This is my translation and transcription of two news articles from Keijo Nippo, a propaganda newspaper and mouthpiece of the government of Japan-colonized Korea. These have never been republished or translated before, to the best of my knowledge.

Notes:

The Federation refers to the Korean Federation of National Power (国民総力朝鮮連盟, 국민총력조선연맹), the single ruling party of Japan-colonized Korea.

Annexation refers to the annexation of Korea into Imperial Japan in 1910.

Literary effeminacy is the translation for the word bunjaku (文弱) and refers to the excessive emphasis on book learning.

(Translation)

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) November 8, 1943

Talking about the students who went off to war (2)

Understanding the family comes first

Young Koreans are strong in both body and mind

Federation General Secretary Hada: Some of the schoolteachers are present, but if there were some who hesitated, what kind of mindset did they have? Please tell us what you noticed.

Mr. Jeong: Mr. Watanabe from Hyehwa Specialized School, your thoughts?

Mr. Watanabe: I have talked about this spirit with my students since the implementation of the conscription system. They may think that they do not have to volunteer just because it is a voluntary system, but that is not the case. I have told them that they must be ready to accept the call at any time, and my students are agreeing with me on this point. So I think that if you leave it with me, my students will voluntarily become conscripted. The young men are pure. Mr. Natsuyama was here for a leadership conference of the Federation, when he said that both family and society must be mobilized, and I agreed wholeheartedly with his words. Indeed, even if the students are mentally prepared to go out to war, their families may stand in their way.

Speaking from my own experience, I am engaged in a job placement campaign for young Koreans, and I feel this from beginning to end. If I told my students to go to Manchuria, their parents would oppose it even if the students were willing to go. If I told my students to go to China, their parents would say something like, ‘Your father is too old’, tending to be too focused on the family. In this respect, there is a difference from families in mainland Japan.

There was talk about the Korean students returning to Korea from mainland Japan, but I think that they returned to Korea to consult with their families. I hope that the Federation and the newspapers will make efforts to educate families and society.

I may be stating it too bluntly, but it is obvious that the war will be won. After victory, the people of Japan will be able to walk proudly throughout the world as citizens of a victorious nation. We can walk proudly as the leading and superior people throughout East Asia with the honor of war.

But what would happen if you did not participate? What would you have done? If this happens, Koreans will forever fall from the position of leaders as an inferior people. They must do it because it is the best opportunity for the future improvement of the Korean people.

In the past, when the idea of white superiority was popular, East Asian peoples were regarded as inferior. Therefore, the government of the time took great pains to put them on an equal footing with the whites. However, it was difficult for them to recognize the East Asians. However, after defeating the Russians in the Russo-Japanese War, the colored race was recognized as a great nation. There is nothing like war to demonstrate the power of a people. If you do not participate in this war, your future will be dark, and after all, this is for the sake of Korea.

I have been educating Korean children for many years, and they are very smart, and their grades are astonishingly good. No matter where they go to school, Koreans get good grades and have good physical fitness. Some people may say they are lacking in character, lacking in energy, or irresponsible, but they do very well in martial arts and in training.

I have been promoting martial arts for two years, and we are now ranked second among all Korean specialized schools. If you encourage them, they will grow. In terms of physical strength and academic ability, they are the same as the people of mainland Japan. If they take that strength and join the military and become a junior enlisted noncommissioned or commissioned officer, their strength will be recognized because there is no discrimination in the military. There has never been such a good opportunity. Indeed, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So I told them to go straight ahead. [‘transcription paused’] Then I talked to them about how much their participation represented a social movement for the Korean people. I hope that we will make efforts to educate families as part of this social movement.

President Kanegawa: Just as you said, I also have to say, at the same time, that the most urgent task is to rebuild the worldview of the Korean people. Since the Koreans do not have a national worldview or a social worldview, I have heard that they hold the sentiment that, since Prime Minister Tojo said that he would allow the independence of Burma and the Philippines as soon as possible if they cooperate from the bottom of their hearts in the Greater East Asia War, shouldn’t he allow the same for the Korean people? 

Their other sentiment is that this is a war for Japan, and that they have nothing to do with it. This is because they have not yet developed a worldview. It is only natural that we should use the power of newspapers to educate and guide them, but I believe that it is most desirable for school authorities to use their efforts to nurture young people in a normal manner.

