Author: Itsuo Gotō (後藤溢尾), Deputy Consulate General in Shanghai
Recipients: Kazushige Ugaki, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Date: September 28, 1938
File: Concerning the Limitation and Regulation of Japanese Citizens Traveling overseas to China at the Time of the Sino-Japanese Incident; Regulation by the Relevant District in China (Vol. 1)
Location: Shanghai (China)
Keywords: Transportation
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_F_004.pdf
ANNOTATION
This is a document sent by the Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai to the Minister of Foreign Affairs relating to the emergency response guidelines for the entry and exit of Japanese nationals after the capture of Hankow. (Confidential. No. 3107)
It states that the entry and exit of the Japanese settlers in Hankow shall be controlled based on such principles as, fulfillment of the military needs and the expedited revival. The entry of Japanese nationals and general travelers shall be prohibited for now; however, these restrictions do not apply to those who enter Hankow to open comfort stations for the military.
This indicates that the local consulate office and the military had primary authority and control over the immigration of Japanese citizens and Korean colonial subjects of Japan, who traveled to the occupied territories to establish comfort stations as part of military business.
Sources:
WAM Collection (Foreign Affairs_004)
Sourcebook published by the Asian Women's Fund (Vol. 1, P. 121~123)
Sourcebook by Suzuki, Yamashita and Tonomura (Vol. 1, P. 115~116)
Sourcebook by Yoshimi (P. 115~117)
#transportation #Hankow #Shanghai #Consulate #Foreign_Affairs
QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS
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. While the regular Japanese citizens were restricted to enter China, who had the privilege to go to China? For what purpose? What does this tell us?
10. The "comfort women" deniers tend to claim that the government or military bears no legal or official responsibility for the "comfort women" victims. Based on this document, do you think the claim is defendable? Why or why not?
11. What other questions do you have for this document?
12. 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.