.org/details/kjnp-1942-09-24

Reddit Link: In 1942 Busan, Korean pastors and foreign residents (Russian Tatar family, English woman, Chinese consul) praise Imperial Japan as British POWs captured in Malaysia start arriving in the city : korea (reddit.com)

(Transcription)

京城日報　昭和十七年九月二十四日

俘虜、半島に上陸を現地に聴く

【釜山にて大山（寅）須山両特派員発】

俘虜が来る、俘虜が来る、マレーの俘虜が大きな船で朝鮮にきた。一度は戦火の中に相見えた英兵ではあったが、皇軍の生々しい戦果を物語る俘虜〇〇〇〇が二十四日釜山に上陸するのだ。朝鮮軍の発表をきき、半島二千四百万は此の日此の時こそ皇国に生を享けた感謝と感激の深念にひたるのであった。崩潰してゆく大英帝国の敗残の姿を今此の眼で眺め、前車の覆えるをよき戒とし、大東亜戦完遂に邁進せんとする釜山府民二十八万の各層に今日発表せられた感謝を訊く。

”勝って驕るナ”

釜山府尹　山下真一

戦争には勝たねばならぬ。敗戦英国の俘虜も一応は祖国のために剣を執ったのであるが、最後の場合に身命を惜しんで生き恥を曝してしまった。武人に限らず人は最後の決心と態度が大切である。葉隠論語の”武士は死ぬこととみつけたり”ということは、いずれの場合においても真実であることをしみじみ感じた。戦前東亜をわがもの顔で歩き、不義非道を働いた彼等であると思うと当然な酬いを受けたとも思われる。如何なる国民と雖も決して思い上がってはいけない。勝って驕らざるは日本精神の真髄である。戦勝国日本はこれ等の俘虜の母国である英国のとったような轍を踏んではならないと深く府民と共に感ずる次第である。【写真＝山下釜山府尹】

日本に住む喜び

グ親日白系露人談

【高橋特派員発】

日本在住二十一年いまは釜山府大倉町三丁目で洋服商を営むバイグージン・グスマン氏（四五）は大の親日家庭だ。その血管には我等と同じ東洋の赤い血が脈々と流れるトルコタタールだ。そのグスマン氏は日本の偉大さを次の如く讃えるのであった。

日本の底力を悟らず経済力を軽視した米英が呆気なく敗退して哀れな俘虜の姿で上陸して来ることは当然な神のお裁きだと思います。私達在住者が不自由なく日本の有難い御庇護で安穏に生活し得る幸福を感謝するため、去る十一日から一か月間、モハメット教の断食を続けていますが、この期間中私達は大東亜戦争完遂を神に祈願し断食の終った日には、この間に節約し得た生活経費を国防献金して感謝の微衷を捧げたいと話し合っています。【写真＝グスマン氏一家】

慶南道会議員　坂田文吉氏談

アングロサクソン民族の滅亡は自業自得といわねばならない。彼等が戦前日本の実力を見ることを誤ったのに反し、わが日本がよく対局に刮眼し着々建設の巨歩を進めていることは世界新秩序既に成るの感が深いのである。われわれ銃後国民は一致協力不退転の決意をいよいよ強固にし、明日への備えを固めなければならない。

長老　粱聖奉氏談

過去数十年間に亘って英米人と交って来たが、彼等は自己の過失を絶対に表明せず、それを悔いようとせぬ。それは東洋人に対する侮蔑と貪欲からだと思う。それだけに表面羊の如く装うが、一歩踏み込んでみると何時も表裏不同である。彼等はエホバの神を信ずる国民であるに拘わらず、神より与えられた天然資源並びに人為的財宝をもって東洋搾取のために侵略政策を宗教の美名に隠れて敢行して来たのである。聖書に「高慢なる者は退けよ」といわれた。皇軍の正義進撃に連敗し、今や俘虜の身となって来鮮したことは、神が彼等から祝福を取り上げたものと思う。

天の刑罰
徐長老の談

大東亜戦争の戦果たる英米人の俘虜を朝鮮で東亜建設に使役することは何より嬉しいことです。宗教の名の下に侵略の魔の手を伸ばす彼等は当然敗れるべきだ。それは天が下した刑罰です。今に思い当るが、教会で口に神の道を説きながら、その態度たるや何時も侮蔑そのものであった。我等東洋人は日本化されたキリスト教によって大東亜建設に邁進すべきだと信じて疑いません。【写真＝徐長老】