Parents always put family problems first, so when I tried to get them to work for the police which, as Mr. Watanabe has said, are the most disciplined in Northern and Central China, Manchuria, and in Korea, they would say that their children are weak and so they should be sent to work for the Ministry of the Interior or the Ministry of Industry instead of the police.

In fact, when I was a bureaucrat, I wanted to reform these bad cultural attitudes. If I ordered the people in Seoul to work in the provinces, they would complain that they would be separated from their families. I did not approve of such personal excuses, but things did not go the way I wanted. In the end, they were able to get away by various means, but such young men never rose up in the ranks. There were lots of cases like this one in my personal experience.

From this point of view, I hope that those who have been given this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as Japanese people to live under this decisive time of war, and who are qualified to serve, will fully realize that such an opportunity will never come again. No one should be able to sit still to miss such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is really sad that we are still talking about this. We at the Federation must make every effort to rebuild this old way of thinking. If their fundamental worldview is not corrected, even the best and the brightest will be corrupted. I hope that the school authorities will make efforts to eliminate these bad cultural attitudes in these students as soon as possible.

Mr. Watanabe: Korean parents ask too much of their children, and these parents are really cowardly. They are enforcing too much filial piety. This is not only a problem in schools, but also in society as a whole. Parents should not think of their children taking care of them. They must fix this tendency to think that they are elderly people when they reach the age of 50, after which they will just play around and live off their children’s income.

Mr. Jeong: School Principal Kim of Poseung Specialized School, what are your thoughts on this point?

Mr. Kim: As the General Secretary of the Korean Federation has just mentioned, what is the reason why young Korean men cannot become brave despite the fact that the way to martyrdom has been opened for them? I think the main reason is the weakness of literary effeminacy. This may enrage the Korean people, but this is a fact. For 300 years, the Koreans have never participated in a war. Even in peacetime, we Koreans have learned to seek shelter from a young age.

No one can deny this. I have heard so much about Jirisan in Korea or Mount Kongō in Japan being good shelters, so much so that I have developed calluses in my ears. This is second nature to Koreans. As a Korean, I am truly ashamed to talk about this, but I acknowledge this as a fact. The people of mainland Japan may be outraged that the Koreans are so indifferent when they are fighting for the survival of their nation, but the fact is that this is the cause of the problem.

They also have a fear that they will die if they join the military, which is completely cowardly. Not all those who go to war necessarily return home dead. It cannot be guaranteed that they will not die at all, but with bad luck, one-twentieth to one-tenth of them will die. After all, as a result of their long-standing literary effeminacy, it is difficult for them to harden their resolve [‘transcription paused’].

In accordance with the Governor General’s instructions, I greatly emphasized that the young Korean men should go willingly, precisely because they are not forced to do so. However, there are many who hesitate to do so, and some go back to the countryside to consult with their parents there. If it is true that Koreans are indifferent to the war at this time, holding the sentiment that this is not a war for Korea, or that it is someone else’s war which has nothing to do with the Koreans, then it is understandable that the people of mainland Japan may feel offended, but I think that is the main cause of the problem. Korean people, please don’t get mad at me. It’s a fact that the Koreans have this characteristic.

It may sound like I’m only mentioning faults, but Koreans are no less smart or strong than the people of mainland Japan. However, they lack the spirit of bravery. In this respect, they are inferior to the people of mainland Japan. When their moment arrives, their second nature gets in the way, and that is where the problem actually arises.

Gyeongseong Ilbo (Keijo Nippo) November 10, 1943

Talking about the students who went off to war (3)

Destroy your view of life and death!

Wake up, all influential Koreans!

Keijo Nippo Reporter: It is said that the main reason for this problem is that the Korean people suffer from literary effeminacy and lack the martial spirit. Myeongnyun Specialized School is said to be emphasizing Confucianism in its education, but in recent days, how are students being guided regarding this problem? Mr. Shirakami, your thoughts?

Mr. Shirakami: In a sense, there are strong indications that the Confucianism of the past was a sort of decorative form of Confucianism tailored for a special class of people. It seems to me that this kind of Confucianism was a way of responding to science and enjoying poetry. I am now in the process of reshaping this form of Confucianism by beating it into a Japanese form of Confucianism, just like the Confucianism practiced in mainland Japan, as I believe this will be a meaningful way for their future.

