Author: Adjutant General, Ministry of the Army
Recipient: Chief of Staff for the Occupation Forces in Northern and Central China
Date: March 4, 1938
File: Shi-ju Dainikki [Great Diary] Mitsu, or the Secret Documents from China received by the Ministry of War (1938)
Locations: Northern China and central China
Keyword: Mobilization
Annotation Source: Northeast Asian History Foundation
Click HERE to see the annotation in Korean
Image link: http://wam-peace.org/ianfu-koubunsho/pdf/K-PDF/K_D_001.pdf
ANNOTATION
This document is about improving the methods for “comfort women” recruitment. It is a report that proposes improving the recruitment methods since there have been many cases where the recruiters damage the dignity of the military or create social problems because of their claims that they are acting based on the understanding they reached with the military authorities. Also, the selection of the recruiters has been flawed because there are cases where recruiters are arrested and investigated due to the methods they used that resemble kidnapping.
It is clearly stated in the document that the Expeditionary Army shall control future recruitment by selecting the people in charge in a very careful manner, and by communicating with the Military Police and the district police in the applicable region where recruitment takes place. It also cautions recruiters to be careful not to damage the dignity of the military nor to create any social issues.
Sources:
WAM Collection (Military_016)
Collection of the Asian Women’s Fund, Vol. 2, p.3-7
Sourcebook by Suzuki, Yamashita, and Tonomura, Vol. 1, p. 103-106
Sourcebook by Yuji Hosaka, Vol. 1, p. 86-88
Japan Center for Asian Historical Records, C04120263400
#recruitment #kidnapping #Shi-ju_Dainikki_Mitsu
QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS
Explain the following words to your students before asking them to read annotation:
- dignity: the state of being worthy of honor or respect
- kidnap: take someone away illegally by force
After reading the annotation, please answer the following questions:
1. What kind of document is this?
2. Who wrote it?
3. What year was it created?
4. What was the historical context in East Asia during the time?
5. Where was it created?
6. What's the title of the document? What does the title tell you?
7. Who's the audience of the document?
8. What's the main idea of this document?
9. Why did the Japanese military decide to regulate the methods of recruiting "comfort women"?
10. Based on the annotation, who would oversee future recruitments and the recruiters?
11. The "comfort women" deniers tend to push the blame on the recruiters and claim that the government or military bears no legal official responsibility for the "comfort women" victims. Based on the document, do you think the claim is defendable? Why or why not?
12. What other questions do you have for this document?
13. How/Where can you find the answers?
*Questions for Students section was designed by Jing Williams, Associate Professor of Social Studies Education at University of South Dakota.