今ぞ知る祖国の罪

英人マリヤさんの悔悟談

【須山、青木両特派員】

父母を英国人にもつマリヤ・ヤルモデブリートこお鈴木圭子さん（二一）は奇しき運命に強く生きるべく在日二十年の生活を経て、今は釜山府内の某喫茶店に自活の途を辿っている。二十四日朝鮮に俘虜来るとの発表の報に彼女は日本に生きる喜びを敗戦祖国に告げるのであった。

神戸で生れ日本で育った私には祖国の姿が一つの幻想でもあったのですが、今この現実の眼の前にして私ははっきりと東亜を知り、正義に強い日本を知り得ました。祖国がなした過去数百年来の罪は東亜侵略の仮面と共に地球の外になげ出され、明るい世界が日本と共に建設されてゆくこの大歴史に感謝を捧げ、一生を日本に生きる決心です。【写真＝語る圭子さん】

親邦へ献ぐ感激

周中華民国領事談

英兵俘虜を迎えて友邦日本軍が大東亜建設のため如何に勇敢に戦い抜いたかがはっきり理解されます。この俘虜を目撃して戦争に対する認識の乏しい人々に「戦争は勝つべきものだ」ということを教える立派な教材にもなり、全東亜民族が前線勇士に劣らぬ協力の下に盟邦の総力を挙げて戦争目的完遂に邁進せぬばなりません。自分は中旦如親邦日本国民と同じ心持で今日の感激を表明し得る光栄を喜ぶものであります。【写真＝周済人氏】

南方物資の工業化

半島こそ最適地

小西干比吉氏来城の弁

前企画院調査官で南洋通りとして著名な財団法人、南洋経済研究所、常務理事、海軍大佐小西干比吉（五一）は今回拓務省委員として二十一日来城。

小磯総督を訪れ、南方資源の半島での企業化問題について種々懇談を遂げたが、二十三日宿舎北米倉町四六の令甥右喜太氏方に訪れ来鮮の弁を訊いてみた。【写真＝語る小西氏】

私は朝鮮とは深い因縁がある。明治二十七年ごろ日清戦争当時、父は皇道普及を提唱して来鮮したことがあり、その後身内もこちらに在住している。そんなわけで非常に懐かしい土地だ。それに海軍兵学校時代と去年六月に訪れたわけだが、今回は半島と南方の経済的提携に就いて現地調査をしたいと思い来たわけだ。

まず朝鮮へ南方から求める物資は木材とゴム、鉄等であると思う。殊に朝鮮はゴム工業では長足の進歩をしていることはうってつけだ。木材も鉄も持って来て大規模な工業化することにならう。それから朝鮮から今後どしどし南方、特にミンダナオ島やニューギニヤ地方に開拓民を送ることが急務だと思う。

下情上通を聞きに

波田聯盟総長

翼賛協力会議へ

内地の総力運動はどのように挺身しつつあるか。朝鮮の総力運動は今後どのように躍進するべきか、と聯盟運営の新抱負を胸に秘めて総長波田中将は来る二十六日から二十九日まで東京に開かれる大政翼賛会中央協力会議及び第三回内外地翼賛運動連絡会議に朝鮮代表として出席するため、飽田庶務課長を帯同二十三日十四時四十分京城発”あかつき”で東上することとなった。出発前に総長は沢山土産を持って帰るぞと東上の抱負を次のごとく語った。

”中央協力会議は国民学校の校長や女学校の校長までを網羅して真に国民総常会の観がある。それだけに総力運動としての下情上通には朝鮮よりも一歩前進したものがあり、聴くべきものも多いだろう。

幸いに私は朝鮮代表として臨席するが””如何に参考すべきか”という朝鮮の主体的地位からこれを聴きたいと思っている。きっと沢山な土産が持って帰れるだろう。十月一日に開かれる内外地連絡会議には台湾、南洋、樺太、関東州、その他の代表が集るが、朝鮮からは三名出席の予定だ。連絡会議はまだ各地が綜合的議題を出して一斉にこれを運動化するというころまでは行っていない。

なお総長は十月五日帰任の予定。

【以上何れも写真は釜要検閲済、記事ー朝鮮軍許可済】

In 1943, ethnic Korean school principal says Koreans lack work ethic and can't handle the slightest hardship, uneducated Korean mothers are reluctant to send their children to the workplace

 

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo), January 10, 1943

Reaction to "Hiring Koreans in the Workplace"

As already reported, Governor Koiso's suggestion that "more Koreans should be employed in the workplace" has aroused reactions not only among businesspeople who have heard these words directly, but also among general industrialists, educators, and others. Let's take a look at a representative sample of some of these voices speaking about every facet of the issues related to the employment of Koreans.