The school has been in existence for only a year and a half, and this is in accordance with my own personal philosophy. The way of life of the school is to advance Confucianism in accordance with the Imperial Way. Confucianism is beautiful in its qualities, and I believe that it would be deeply meaningful for the various peoples of the Greater East Asian region to rework this form of Confucianism into a Japanese form by re-tailoring old clothes of high quality into a common doctrine for the peoples of today’s nations. 

In response to your question, I would like to add my own personal view that the mistakes we made in the past with respect to educational methods may be one of the weak points in the thinking of today’s students. I believe that the subjectivism and liberalism of Western education may be one of the reasons why today’s students are encouraged to make free decisions in matters of their own volition. In addition, while Confucianism has a strong influence on life and death issues in family life structures and life practices, it is Daoist thought that truly penetrates into the depths of the views on life and death. From one perspective, the shaman is a very powerful force. Roadside divinations can have the authority to make decisions on important events in life, and the idea of longevity and immortality is also very strong. This is a trend that will eventually lead to an emphasis on life and a de-emphasis on death in matters of life and death.

In addition, the ability of the culture to change is generally tied to the influence of continental culture. Korean culture, including its way of life, will not change overnight. It is difficult to change the Koreans’ outlook on life or the world, or change the appearance of the cultural layers of the Korean peninsula in a single morning without encountering emergencies of historical proportions. The same is also true in their material life.

In family life, too, there is a family-centered, genealogy-centered morality, and also the idea of inheritance by a legitimate son and respect for boys. Boys are respected even when they are children, while girls are treated lightly. The idea that the eldest male child is treated more seriously than the youngest male child will eventually cause obstacles in decision-making when the eldest son or only child becomes qualified to serve in the military. I have been thinking about whether or not there are points of hesitation when it comes to the survival of the family line in matters of family structure, and I have been discussing various ways forward. To this day, I’m not sure about the way forward, but what do you think?

Federation Director of Training, Mr. Ōie: The fact that it is difficult for their fathers and mothers to make up their minds today is not only a problem regarding today’s fathers and mothers. We have come to know that it is also a result of longstanding historical conditions that have inevitably led to this situation. Thus, I think we have to take a new approach in connection with what is going on.

Korea has not had any political training in its history. Dr. Tokuzō Fukuda once said that from an economic standpoint, Korea could not establish a full-fledged new economic system because it did not have the background to do so, as it is said that Korea did not pass through a feudal phase in its history. But the fact that Korea did not go through a feudal phase in its history was a very negative thing from a political and military standpoint. History has taught us how the Japanese Bushido (the way of the warrior) was trained by the feudal system through families, although mainland Japan no longer has a feudal system today. The political and military struggles of the various regions, domains, and feudal lords were the driving force that created the spirit of the Japanese people.

Korea had none of this. In mainland Japan, ever since the early days of the founding of Japan, even during the times when there still was no feudal system, the center of the nation has always been clearly defined. The people of Japan have always rallied around the center, and each and every one of them has submitted to the center. Every Japanese person without exception has been trained in the governance of the nation since its founding to express submission. In the process of its development, it has further refined its power through the feudal period. Even when the Japanese people were not coming into conflict with other peoples, military training has been added through the internal struggle for power within Japan.

Korea has had no such training. It had no struggles with external forces. Nor were there tense situations within Korea where two forces were at each other’s throats. They were only guided by Confucianism without any agency of their own. Today, in the face of war, this has given rise to a view of life and death in which one cannot make up one’s mind. If we go back to earlier times than the Yi Dynasty, the situation is a little different. There are many examples of the Silla, Baekje, and Goryeo dynasties that we can take up today and be inspired by.

Goryeo defeated the great army of Sui Dynasty, Baekje defeated the great army of Tang Dynasty, and Silla was training its young men in the Hwarang Corps. A 15- or 16-year-old child of a general went into battle, fought as fierce as a lion, and was taken prisoner. When he took off his helmet, it was revealed that he was still a boy. The enemy general even recalled that, since even the boys could fight like this, they could never win against Silla. The enemy general thought it would be a shame to behead him, and sent him home. When he returned home, his family said that he had returned home defeated and would not even let him see his dying father. This is just one example, but there were many such cases in Silla.

Mr. Watanabe: I completely agree with your opinion. In the Yi Dynasty, Confucianism was the core of family and social morality. The teachings of Confucianism are very good, and they include the principles of good moral training, family governance, political governance, and peaceful reign, but in Korea, they stopped short at good moral training and family governance, and forgot about the principles of good political governance and peaceful reign. I think this is the reason why the Korean people’s mindset has become stagnant and depressed.

