Annotation source: Seoul Metropolitan Archive
Annotation and image link: https://archives.seoul.go.kr/item/52
ANNOTATION
With a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan declared war against the Allied Forces. Japan went on to attack the Allied Powers’ colonies in Southeastern Asia, including Burma (today’s Myanmar). Beginning with Japanese troops’ occupation of Myitkyina, a major city in northern Burma, Japan occupied the entire territory of Burmaby May 1942.
This report is titled “Health Maintenance of Japanese Army in Burma, No. 1230” and was sent from the Military Intelligence Division (MID), War Department General Staff (W.D.G.S.),to New Delhi, India. MID was an intelligence agency of the U.S. War Department, in charge of collecting information for war strategy and conducting missions. This report was based on an interrogation of a commissioned Japanese medical officer, Heihachi Ito. According to the report, Ito was captured on March 14, 1945 and had “superior intelligence exclusively” in the field of medicine.
This report contains the following 11 sections: introduction, general conditions among Japanese troops, diseases among Japanese troops, treatment of disease, control of disease, equipment and drugs, care of the wounded and methods of evacuation, organization of the Japanese medical department, food and supply, miscellaneous factors, and a summary.
What Ito witnessed regarding “comfort women” and comfort stations in Burma is found in “No. 11. Venereal Disease” under Section V (p. 6-7). He describe the approximate numbers of comfort stations and “comfort women” and control of venereal disease. According to Ito, two “comfort homes” were “provided wherever possible with each Division.” Each comfort station possessed 7 to 8 “comfort women” and they “were to receive a percentage of the money ‘take’.”
As the operation of comfort stations was controlled by the Army, there were rules for regular examination (once a week) and supervision by the Medical Department. However, Ito said, this rule was rarely followed and at best, “only cursory examination was made once a month” for the women. The men visiting the comfort stations were never examined. “Comfort women” were provided with condoms and certain medical treatments. Upon entering the “comfort station,” soldiers were advised to apply an ointment before using condoms.
This is a valuable document due to its detailed descriptions regarding the operation and maintenance of the “comfort stations.”
Contributors
[Organization] Seoul National University, Chin-sung Chung Research Team, 2015~
[Organization] City of Seoul, Women and Family Policy Affairs Office 2011~
[Organization] Seoul National University, Chin-sung Chung Research Team, 2015~
[Organization] National Archives and Records Administration 1934~
#OSS #operation #maintenance #Myitkyina #Burma #Myanmar #medical #Ito #examination #regulations
Download file: https://international.ucla.edu/media/files/US-10-OSS-Health-Maintenance-of-Japanese-Army-in-Burma-No.-1230-1l-iww.pdf
LESSON PLAN
Note to teachers:
1. The discussion questions below are designed based on the original document, not the annotation. Teachers are recommended to use the primary document in teaching, instead of the annotation. However, the annotation provides useful background information for teachers when they prepare for the lesson.
2. The scaffolded questions below are based on the cover page and "No. 11. Venereal Disease" under section V, pp. 6-7.
Explain the following words to your students before asking them to read the document:
- Burma: nowadays Myanmar
- G.C.: gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted disease
- Mandalay: a city in Myanmar
- Nippon: Japanese
- prostitute: a person, in particular a woman, who engages in sexual activity for payment. It refers to the "comfort women" in the document.
- V.D. or venereal disease: sexually transmitted disease
Direct students to read the cover page:
1. What kind of document is this?
2. What are the physical characteristics of this document?
a. Is it handwritten or typed?
b. Are there any marks? If so, what are they?
c. Any other physical features do you notice?
d. Does any of these physical characteristics interest you?
3. What's the title of the document? What can you infer from the title?
4. Who created it?
5. Who was the targeted audience?
6. When was it created?
7. What was the historical context in East and Southeast Asia during the time?
8. Use one sentence to summarize the content of the document.
Direct students to read "No. 11. Venereal Disease" under Section V, pp. 6-7.
9. According to the prisoner of war, what was the percentage of soldiers that contracted venereal diseases?
10. Was that number accurate? Why?
11. What do you know about the availability of the "comfort stations?"
12. Who supervised the "comfort stations?"
13. Were there any regulations at the "comfort station?" If so, can you give an example?
14. Were the regulations strictly followed? What does that tell you?
15. The Japanese government has been claiming that it 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?
16. What additional questions do you have for this document?
17. Where/How can you find the answers?
*This lesson plan was designed by Jing, Williams, Associate Professor of Social Studies Education at University of South Dakota.