The Key is Good Guidance

Mr. Matsumoto, President of Kinren

At a recent meeting, the Governor said that he would like us to use Koreans as much as possible, but at my place, half of the directors of the All-Korea union are hiring Koreans, and almost 90% of the general employees working here are Korean. In addition, every year we hire about 40 new graduates from vocational schools and about 800 new graduates from secondary schools, so of course I agree with the Governor.

From my experience, it is true that the Korean people have many faults, so we cannot use school graduates as they are, but I think we should kindly correct their bad points and use them. At Kinren, those who graduated from vocational schools are hired as directors and those who graduated from secondary schools are hired as general employees. Within one year of joining the company, new hires are always interned in the union's training center (dojo) to train. For this purpose, we have set up a dormitory and classrooms in the premises of Kinren that can accommodate about 250 people at one time, and when necessary, we also use the dormitory for employees' bachelors for training.

Graduates from the vocational schools who are training to become directors are sent to this dojo for four months, and general employees are sent to this dojo for one or two months. In addition to the morning assembly, in which they perform the ritual bowing and praying towards the Imperial Palace in Tokyo and recite the Imperial Subjects' Pledge, they are given the opportunity to perform labor service, from wiping down their own rooms, corridors, lavatories, and dining rooms to cleaning the premises and sometimes even sweeping the streets, in order to instill the spirit of labor in them.

Then, after giving them the desire to do their day's work well, they are given lectures on the National Identity and practical apprenticeship to thoroughly develop their spirit. In the chorus of the event, they beat ritual drums that resonate in their sincere hearts. We are devising appropriate ways to make the consciousness of the Imperial people and the spirit of hard work resonate deep inside. In any case, Koreans can be of great use if they are trained by those who use them, so I think the Governor's words are especially meaningful during wartime. (Photo: Makoto Matsumoto)

Abandon Perverse Habits

by Ms. Fukuzawa, Principal of Duksung Women's Vocational School

The words of the Governor-General are very meaningful to us, especially in Korea, where there is a shortage of manpower for "wartime service in the workplace" and where there are more idle people than in Japan. As a Korean person myself, I believe that we must respond to his words by abandoning our usual leisurely attitude, consider our position, and rush into the workplace with a battlefield spirit this autumn.

Until now, there have been many aspects of the Korean people's character that have lacked a work ethic. Even if they had a job lined up after graduating from school, many of them would just hang around instead of getting a job. This was partly because of their own mindset, but also because of the tendency of uneducated mothers to be reluctant to send their sons and daughters to the workplace.

In addition, once they found a job, they were unable to persevere at the slightest hardship due to their lack of training in enduring suffering, and in the end, they were disliked by their employers and lost the opportunity to work. However, now is not the time to be so complacent. We need to break down all their faults and perverse habits and make sure that each person is willing to work at a workplace that suits them, even if it is a small job.

On the other hand, from the standpoint of building the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere, I hope that the people of Japan will not pick at every little difference in customs and habits, but will embrace them warmly and guide them so that they can work as Imperial subjects. I believe that if Japanese and Koreans truly unite as one in the workplace, we will be invincible in finishing the war. (Photo: Principal Fukuzawa)

Source: https://archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-01-10

Reddit Link: In 1943 Japan-occupied Korea, ethnic Korean school principal says Koreans lack work ethic and can't handle the slightest hardship, uneducated Korean mothers are reluctant to send their children to the workplace : korea (reddit.com)

京城日報　昭和十八年一月十日

”半島人の職場登用”の反響

「半島人をもっと職場に起用するようにしたらどうだ」との小磯総督の提言は既報の如く直接此の言葉を耳にした財界人はもとより一般産業人、教育者および各方面に果然一つの反響を喚び起しているが、今その代表的なものとして半島人就職問題に対する各方面の声に次にいくつか取り上げてみよう。

要は善き指導

松本金聯会長

先日の会合で総督が半島人を出来るだけ使ってほしいとのお話があったが、私のところでは現に全鮮の組合の理事中半数は半島人を採用しており、一般職員に至っては九割近くも働いている。それに毎年専門学校卒業生は四十名位中等学校卒業は八百名位も新しく採用しているので、勿論総督のお話には大賛成です。