Mr. Natsuyama: I agree.

Mr. Watanabe: Buddhism in Japan has always been linked to the Imperial family. The idea of filial piety is to be of service to the sovereign, and this is the Japanese view of life, which is not the case in Korea. Confucianism is not necessarily a bad thing, but in Japan, when the country was not yet under the principles of good political governance and peaceful reign, it was considered a great honor to die in front of the sovereign’s horse, and even the parents praised it. It is regrettable that, although individual Koreans thought about the development of their own families, they never thought about the development of Korea as a whole.

Nowadays, I think it is necessary to link Confucianism and Buddhism to the Imperial family.

Mr. Natsuyama: If we discuss the Koreans from a historical perspective, we will probably not be able to solve their problems even if we spend a year on it, so let’s move on to the issue at hand.

Generally speaking, Koreans have become Japanese in a short period of time. But where will their patriotic spirit come from when they suddenly become Japanese, considering that the Koreans have had a weak patriotic spirit since the old Joseon Dynasty? They have not yet arrived at the stage where they could say, ‘The Japanese empire is my country, and I must die a martyr for my nation.’

Koreans do not have the idea of a martial spirit. They are said to have literary effeminacy, but they are not even well educated. Even the sons of peasant farmers volunteer to serve as soldiers, and they do so as valiantly just like mainland Japanese soldiers. So it is not as if we should wait until they become like this. However, their weak patriotic spirit itself is something that has been carried over from the old Joseon Dynasty. There are many among the influential classes who, since annexation, have attained a certain level of patriotic spirit earlier than expected.

In short, they misunderstand Japan and do not fully grasp Japan. For example, a student at school simply dismisses the principal’s words just because they came from the principal, even if they are　important.

The other is the ideology of the students, which is the result of their parents’ ideology manifested through the students along with their environment. There is no such thing as a student’s ideology which exists independently. Even if a student tries hard to become an Imperial person, it is not so easy to do so within the family. Nowadays, I hope that proper guidance is provided in this regard by the Federation, which is a touchstone for the manifestation of the patriotic spirit by influential Koreans.

Source 1: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-11-07

Source 2: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-11-08

Source 3: https://www.archive.org/details/kjnp-1943-11-10

(Transcription)

京城日報　1943年11月8日

出陣学徒を語る②

家庭の理解が第一

体・智共劣らぬ半島若人

波田総長：学校の先生方もお出でだが、躊躇逡巡する者があったとしたらば、一体それはどういう心理からだろうか。お気付きの点をお聞かせ願いたい。

鄭局長：恵化専門の渡辺先生一つ。

渡辺氏：私は徴兵制度実施以来生徒に対して、この精神を話した。そして志願だから志願しなくてもいいというようなことはない。お前達は何時でもお召に預からなければならないと話しておるが、生徒は私の申す趣旨には共鳴しておる。だから私共に任して頂けば生徒は自由になると思う。青年は純真である。先達聯盟の会議の時に此処にお出での夏山さんが社会や家庭を動かさなければならぬと言われたことに満腔の賛成を致したが、確かに生徒が覚悟を固めて征こうとしても、その障害となるものは家庭である。

その点私の体験を申すと、私は半島青年の就職運動をやっておるが、その時始終感ずる。お前満州に行けというと自分は行くと考えても親が反対する。又支那に行けというと、お父さんが年取っておるというように家庭にこだわり過ぎる風がある。この点内地の家庭とは違いがある。

それから半島学生が内地から帰ったことに付いてお話があったが、これは家庭に相談に来たのではないかと思う。聯盟、新聞社のほうで社会、家庭の啓蒙運動に御尽力あらむことを希望する。

もう一つは露骨に言いすぎるかも知れぬが、戦争は勝つに決まっておる。勝った後は我が日本国民は戦勝国の国民として世界の至る處に大手を振るって威張って歩ける。我々は戦争の光栄を担って東洋各地における指導民族として優秀民族として威張って歩ける。

然るにお前達が参加しなかったらどうなるか。お前等は何をやったか。斯うなると朝鮮人は永遠に劣等民族として指導者の位置から落伍して了う。朝鮮民族将来の地位向上のためにも絶好の機会であるから、やらなければならんのである。

