Author: Byeongju Hwang, a Research Officer, National Institute of Korean History
Original annotation: http://www.kyeol.kr/node/196
Image link: https://archives.seoul.go.kr/item/82
ANNOTATION
This is an interrogation report produced by the Psychological warfare division, Office of War Information (OWI). It is one of two important documents produced by the Allied Forces regarding the “comfort women” issue, along with the ATIS no. 120 report[US-2].This report summarizes the interrogations of 20 former Korean “comfort women” who were captured as POWs in Myitkyina area, northern Burma (today’s Myanmar). It is the only case where as many as 20 “comfort women” were captured at once and recorded in an interrogation report.
The report no. 49 consists of the following sections: Preface, Recruiting, Personality, Living and working conditions, Price system, Schedules, Pay and living conditions, reactions toward the Japanese troops, reactions of Japanese soldiers, Reactions to Japanese soldiers, Soldiers’ reactions, Reaction to the military situation, Retreat and capture, Propaganda, and Requests. Attached as an appendix is the list of Korean names of the 20 “comfort women” and names of the couple that operated the comfort station. The 7 pages in total include the body text of 6 pages and 1-page appendix.
This document provides a lot of information regarding comfort station management and the living conditions of “comfort women.” It introduces specific information such as business hours, rate system, and income of “comfort women.” However, this document also shows an unusual instance of the military reporter injecting subjective judgment about the lives and status of the “comfort women.” For example, the author writes that the “comfort women” were not pretty from Japanese and Caucasian standards and that the women were ‘childish and selfish.’ He writes that “comfort women” lived a relatively abundant life and ‘near-luxury,’ but this was when compared to other areas of Burma.
Today, these outlier descriptions are often relied upon by history deniers and Japan’s extreme right-wing forces in order to attack the historical basis that “comfort women” were coerced. In particular, skeptics tend to selectively focus on the line in the preface that a ‘comfort girl’ is nothing more than a prostitute or ‘camp follower’” while excluding or ignoring the section under “Recruitment,” which states that the women were recruited on the basis of “false representations.” In order to fully understand report no. 49, an analysis of the interrogator and the context is useful.
This report is not a direct transcript of the statements and testimonies of the 20 Korean “comfort women,” but instead a separately produced report based on the author’s interpretation of the interrogation reports of the 20 women.
The author of this report is Alex Yorichi. Yorichi was a second generation Japanese immigrant called Nisei. While their families and fellow Japanese Americans were interned in the US as enemy subjects, thousands of Nisei joined the US military and dedicated themselves to their country of citizenship. This war created a situation where Nisei soldiers were fighting against Japan, a country associated with their identity and the discrimination they faced back home in America. This report should be read with an understanding of this complex situation and its potential impact on the Nisei interrogators.
Another important point is that the report does not reflect firsthand voices of the Korean “comfort women,” in part due to language barriers and translation complications. Yorichi did not speak Korean, and it is highly probable that the Japanese language skills of the “comfort women” were very poor, since it was not their native language. The interrogations of the women were likely conducted through the former comfort station owners, whom the women called “mama-san” and “papa-san” (mama and papa). The comfort station owners were a husband and wife couple, Kitamura, and it seems that they played the role of an interpreter and a spokesperson for the “comfort women.” If that was the case, it is highly possible that what they relayed during the interrogation was favorable to themselves.
The problem of subjective narration in this report becomes clearer when compared to SEATIC bulletin no. 2 [US-20]. In fact, the report on the 20 Korean “comfort women” at Myitkyina is found in various records, as it was an important case that showed the reality of the “comfort station” system for the Japanese military. Unlike the report produced by Yorichi, however, SEATIC bulletin no. 2 is mostly a dry description of facts.
#interrogation #Alex_Yorichi #Nisei #Kitamura #recruitment #management
Download file: https://international.ucla.edu/media/files/US-11-Japanese-Prisoner-of-War-Interrogation-Report-No.-49-Korean-Comfort-Women-cb-eyn.pdf
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. Particularly important: teachers need to read this annotation which warns them to pay attention to the background of the report writer and the context.
This is an important document by the U.S. & Allied Forces regarding "comfort women." It contains 12 sections: (1) Preface; (2) Recruiting; (3) Personality; (4) Living and Working Conditions; (5) Price System; (6) Schedules; (7) Pay and Living Conditions; (8) Reactions to Japanese Soldiers; (9) Soldiers' Reactions; (10) Reaction to the Military Situation; (11) Retreat and Capture; and (12) propaganda. Each section can be used independently to be a part of a lesson, depending on the objective of the lesson. The scaffolded questions below are designed based on sections (1)-(7) because they are directly related to the condition of "comfort women."
