Annotation source: Seoul Metropolitan Archive
ANNOTATION
Immediately after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan began attacking the Philippines which was an American colony at the time. By May 1942, Japan occupied the entire territory of the Philippines. In October 1944,U.S. forces started to attack Leyte Island in order to reclaim the Philippines, and successfully reclaimed Leyte Island in December 1944. Based on the success in Leyte Island, U.S. forces proceeded to attack Luzon Island in January 1945.
This record is an interrogation report of five Korean “comfort women” who were captured near Dingalan Bay, Tayabas Province in Luzon, Philippines. It was created by the 163rdLanguage Detachment, G-2, Headquarters I Corps, U.S. Army, that participated in the attacks on Luzon. The names of the interviewees were Yanagi Matsumoto, Momoko Kanemoto, Yoi Kanemoto, Kinran Sonoda, and Soran Sonoda.
Kinran Sonoda and Soran Sonoda were sisters. According to the report, they became “comfort women” for the Japanese military in Taichung City, Taiwan and returned to Korea briefly. On April 29, 1944, 62 Japanese and Korean women including the two sisters were sent to the Philippines and split up into small groups and sent to various Japanese army camps as “comfort women.”
The report shows how the Japanese military recruited, managed, and transported “comfort women” in accordance with the movement and the needs of the military. The five Korean women in the report had to serve the needs of the Japanese military in various areas of the Philippines. As the battles intensified, they became separated from Japanese troops and rescued by U.S. forces on the coastline after waving their arms and shouting for help.
In 1996, a researcher with a South Korean NGO, the Korea Chongshindae’s Institute met with Soran Kim (a pseudonym) and confirmed that she was Soran Sonoda in this report. At this meeting, she testified about her experiences as a “comfort woman.” Her testimony supports the information in this report.
Soran Kim was interrogated in the First POW camp in Luzon, and then transported to various camps including the civilian internee camp inside Bilibid Prison in Manila. On October 29, 1945, Kim and 40 other “comfort women” were aboard the ship Mari, and sent to Busan, Korea via Japan. This document is important because it was produced based on direct interrogations of Korean “comfort women.”
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~
#recruitment#transportation #Luzon#Philippines#Sonoda #return
LESSON PLAN
Note to teachers: 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.
Explain the following words to your students before asking them to read the document:
- APO: Army Post Office
- Col.: abbreviation of "Colonel"
- EA: acronym for enemy alien. (Note to teachers: Teachers should read more on the Enemy Alien Control Program in World War II: https://www.archives.gov/research/immigration/enemy-aliens/ww2)
- interrogate: ask questions of (someone, especially a suspect or a prisoner) closely, aggressively, or formally
- LCM: acronym for landing craft mechanized, which is a landing craft designed for carrying vehicles. They were used to land troops or tanks during Allied amphibious assaults during World War II.
- prostitute: a person, in particular a woman, who engages in sexual activity for payment. It refers to the "comfort women" in the document.
- nil: zero, nothing
- geisha: a Japanese hostess trained to entertain men with conversation, dance, and song (Note to teachers: Geisha's status changes in history. Depending on the era, some engaged in prostitution, while other didn't. But in this document, it is apparent that the geishas captured were used as "comfort women.")
After reading the primary document, please answer the following questions:
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?
4. Who created it?
5. Who's the audience of the document?
6. What year was it created?
7. What was the historical context in East and Southeast Asia during the time?
8. Who were being interrogated?
9. What was their nationality?
10. Where were they captured?
11. When were they captured?
12. What was their physical condition at the time?
13. Why did the families of these girls sell them to a Geisha House in Korea? What does that tell you about some poor people's lives in Korea at the time?
14. Why didn't Col. Suzuki want the EAs to be captured?
15. While transporting the EAs from one place to another, some of them died. Even so, Col. Suzuki insisted they should be tagged along with him. What does this tell you?
16. How did the several EAs under interrogation escape from Col. Suzuki?
17. Do you think the EAs had a choice to be transported from one place to another? Why or why not? Use evidence in the document to support your conclusion.
18. 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?
19. What additional questions do you have for this document?
20. 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.