嘗て白人優秀の観念が盛んな時に、東洋民族は劣等とされた。それ故、白人と同等の位置に挙げようと当時の為政者は非常に苦労した。併しなかなか東洋人を認めて呉れなかった。然るに日露戦争に於いてロシアを破り、これで有色人種も偉いと認められた。戦争位民族の力を発揮するものはない。どうしてもこれに参加しなければ、お前達の前途は暗黒だといったのであって、畢竟これは朝鮮の為になるのである。

私は多年朝鮮の子弟を教育しておるが、頭は非常によく、成績も驚く程よい。半島人は何処の学校に行っても成績もよく、体力もよいのである。動もすれば半島人を人格がない或いは気力に乏しいとか無責任であるとか言うが、武道をやらしても教練をやらしてもなかなかよくやる。

私、二年間武道を奨励しておるが、只今では全鮮の専門学校中二番になっておる。奨励すればどしどし伸びて行く。体力学力に於いても全く内地人と同じである。その力を持って軍隊に這い入り下士なり将校なりになれば、軍では差別がないから、お前達の力は認められる。こんないい機会はない。所謂、千載一遇の機会であるぞ。さあ征けと云ったのである。（速記中止）どの位この参加が朝鮮民族の社会運動ではないかと話したのである。斯ういうことから社会運動の一つとして家庭啓蒙に御尽力あらんことを希望する。

金川社長：私同時も申すことだが、先生のおっしゃった如く、半島民衆の世界観を作り直すことが最大急務である。国家観、社会観が出来てないものだから、東条総理が大東亜戦争に精神的に衷心より協力するならば、ビルマの独立或いはフィリピンの独立も速やかにやらせると言われたが、それじゃ朝鮮民族もそれに加わり許して呉れてもよいじゃないかといったような気持ちのあったことも聞いておる。

もう一つは、これは日本の為の戦争であって、我々には関係があるものかといったような気持ちのあることも聞いておる。これ等は固より世界観が出来ていないからである。これは新聞の力を以て大いに啓蒙し、指導することも当然だが、これは偏えに学校当局において平素青年人材を育成することに意を用いることが最も望ましいと思っておる。

父兄達が今の家庭問題を常に第一に取り上げるものだから、渡辺先生のおっしゃる如く折角北支中支、満州或いは鮮内でも規律のやかましい警察に就職させてやろうとすると、家の子供は弱いから警察でなしに内務部か産業部に就職させて下さいと言う。

実は私役人をしておった頃、この弊風は改革しようと思った。京城の人を地方勤務に命じよ、とすると家庭が離れるから困ると言う。それで私はそういう私事は認めなかったが、併しなかなか思うように参らなかった。結局は色々な方法手段で逃げられたのだが、それに禍されてそういう青年は出世しておらぬ。これは私の体験にも相当ある。

この観点から今日のこの千載一遇の機会に日本国民としてこの決戦下に生を享けたもので、出掛けなければならない適格者は、二度とこんな機会は永遠に来ないことを充分悟って貰いたい。全くこの千載一遇の機会を逸することは、これは本当に誰彼なくじっとしておられない。これを未だにとや角言っておることは本当に私共淋しい思いがする。我々としても、聯盟に於いても、このような古い思想は今後大いに建て直すように努力せんければならぬと思う。この根本たる世界観が直らなければ、折角の俊才も腐らねばならぬ。学校当局も学生を通じてこの悪い風習は早くなくするように努力が願いたい。

渡辺氏：朝鮮の親は子供に依頼し過ぎており、本当に親が意気地がない。所謂孝行を強い過ぎておる。これは強ち学校だけの問題でなく、社会総てにやらなければならぬ。子供の世話になることを親は考えてはいけない。五十歳にもなると老人になった気で、遊んで子供の給料で食おうとするこの風を直さなければ駄目だ。

鄭局長：その点について普成専門の金校長如何ですか。

金氏：今聯盟事務総長からお話があったが、半島青年に殉国の途が開かれたにも拘わらず、勇敢にはなれない原因は何処にあるか。その最大原因は文弱の弊だと思う。半島の人々は或いは憤慨されるかも知れませんが、事実がそうである。三百年来朝鮮人は戦争に参加した経験がない。平時に於いてすら私達幼い時分には避難所を求めたのが朝鮮人である。

これは誰も否認出来ない。やれ智異山がよいとか、金剛山がよいとか耳に胼胝が出来る程聞いておる。これが第二の天性である。この話は朝鮮人として洵に恥ずかしい次第であるが、事実は事実として認める。国家存亡を賭して戦っている時分に、朝鮮人が冷淡視しているではないかと内地人側は憤慨されようが、事実はそこに原因しておる。

