Month: November 2021

Uncategorized

In October 1943, Seoul high school girls make “comfort books” filled with pictures, poetry, songs, and cute dolls for Imperial Japanese soldiers fighting in the Pacific front

2021-11-30

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Gyeongseong Ilbo, October 29, 1943 Comfort books to the front lineNew Opportunity for Seoul No. 2 High School Girls

Korean Workers

In January 1943, the CEO of a telephone company talks frankly about the problems associated with hiring Koreans in Japan-occupied Korea

2021-11-29

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Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) January 13, 1943 The Growing Response to the “Employment of Koreans in the Workplace” The

Imperial Way

March 1943 edict of Governor Koiso of Japan-occupied Korea focusing on Korean girls in assimilation campaigns to “penetrate them with the Japanese spirit and be aggressive”

2021-11-28

444

(my translation) Keijo Nippo (Gyeongseong Ilbo) March 31, 1943 Focus on the girlsThe Governor explains the results of his

Uncategorized

Nostalgia for Imperial Japan and its undercurrents in Kishi Nobusuke’s legacy in postwar Japan, in Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan’s legacy in South Korea, and why access to wartime newspapers of Japan-occupied Korea is important to combat historical misinformation by the far-right in both countries

2021-11-25

In a previous post, I explained in detail the intractable movement of historical denialism and revisionism that is prevalent in

Military

In March 1944 in Seoul, an angry speech by Governor Koiso of Japan-occupied Korea called for the “Anglo-Saxon utilitarian worldview” to be shattered and Hakko Ichiu thought to be spread across the world; his rally celebrated the war path of martyrdom and “Banzai to Holy War”

2021-11-22

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Kuniaki Koiso was the Governor of Japan-occupied Korea from June 1942 to July 1944. He was arguably the most

Uncategorized

In April 1943, Seoul high school girls went to an Imperial Japanese military camp to plant a flower garden, then entertained Japanese soldiers at a “comfort party” by dancing, singing Japanese imperial military songs, and acting in Kabuki plays

2021-11-22

423

This article describes some school girls from Seoul No. 2 Girls’ High School taking a day trip to an

Uncategorized

In June 1944, the Japanese military gave a Burmese delegation a VIP tour of Seoul, including the local schools Japanizing Korean children (photo: Susong School in Jongno-gu, Seoul)

2021-11-22

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In June 1944, the Japanese military gave their Burmese visitors a VIP tour of Seoul, including the local schools that

Japanese Language

Imperial Japan waged an aggressive Japanese language campaign on Korean villages in the ’30s and ’40s, entering homes to attach Japanese labels on household objects, putting residents under 55 in mandatory classes, applying an “unyielding whip” to “break down their customs and stray dreams”

2021-11-22

453

This article from Japan-occupied Korea in 1943 describes an aggressive Japanese language campaign that was conducted in Korean villages

Uncategorized

Why did many Koreans “voluntarily” enlist in the Imperial Japanese military during WWII? Partly due to ominous Japanese government edicts like this one in 1943 threatening Korean students with worse treatment under punitive conscription for missing the deadline to voluntarily enlist

2021-11-22

533

On October 20, 1943, the government of Japan-occupied Korea selected certain groups of male students in Korea, like liberal

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Korean girls in a “women’s volunteer corps” learn Japanese tea etiquette at a naval weaponry factory in Toyama Japan, June 1944

2021-11-22

489

So this article shows an example of a Korean “women’s volunteer corps” (joshiteishintai, 女子挺身隊), one of many that were