Explain the following words to your students before asking them to read the required sections:
- APO: army post office
- brothel: a house where men can visit prostitutes. It refers to the "comfort stations" in the document.
- interrogate: ask questions of (someone, especially a suspect or a prisoner) closely, aggressively, or formally
- Burma: nowadays Myanmar in Southeast Asia
- contraceptive: (of a method or device) serving to prevent pregnancy
- demure: reserved, modest, and shy (typically used of a woman)
- "house master": owner of the "comfort station"
- Ledo Stockade: a United States Army prison in northeast India
- Myitkyina: a city in Myanmar
- MP: military police
- NCOs: non-commissioned officers
- prostitute: a person, in particular a woman, who engages in sexual activity for payment. It refers to the "comfort women" in the document.
- Rangoon: a city in Myanmar
- roving: constantly moving from one area or place to another
- prerogative: a right or privilege exclusive to a particular individual or class
- prostitution: the practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment. In the "Recruiting" section, the report mentioned "oldest profession on earth," which means prostitution.
- whimsical: playful, especially in an appealing and amusing way
- wile: cunning tricks used to manipulate or persuade someone to do what one wants
- yen: Japanese currency. The currency symbol is ¥.
After reading the primary document, please answer the following questions:
From the beginning to Preface:
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. When was it created?
6. What was the historical context in East and Southeast Asia during the time?
7. Who were the prisoners under interrogation? How many?
8. Based on the Preface, what does this document include?
9. How many "comfort women" were shipped to Burma in 1942?
10. What does the Preface tell you about the role of "comfort women?"
Recruiting Section:
1. When the "comfort women" recruiters tried to recruit Korean girls for "comfort service," did they clearly explain the nature of the work?
2. How was the "comfort service" assumed by the Koreans?
3. Why do you think the recruiters disguised the true nature of the "comfort service?"
4. Why do you think the recruiters paid the family some money in advance?
5. How well were the majority of the Korean girls educated?
6. How wealthy were these girls' families? Use evidence from the document to answer this question.
7. Why did the recruiters target this group of girls?
8. How long of a contract did the Korean girls sign?
9. Where were the "comfort stations" usually located?
10. What was the Kyoei house originally named?
11. Why was the name of the house changed after the "comfort women" arrived? What does it tell you?
12. 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?
13. What additional questions do you have for this document?
14. Where/How can you find the answers?
Personality Section:
1. How old were the average "comfort girls?"
2. How does the report describe their personalities?
3. Did they like their "profession"?
4. What might be some of the reasons why they didn't want to talk about their "profession"?
Living and Working Conditions Section:
1. Where did these "comfort girls" live in Myitkyina?
2. Who provided them with food? Why?
3. Why did the report say these "comfort girls" lived a better life in comparison to other places?
4. What entertainments did these "comfort girls" have?
Price System & Schedules Section:
If teachers use this section in teaching, make sure to point it out to the students that: "However, this document also shows an unusual instance of the military reporter injecting subjective judgment about the lives and status of the "comfort women." For example, the author writes that the "comfort women" were not pretty from Japanese and Caucasian standards and that the women were 'childish and selfish." He writes that "comfort women" lived a relatively abundant life and 'near-luxury,' but this was when compared to other areas of Burma." (Quotes from the annotation)
1. Who regulated the "comfort stations?"
2. What kind of information do you get from this sentence, "... and in congested areas regulations were strictly enforced"?
3. Why was it necessary to install a price system in congested areas?
4. How did the Japanese army address the problems of congestion in the "comfort station"?
5. How did the Japanese army enforce the regulations in congested areas?
6. Did the regulations solve the problem? Explain.
Pay and Living Conditions Section:
1. What percentage of the "comfort girls" gross earning went to the "house master"?
2. If $1 equated ¥15 in 1945, how much would ¥750 be worth in US dollar? (Be mindful that the value of Japanese currency fluctuated wildly during the war.)
3. Why did the "house masters" make "comfort women's" lives difficult by charging them high prices for necessities?
*This lesson plan was designed by Jing Williams, Associate Professor of Social Studies Education at University of South Dakota.