又兵隊に行けば死ぬものと思い、そういう恐怖心をもっており、全く意気地ない話である。戦争に出た者が必ずしも全部死んで帰るものでない。全然死なないとは保障出来ないが、運が悪くってその中の十分の一乃至二十分の一が死ぬ。結局永年の文弱の結果で、その意志を固めることが難しいらしい（速記中止）

先程の総督の訓示だが、強制されていないからこそ、進んで出て行くべきでないかと私は大いに強調した。併し早速意を決し兼ね躊躇する者が多く、父母が田舎にあるものは相談に帰らせておる。この時機に朝鮮人が冷淡視して朝鮮のための戦争でないとか、或いは他人がやることで朝鮮人の我等は知らんというのが本当ならば、内地人から感情を害されても御尤もな話だが、最大原因はそこにあるのじゃないか。朝鮮の方々は怒らないで下さい。実際朝鮮人にはそういう点がある。

欠点ばかり言うようだが、朝鮮人は頭に於いて体力に於いて決して内地人に劣らん。けれども唯武勇の精神に欠けておる。この点、内地人に劣っておる。いざ斯ういう時分になれば、その第二の天性が邪魔になって実は困っておる次第である。

京城日報　1943年11月10日

出陣学徒を語る③

死生観を滅却せよ

目覚めよ全半島有力者階級

本社側：朝鮮の人が文弱に流れ尚武の精神に欠けておる点が主なる原因をなしておると言われておるが、明倫専門では儒学に重をおいて教育されておるそうであるが、最近この問題について如何に学生を御指導になっておりますか。白神さん一つ。

白神氏：或る意味に於いて過去の儒学は特殊階級の一つの粉飾的儒学であった一面も可なり強いのでないか。科学に応ずるための儒学、詩文を楽しむ上の儒学であったように思う。これを内地の儒学の如く日本的な儒学に叩き変えることが私のほうの将来の意義ある方途と考え今日進みかけておる。

設立後一年半の学校であり、私個人の考えもそうであり、学校の生き方も皇国の途に則っての儒学に進むということで進んでおる。儒学は質に於いて美しい性質を有っておるので、これを現代の国家人に質のよき古衣を仕立て直して日本的なものにして行くことは大東亜諸民族に共通する教学でもあり、意義深きものになりはしないかという考えを有っておる。

ご質問に対し私の私見を付け加えると、過去の教育に我々はその道にありながら誤った点が今日の生徒の思想の一弱点になっておらんかと思う。西洋の主智主義、自由主義の教育をして来たことが、今日の志願の事柄に対し、動もすると個人の自由意思決定を促す一つの流れにもなったのでないか。又生死問題を採り上げると、儒教の家庭内に於ける生活形式、生活行事にも力強さを及ぼしておるが、真に死生観などの深味に入り込んでおるのは寧ろ道教思想ではないか。一面から言えば巫子というものが可なり力強きものを有っておる。路頭の易が生活の重要行事の場合に決定権を有っておったり、不老長寿の思想など可なり強く這い入っておる。これはやがて死生問題に対する生を重んじ、死を軽んずることが流れて来る。

又文化の変遷力は一般に大陸国の影響であろうと思うが。生活形式にも及び一朝一夕に変わらんのが半島文化の流れでないか。更に歴史的に非常時に際会しないのに一朝にして蹶起して文化層の姿を替える、或いは人生観、世界観を転換することは難しい。これは物質生活に於いても同様である。

又家庭生活に於いても家中心、系族中心の道徳、やがては嫡子相続、男子尊重の思想がはいっておる。子供でありながら男子は尊重され、女子は軽く取り扱われる。男子でも長男は重く扱われる思想が、やがて今日適格者の中に長男とか一人子になった時分には意思決定の上に障害を及ぼす。家庭組織における家の存続に迷いの点がありはしないかということなども考えて夫々その途を説き聞かせ、今日迄参っておるが如何なものだろうか。

大家氏：今日こちらのお父さん、お母さんの肚が決まり難いということは今日のお父さん、お母さんだけの問題ではなく、永い間の歴史的条件が必然的にそうしてしまったのでないかと、はっきり我々は知って、そこに新たな手を今度のことに結び付けて打って行かねばならぬと思う。