私の経験からいえば成程半島人には色々欠点もあるから学校出をそのまま使うことは出来ぬが、悪い点は親切に矯正して使ってやるようにせねばならぬと思っている。金聯では専門校出を理事に中等校出を一般職員に採用しているが、金聯としては入社後一年以内には必ず組合の錬成道場に収容して錬成することにしてあります。このため金聯の構内に一時に二百五十人位収容できる寄宿舎と教室を設け、必要な時は社員の独身寮も使って錬成にあてています。

専門校出の理事見習いは四か月、一般のものは一、二か月この道場に入れ、一日中の行事を定めて皇民精神の徹底と努めているわけです。宮城遥拝、皇国臣民の誓詞を斉唱する朝礼はもとより、自分の室や廊下、便所、食堂などの拭掃除から構内の清掃、時には道路の掃除まで勤労奉仕をさせ、勤労精神を吹き込んでいる。

そして一日の仕事をしっかりやるという気持ちを持たせてから国体に関する講義や実務見習いなど精神錬成を徹底させるのです。行事の合唱にも「正心」と響いた大きな宮太鼓をドンドン叩いて、皇民意識と勤労精神が肚の底まで響くよう適当な方法を工夫しています。兎に角半島人は使う方で錬成して使えば立派に使えるので戦時下、殊に今回の総督のお言葉は意味深いものと考えます。【写真＝松本誠氏】

陋習を捨てよ

福沢徳成女実校長談

「戦時下職域奉公」に人手不足の折柄、殊に内地と比べ有閑人の多い朝鮮として総督の御言葉は有難く存じます。私共半島人としても、これに応えて従来の有閑的態度を捨て、自分の立場を考え戦場精神で職場に突進せねばならぬ秋だと思います。

今まで半島人の性格として確かに勤労精神に欠けている点が多多ありました。学校を出てたとえ就職口があっても職につかずブラブラしている者が多かったのです。これは本人の考え方もそうですが、うとい頭の母親たちが無教育で寧ろ自分の息子や娘を職場に出すことを嫌っていた傾向もあったのです。

また一度就職して忍苦鍛錬が足りぬため一寸のことで辛抱が出来ず、結局雇い主からも嫌われて働く機会を逸するという様な状態でした。併し今はそんな悠長なことを云ってる時期ではありません。一切の欠点と陋習を打破して各人が自分に応じた職場でたとえ小さな仕事でも喜んでやる様に心がけねばならぬと考えます。

他方内地人側でも大東亜共栄圏建設の大きな立場から、些細な風俗習慣の相違や欠点でも一々重箱の隅をほじくる様なことをせず、温かく抱擁して、十分皇民としての働きが出来る様導いて欲しいと思います。職場を通じ本当に内鮮一体となって団結すれば戦争完遂の上にも無敵だと信じます。【写真＝福沢校長】

1943 Editorial: nature is an object of love in Japan, while nature is an object of conquest in the West, which is why the early Scientific revolution started in the West

 

The True Meaning of National Identity and the Righteous Peninsula (4)

The "Way" Penetrating the Reality of History
The Japanese Nation Connected to Blood and Soil

by Sawaichiro Kamata

As I have already mentioned, the creation of the Japanese worldview is the result of a commitment to the true meaning of national identity. In other words, it is a clear way that the reality of national history can show us. Therein lies a great characteristic that is unparalleled in any other worldview. It is something that can be demonstrated through 2,600 years of history, and the reality of the nation state itself is a clear demonstration of this. It is not an abstract spiritual field, but a truth that can be thoroughly grasped through the "Way" that exists in national history.

It is said that the environment dominates man. This is the reason why the issue of "blood and soil" is always mentioned when discussing the worldviews of ethnic groups. If peoples continue to live in the same climatic environment while forming a close community, it is natural that their thoughts will be constrained and their ways of thinking will become similar and embrace similar ideals during the passage of time.

In the course of this contoured and integrated society, a common and shared "spirit" will naturally develop and be typified as a national spirit. This is the basic spirit that inevitably emerges from the living structure of the nation to ensure its independent survival. It is this spirit that permeates each and every member of the nation and manifests its unique worldview.

In this sense, the nature of Shinshu, which has given birth to the excellent history of Japan, the national identity of Japan, and the Japanese worldview, must first of all be the mother of all things. The thought and life of the Japanese people, which have been created and developed in the midst of this great nature, must be the "beginning" of every Japanese spirit and fundamental philosophy.

There emerges a Japanese worldview in which nature and people are not seen as opposites, but as one. This will soon become a characteristic of thinking of all East Asia. The love of nature, the immersion in nature, and the maintenance of life in full embrace with nature are the outstanding virtues of the Japanese climate that nurtured the characteristics of Japanese feelings.

