Diaries written by a Korean man who worked at military brothels

The diaries of a Korean man who worked in wartime brothels for Japanese soldiers in Burma and Singapore during World War II have been found in South Korea. The Korean man worked as a clerk in the brothels. Born in 1905, he died in 1979 before the comfort women became a thorny issue between Japan and South Korea. The diaries were written by both Japanese and Korean languages.

Korean male scholar Ahn Byung-Jik (安秉直), the professor emeritus at Seoul National University, examined the portion for 1943 and 1944 jointly with two Japanese researchers, Kyoto University professor Kazuo Hori and Kobe University professor Kan Kimura.

Ahn Byung-Jik, the professor emeritus at Seoul National University

                                  Professor Kan Kimura

 

The diaries are “highly credible,” Kimura said, noting there was little possibility of alterations because the man died before the comfort women issue became a source of contention.

                                                 
                                     Photocopy of the diary

 A book entitled "The diaries by Korean Employee at the Comfort Houses" (Ahn Byung-Jik, 2013)

What’s written?

* “On this day last year, I boarded a ship at Busan port and took the first step of my southbound journey,” the man wrote in the entry for July 10, 1943.“

* “On April 6, 1944, he wrote, “When a comfort team left Busan two years ago, Mr. Tsumura, who came as head of the fourth comfort corps, was working in a fresh food association.”

The description confirmed the fourth comfort corps, which was also described as "The Japanese are reported to have shipped some 703 of these girls to Burma in 1942." in the US Office of War Information report No.49 (see below), and therefore the credibility of the diaries is also guaranteed.  

What's else written?

* “Notification of Discontinuance of Business” submitted by a Comfort Woman was approved (Sep 9, 1944).

*Comfort Woman, name A and name B, closed their business (March 3 1944).  
* "We attended a meeting of Comfort House Union held at Suikouen (翠香園) in Rangoon (a.k.a. Yangon).  We paid totally 62 JPN Yen as union dues, which are 30 JPN yen per brothel owner and 2 JPN yen per Comfort Woman.  (Aug 10, 1943)." 

* Comfort Women went to see a movie screened by the railroad unit (Aug 13, 1943)

* he had withdrawn 600 JPN Yen from a Comfort Woman C’s account and remitted it at a post office on her behalf (Oct 27, 1944).

These description clearly shows that Comfort Women were NOT sex slaves, i.e., Comfort Women had freedom of closing their business, they got paid, and they amused themselves. Surprisingly, Comfort House Union was formed. 

To be fair, introduced is one passage from the diary describing that two comfort women who had quit because of their marriages had been ordered to return by army logistics.  Not sure why those two women were ordered to return, but the diary indicates that Comfort Women were able to close their business for their marriage. 

The contents in the diary are also similar to what's written in the U.S. Office of War Information Report No.49 “Japanese Prisoner of War Interrogation Report No. 49", which was an inteterrogation report from 20 Korean comfort girls and two Japanese brothel owners (house master).   

Here are the excerpt from the report.

"The conditions under which they transacted business were regulated by the Army, and in congested areas regulations were strictly enforced. The Army found it necessary in congested areas to install a system of prices, priorities, and schedules for the various units operating in a particular areas.  According to interrogations the average system was as follows:"

 

“They lived in near-luxury in Burma in comparison to other places. This was especially true of their second year in Burma. They lived well because their food and material was not heavily rationed and they had plenty of money with which to purchase desired articles. They were able to buy cloth, shoes, cigarettes, and cosmetics to supplement the many gifts given to them by soldiers who had received "comfort bags" from home.”

“While in Burma they amused themselves by participating in sports events with both officers and men, and attended picnics, entertainments, and social dinners. They had a phonograph and in the towns they were allowed to go shopping.”

“In the latter part of 1943 the Army issued orders that certain girls who had paid their debt could return home. Some of the girls were thus allowed to return to Korea.”

“There were numerous instances of proposals of marriage and in certain cases marriages actually took place.”

(Excerpt ends)

Thus, Comfort Women got paid, had freedom to close their business, they amused themselves by shopping, watching movies shown by Japanese army, parties, etc.  Ahn said "(by this diaries) It has also become certain that the Japanese government had organized comfort teams and took women to the frontline.”

However, Ahn is skeptical about the view that the Japanese military and police took women by force from the Korean Peninsula. Ahn said at the press "private brokers gathered Comfort Women in Korea and Imperial Japanese army did not need to abduct Korean women".

Concomitantly, the same news on the discovery of this diary was reported by South Korean media.  However, Korean media hid the truth and reported a lie that Korean women were forcibly mobilized.  Here is one example of such distorted news released by Chosen Ilbow, Japan.   Spreading lies of comfort women issue is its national policy of South Korea for dis-honouring Japan.

 

References:
Japanese version of the diaries written by a Korean man who worked at military brothels.
Profs Kimura and Hori translated it to Japanese what was made by Professor Ahn.

Diaries of a Korean man who worked in Comfort House
Aug 7, 2013 Mainichi Shimbun, page1, page 2 (in Japanese)

Korean’s war brothel diaries offer new details

Aug 13, 2013  The Japan Times

Professor Ahn examined Comfort Women

2013.09.10  News Post-Seven (in Japanese)