朝鮮は歴史上から見て政治的訓練が施されて来なかった。曾て福田徳三博士は経済的立場から朝鮮は本格的な経済上の新体制を作る訳にいかぬ、それは素地がないからである、というのは朝鮮が封建制度を経過しなかったと言われておるが、朝鮮が封建制度を経過しなかったことは政治上将又軍事的立場から見て非常な消極的事実であったと思う。内地は現在、封建制でもないが日本がもつ武士道は、封建制度が家庭を通じて如何に訓練されたかは我々歴史に依って教えられて来ておる。諸地方、諸国、諸大名に分かれ、政治的軍事的に鎬を削ったことは日本人の気魄を生み出す推進力となった。

朝鮮はそれをもたない。内地でも封建制のない時は即ち肇国以来は中心をはっきりして来た。中心の下に全国民が常に結集されて国民一人一人がまつらうて行ったのであるが、まつらう姿が政治なりとの観点に於いて日本国民一人残らずこの政治の中に肇国以来訓練されて来ておった。その発展過程に於いて封建時代を経ることによって更に力を練り、他の民族との衝突がなくても国内的に鎬を削ることにより軍事的訓練が加えられておる。

朝鮮にはそれがない。外とも事を構えない。又内に於いて鎬を削り合う緊迫した場面がない。唯儒教的なもので自分の主体性がなく導かれた。それが今日戦争に直面して肚を決め得ない死生観が生れた。これが李朝以前に遡れば少し違う。新羅、百済、高麗等今日取って以て我々が刺戟を受けるものが沢山ある。

高麗は隋の大軍を破り、百済は唐の大軍を破って、新羅は青少年を花郎団にて鍛えておる。将軍の十五、六歳の子供が出陣して獅子奮迅として働き捕虜になった。兜を取って見ると少年である。敵の将軍はこの少年にしてこの位の働きをするのだから到底新羅には勝てんと述懐した程である。ここで打首にするのは惜しいといって一応家に帰した。家に帰ると敗けて帰ったじゃないかと言ってお父さんの死目にも会わさない。これは一例だが、そんなことは新羅に沢山あった。

渡辺氏：今の御意見全く同感である。李朝時代は儒教を中心として、それに依り家庭道徳なり社会道徳を作った。儒教の教えも洵に結構で修身斉家治国平天下とあるが、朝鮮では修身斉家で止まって了って治国平天下は忘れられた。これが今日の朝鮮民心を萎縮沈滞させた原因であると思う。

夏山氏：同感だ。

渡辺氏：日本の仏教にしろ、何時も皇室に結び付いておる。孝行の考は結局大君のお役に立つことで、これが日本人の人生観である。それが朝鮮にはない。儒教が必ずしも悪いのではないが、治国平天下迄行かなかった日本では君主の馬前で討死するのを無上の光栄とし、親もそれを褒めた。惜しいことに、自分の家門の発展は考えたが、朝鮮全体を考えなかった。

今般は儒教、仏教を皇室に結び付ける必要があると思う。

夏山氏：朝鮮人を歴史的に論議すれば、恐らく一年掛かっても解決しないから差当っての問題へ行こう。

大体朝鮮人が暫くの間で日本人になった。而して韓国時代から愛国心の薄弱なりし者が、急に日本人になったからといって何処から愛国心が生れましょう。日本帝国は俺の国であり、国家の為に殉死しなければならん。そこ迄は行っておらない。

朝鮮人には尚武の思想がない。文弱だといわれたが、大して教養もない。水吞百姓の息子ですら志願兵となって内地の壮丁に劣らぬ程勇敢にやっておる。それじゃ斯の如くなる迄待つべきかと言えば決してそうではない。しかし愛国心そのものが薄弱であったのは韓国時代から継続されたものであり、案外併合以来愛国心が早く或る線迄到達したものと見ておる所がこれは有力者階級に多い。

要するに日本を誤解しており、日本を完全に把握しておらない。それで学校辺りで勉強しておる学生が、校長先生がえらいことを言っても、あれは校長の言うことだと簡単に片付ける。

もう一つは学生の思想というか、学生の思想はその父兄の思想が学生を通じて或る環境と一緒にそれが現れたもので、学生の思想と言って独立したものはない。学生は皇国臣民になり切ろうとしても家庭でそういかない。いまや朝鮮人の有力者の愛国心の発露の試金石である、聯盟でもこれはよく導いてもらいたい（完）