In the Egyptian and Babylonian cultures, which were the roots of Western culture, the continental character of the people meant that they were always under the intimidation of nature, which, unlike the natural environment in Japan, was not only not an object of love, but also something fearful that fought people. This is also evident in the way each group of people gather food to sustain their lives. In Japan, known as the Land of Abundant Reeds, the management of settled agriculture was already established in ancient times, and the five grains were planted and gathered as staple food. In stark contrast, we can see that, in the West, nomadic livestock was raised by searching for water and grass, and their livelihood was based on milk, meat, and skin.

In other words, in order to obtain food from a certain land through settled agriculture, we must first love the soil. To love the soil is to love and appreciate nature as a whole. In contrast to the Japanese way of life, which achieves the goal of a bountiful harvest by loving nature, Westerners go out to the countryside with their livestock or by scaling the steep mountains to seek water and letting them eat the grass, or by moving on to let them eat at the next meadow. By confronting and conquering nature, they have been able to maintain their lives.

The basic organization of the fundamental development of life, which is based on the way of loving and integrating with nature, or based on the way of confronting nature, is the fundamental difference between the ideological lives of Japan and the West, and also between East and West, the East also including China, India, and other countries where the same settled agriculture based on arable land has mainly developed. This fundamental difference has also led East and West to have their respective strengths and weaknesses.

I have to interject with a funny story here. Once, in Europe, our diplomatic mission played host to a Mid-Autumn Moon viewing party.

The Japanese hosts set up a ceremonial altar on the balcony, laid out straw mattresses, arranged soot and grass, offered dumplings, and waited for the guests to arrive, fully adopting the Japanese customs and practices of their home country. However, all the Westerners showed up carrying telescopes in their hands.

In other words, even at the same moon viewing party, there was a significant difference between the Japanese and the Westerners. There is no need to explain that this is the result of the emotional bias of one side and the scientific bias of the other side.

In other words, science is based on the premise of conflict between nature and man. Therefore, this idea was born from the basic direction that life is in conflict with nature. Moon viewing means observing the moon with a telescope. When it comes to climbing a mountain, the Easterner would climb a mountain at a leisurely pace carrying a gourd, burning autumn leaves in the forest and relaxing with a drink of sake in Oriental elegance. In contrast, the Westerner would choose the most treacherous rocky mountain and bask in the pride of conquering it by rock climbing. This difference is the best explanation of this fundamental principle. 

In the East, nature is an object of love, but for them, nature is an object of exploration, analysis, and conquest. Therefore, it is only natural that natural sciences, such as mathematical thought and astronomy, developed from there and gradually led to the establishment of early modern scientific civilization.

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) February 25, 1943

Translated from source: https://archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-02-25

Reddit Link: 1943 Editorial from Imperial Japan: nature is an object of love in Japan, while nature is an object of conquest in the West, which is why the early Scientific revolution started in the West : badphilosophy (reddit.com)

(Transcription)

京城日報　昭和十八年二月二十五日

国体の本義と道義半島（四）

歴史の現実に貫く『道』
血と土に繋がる日本民族

鎌田沢一郎

日本的世界観の肇造こそは、国体の本義に徹するところ自ら発生し来ることは前述した。即ち国史の現実が示し来れる昭かなる道である。そこに他の如何なる世界観にも類例を見ない偉大なる特徴が存在する。それは二千六百年の歴史を実証し来れるものであり、現に国家の現実そのものがこれを如実に示しているのである。それは抽象的な精神的分野のうちに存するのでなく、国史に実存する『道』を通じて脈々把握せらるる真実なのである。

環境は人間を支配するという。民族の世界観が論じられる場合、まず『血と土』の問題を採り、挙げられる所以は茲にある。民族が緊密なる共同体を形成しながら、同じ風土環境に生活しつづけるならば、悠久なる時間の経過の間には、その思惟は制約され、思考の方法は類似し同様な理想を抱擁するに至ることは当然である。

この輪郭的な綜合社会の裡に、自然成長的に、共通な共同な『こころ』が、かたち作られて民族精神として類型化される。之は民族が独立的な生存をする為の生活的構造から必然的に滲み出して来た基本的な精神である。そしてこの精神こそはこの民族を構成する各人を貫き、そこに特有の世界観を顕現する。

この意味において、その優秀なる日本の歴史、日本の国体、日本的世界観を産み出したる神州の自然こそは先ずあらゆるものの母胎でなければならぬ。その大自然の裡に生成発展し来りたる日本人の思想と生活こそは、あらゆる日本精神の『はじめ』であり、根本の哲理であらねばならぬ。

かくて自然と人とを対立的に考えないで、一体に見るという日本的世界観が出現する。このことはやがて全東洋的な物の考え方の特徴をもなして居るのであって、自然を愛し、自然に没入し、自然との全き抱合の裡に生活を保持し来ったことは日本的感情の特性を養った日本的風土のもつすぐれたる美点である。

西欧文化の根元であったエジプトやバビロニアに於いては、その大陸的風格の為につねに大自然の威圧下にあって、そこでは日本の自然環境とは似もやらず自然は愛好の対象とならないのみか、それは愕然と人に対峙していたのである。このことは夫々の集団に於いて生命維持の為の食物採集の手段の上にも現れ『豊葦原瑞穂の国』と言われたわが国が、太古に於いてすでに定着農業の経営が創始され、五穀を植えて、これを採集して主食となし来りたるに比し、西欧に於いては遊牧により水と草を求めて家畜を養い、その乳と肉と皮とによって生活の構成を遂げ来った相違の上に濃厚なる区分を見出される。

即ち定着農業により、一定の土地より食物を得んが為には、まずその土を愛さねばならぬ。土を愛することは同時に自然全体を愛し、かつ感謝することである。自然を愛することによって五穀豊穣の目的を達する日本的生活設計に対して、彼ら西欧人は家畜を伴って或いは嶮峻なる山岳を攀じて彼方の里に出で、その草を征服せしめては水を求め、又つぎの草原を食っては移動するに至っては、つねに自然と対立し、これを征服することによって、その生命は維持され来ったのであった。

その自然を愛し、これに融合して行くという行き方と、自然に対峙するという行き方の根本的なる生活発生の基本組織こそ日本と西欧、ひいては同じ耕地定着農業の主として発達した支那、印度等をふくめての東洋と西洋の思想生活の根本的な相違点であり、且つ各々の特長と欠陥を夫々に保有するに至ったのである。

これについての微笑しき一挿話がある。嘗て欧州において、わが在外公館が主人役となり、中秋明月の鑑賞会をひらいたことがある。

主人役の日本側はバルコニーに祭壇を設け、真菰を敷き、すすき、刈萱を活け、団子を供え、故国の風習行事を全面的にとり入れて賓客を待っていたところ、彼等西欧人の来客全部が手に手に望遠鏡を持って現れたのであった。

即ち同じ月見の宴でも、日本人と西欧人には、これほどの隔たりがある。一方は情緒的に、一方はただ科学的にのみ偏しての結果であること別に説明を要すまい。

即ち科学は自然対人間の対立を前提とする。即ち生活が自然と対立することの基本的方向より、この理念は生れ来ったのである。月見ということは、望遠鏡によって月体を観測することであり、同じ登山にしても、東洋では一瓢を携えて悠々山に登り、林間紅葉を焚いて酒を緩むる風雅に対し、彼は最も峻嶮なる岩山をわざわざ選択してロッククライミングによって征服する誇りとする相違が、最もよくこの根本義を説明して居る。

即ち東洋においては自然は愛の対象であるに拘わらず彼等にとっては探求、分析、克服の対象である。従ってそこからまず数学思想や、天文学等の自然科学が発達の萌芽をみせ、次第に近世科学文明を築き上ぐるに至ったことは当然としなければならない。

1943 Editorial: the Imperial Way embraces the "freedom" of democracy, the "unity and authority" of Mussolini's Fascism, and the "ethnic totalitarian world view" of Hitler's Nazism, achieving a "complete and active freedom" by obeying the authority of the Japanese God-Man

 

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) February 27, 1943

The True Meaning of National Identity and the Righteous Peninsula (6)

Sawaichiro Kamata
Manifestation of the Great Harmonic Order of the Universe
The Mission of the Japanese People is to Support the Work of Heaven

As I have described previously, under objective circumstances, the Japanese people have come to realize how precious is the land on which they stand. In other words, the struggle against the historical environment that we are currently facing has gradually promoted this awareness.

I have come to realize that by thinking distantly back to the days of the founding of the Imperial State and recalling its majesty and lofty ideals, we as the Japanese people living in this turbulent present world can be inspired with new hope and unyielding courage.

Mussolini's Fascism and Hitler's Nazism share a marked backwardness in the face of our imperial principles and a general sense of "unity" and "integration". Although there are significant commonalities that we share with the two, their fundamental essences are completely different, and I have come to realize that these differences are far more extensive and far greater than previously thought. Indeed, the Nazis have followed Japan's example and made great strides. As Hitler often said, "Japan's national identity and the Japanese spirit" are the object of admiration even among Germans, and Barnes, the author of The Universal Aspects of Fascism, said, "Japan is the ideal country of fascism". The fact that Mussolini envies the purity of the Japanese nation is, I think, a confirmation of this fact.

Whatever they observe, our country is neither a mere ethnic totalitarian state nor a dictatorship. It is an absolute state where the people are united as one, where the moral and biological relationship between parent and child, bound by blood, is deepened and refined, and where the relationship between the Emperor and his subjects is revered to the point of virtue. The Emperor, as the Great Parent, embodies the life of the universe, and wishes to perfect the natural qualities of each of the people, so that they may all attain those qualities. The people of this nation are united in the spirit of a billion trillions, and support the emperor in his empire of heavenly deeds. The heavenly work is to complete our country as a true "family nation," to indoctrinate and guide the people, who are suffering from the afflictions of the weak and the strong, to help them build a "world family" internally, and to manifest the great harmonious order of the universe.

Moreover, the only creed of democracy, "freedom," the "unity and authority" of Fascism, and the "ethnic totalitarian world view" of Nazism are all embraced in our Imperial Way with positive significance. In other words, in the Imperial Way, power and freedom are completely integrated through the Emperor's authority, forming an ideal political form unparalleled in the world. It is a complete and active freedom to return to and obey the authority of His Majesty the Emperor, the God of Man, through loyalty. In addition, we do not need to explain now that a unified national community with a parent-child relationship with the present God is superior to any kind of totalitarianism.

I have already mentioned that the nature of Shinshu is the mother of the Japanese nation, which has been in existence for 3,000 years. We must clearly recognize the true Japanese spirit through the "life" that our ancestors lived in the midst of this great nature. In other words, this worldview is a daily consciousness in direct and immediate relation to one's own living position, and as long as this is the case, the worldview must be defined by the mode of existence of life as its foundation. In other words, the self-reflection and self-awareness of the life of the nation must form the basis of the worldview of the Japanese nation.

In general, the structure of human life is determined by both nature and history, which are given to us. Needless to say, nature is the natural mother that makes human existence possible. Human beings can survive by maintaining a continuous and constant negotiation with it. However, as the natural and climatic conditions vary from one place to another, the structural form of life nurtured therein also changes. The worldview cannot be unrelated to or unaffected by this. This is why it is said that blood and soil are the inevitable constraints on the worldview. However, it is natural that the Germanic peoples have a Germanic worldview and the Japanese peoples have a Japanese worldview. The worldview as an expression of the life of a particular nation must be placed in a close and inseparable relationship with the nation that adheres to it.

The Greek worldview, the Indian worldview, the Chinese worldview, etc., all have their own peculiarities, and their characteristics clearly express and reflect their ethnic and racial characteristics. The Greeks are said to be subjectivist, the Indians meditative and religious, and the Chinese willful and logical. Certain wordviews have been established in accordance with these unique ethnicities. In Greece, an intellectual theoretical character was created; in India, a Buddhism with a meditative character was materialized; and in China, a practical logic with a subjective initiative as represented by Confucianism was presented. In other words, it is an expression of the unique essence of the nation, its spatial definition, and its historical destiny, based on the motivation to live that is the bond between nature and the ethnic nation.

Thus, the Japanese view of the world has also been concretely expressed in various aspects of life, showing the essential connection between blood, soil, and history. And in each of these aspects of life, distinctive demands have been submitted.

Source: https://archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-02-27

Reddit Link: 1943 Editorial from Imperial Japan: the Imperial Way embraces the "freedom" of democracy, the "unity and authority" of Mussolini's Fascism, and the "ethnic totalitarian world view" of Hitler's Nazism, achieving a "complete and active freedom" by obeying the authority of the Japanese God-Man : badphilosophy (reddit.com)

(Transcription)

京城日報　昭和十八年二月二十七日

国体の本義と道義半島（六）

鎌田沢一郎
宇宙の大調和的秩序顕現
天業扶翼こそ日本臣民の使命

前述の如き客観情勢下に於いて日本国民は画然として己れ自身の立つ日本の国土が、如何に尊貴であるかを知るに至った。即ち現に直面している歴史的環境との力闘が次第にその自覚を促し来ったのである。

遠く思いを皇国創業の昔に寄せ、その雄渾なる皇籍と高遠なる大理想とに想到することによって、この激動する現世に生活する日本人としての、新しい希望と不屈の覇気とを湧き上がらせることが出来ることを知るに至った。

ムッソリーニのファッシズムもヒトラーのナチズムも、わが皇道原理の前には著しき後進性を示し且つは又『結束』と『綜合』を示す全体感において、その共通の著しきものあるも、その本質に於いては全く異なり、さらに遥かに広く、遥かに大なるものであることを認識するとともにナチスの如きはむしろ日本を模範として邁進し来ったものであり、ヒトラーもしばしば口にするごとく『日本の国体および日本精神』こそは独逸人にとっても讃仰の対象であり、また『ファッシズムの普遍性』の著者バーンズが『日本こそファッシズムの理想国である』といい、ムッソリーニが日本国家純一性を羨望することに於いても、この事実を裏書きすることが出来ると思う。

彼らの観察することがいずれともあれ、我国は単なる民族的全体国家でも、独裁国家でもない。君民一体の絶対国家であり、血に依って結ばれた親子の道義的並びに生物学的関係が深化洗練せられ、そのままに天皇と臣民との大義名分関係まで崇められ、天皇は大御親として宇宙生命を体現せられ、国民各自の天分素質を完成し、彼らをして皆その質を得せしめんと念願し給う。国民は億兆心を一にして、天皇の遂行し給う天業の経綸を扶翼する。天業とは我国を真の『家族国家』として完成せしむると共に、弱肉強食に悩む各国民を教化誘導し、彼らをして内面的に『世界家族』を建設せしめ、以て宇宙の大調和的秩序を顕現せしめんとするにある。

しかも民主主義の主張する唯一の信条たる『自由』もまたファッシズムの『結束と権威』も、ナチズムの『民族全体主義世界観』も我が皇道の裡にはすべて積極的意義を以て抱合されて居る。即ち皇道に於いては権力と自由とが天皇の御稜威を媒介として完全に統合し、世界に比類なき理想的政治形態を形成し、現人神たる天皇陛下の御稜威に忠を通じて帰一信順して行くとは、完全積極的なる自由である。また現人神と親子の関係に於いて純化統一されたる民族共同体こそは如何なる全体主義にも優るべきと今さら絮説を要せぬところであろう。

神州の自然が、悠久三千年、万邦無比の日本国体を産む母胎であったことは前述した。その大自然の裡にわれらの祖先が営んで来た『生活』を通じても、われらは真の日本精神を明確に認識把握せなければならぬ。即ち世界観こそは人の生活的立場から直接即自の関係に於いて日常的意識であるからであり、その限り世界観もその成立地盤たる生活の存在様式に規定せられざるを得ないからである。即ち民族生活の自己省察、自己認識として構成せらるるものこそ民族世界観の根柢をなすものでならねばならぬ。

総じて人間の生活は、与えられたる自然と歴史の両者によって、その構造が決定されるのである。いうまでもなく自然は人間の生存を可能ならしめる自然的な母胎である。人間はそれに対して持続的なる一定の交渉を保つことによって存続することが出来る。しかるにこの自然的風土的状況は千差万別であることによって、そこに育成される生活の構造的形態にも変化がある。世界観はそれと無関係であり、無影響であることは出来ない。今日特に高調せられていることは、世界観を必然的に制約するものは血と土であるとする所以はそこにある。しかしでゲルマン民族はゲルマン的世界観を、日本民族は日本的世界観を有していることは当然である。特定民族の生活の表現としての世界観はこれを信奉する民族と密接不離の関係に置かれねばならないのである。

ギリシャ的世界観、印度的世界観、支那的世界観など皆夫々特有の趣きを持って居り、その特色はそれぞれの民族たり、人種的な性格を判然と表現し反映して居る。ギリシャ人は主知主義的に、印度人は瞑想的宗教的に、支那人は意志的にして論理的と言われたが、この特有な独自の民族性に応じて一定の世界観が樹立され来ったのである。ギリシャに於いては知的な理論的性格が生み出され、印度に於いては瞑想的な性格を荷ぶ仏教が具体化され、支那に於いては儒教に於いて代表される主意主導的な実践論理としての色彩を帯びたものが示されたのは、即ち自然と民族の紐帯たる生活意欲を基として、民族独特の本質、その空間的規定、その歴史的運命の表現に外ならないからである。

かくして日本的世界観もまた血と土と、歴史とに本質的な連関を示し乍ら、様々な生活面に於いて具体的に表現され来って居る。そしてその生活相の側面に於いて特色ある要求を提出して来た。