9. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.
あなたがたは、呪いをもって呪われる。あなたがたすべての国民は、わたしの物を盗んでいるからである。
10. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
11. I will rebuke the devourerfor you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts.
This official US record made by direct interrogation of comfort women
captured on the battlefield is one of the most important source materials
related to documenting the real comfort women.
In 1944, the United States Army captured some Comfort Women in
Burma and were interrogated by the U.S. Army. The Army filed “Report
Number 49” and it stated that the ladies were well-paid prostitutes.
It clearly defined a "comfort girl" as nothing more than a prostitute or
"professional camp follower." (Preface) It also stated that their average month net
pay was 750 Yen, which was 75 times higher than that of a private first class
soldier’s pay of 10 Yen. (Pay and Living Condition)
These show that the comfort women were merely very highly paid prostitutes,
and having absolutely nothing to do with “sexual slavery.”
PREFACE;
This report is based on the information obtained from the interrogation of
twenty Korean "comfort girls" and two Japanese civilians captured around the tenth of August,
1944 in the mopping up operations after the fall of Myitkyina in Burma.
The report shows how the Japanese recruited these Korean "comfort girls", the
conditions under which they lived and worked, their relations with and reaction to the Japanese
soldier, and their understanding of the military situation.
A "comfort girl" is nothing more than a prostitute or "professional camp
follower" attached to the Japanese Army for the benefit of the soldiers. The word "comfort girl"
is peculiar to the Japanese. Other reports show the "comfort girls" have been found wherever
it was necessary for the Japanese Army to fight. This report however deals only with the Korean
"comfort girls" recruited by the Japanese and attached to their Army in Burma. The Japanese are
reported to have shipped some 703 of these girls to Burma in 1942.
RECRUITING;
Early in May of 1942 Japanese agents arrived in Korea for the purpose of
enlisting Korean girls for "comfort service" in newly conquered Japanese territories in Southeast
Asia. The nature of this "service" was not specified but it was assumed to be work connected
with visiting the wounded in hospitals, rolling bandages, and generally making the soldiers
happy. The inducement used by these agents was plenty of money, an opportunity to pay off
the family debts, easy work, and the prospect of a new life in a new land, Singapore. On the
basis of these false representations many girls enlisted for overseas duty and were rewarded
with an advance of a few hundred yen.
The majority of the girls were ignorant and uneducated, although a few had
been connected with "oldest profession on earth" before. The contract they signed bound them
to Army regulations and to work for the "house master" for a period of from six months to a
year depending on the family debt for which they were advanced.
Approximately 800 of these girls were recruited in this manner and they
landed with their Japanese "house master" at Rangoon around August 20th, 1942. They came
in groups of from eight to twenty-two. From here they were distributed to various parts of
Burma, usually to fair sized towns near Japanese Army camps.
Eventually four of these units reached the Myitkyina vicinity. They were, Kyoei, Kinsui,
Bakushinro, and Momoya. The Kyoei house was called the "Maruyama Club", but was
changed when the girls reached Myitkyina as Col. Maruyama, commander of the garrison at
Myitkyina, objected to the similarity to his name.
PERSONALITY;
The interrogations show the average Korean "comfort girl" to be about
twenty five years old, uneducated, childish, whimsical and selfish. She is not pretty either by
Japanese of Caucasian standards. She is inclined to be egotistical and likes to talk about herself.
Her attitude in front of strangers is quiet and demure, but she "knows the wiles of a woman."
She claims to dislike her "profession" and would rather not talk either about it or her family.
Because of the kind treatment she received as a prisoner from American soldiers at Myitkyina
and Ledo, she feels that they are more emotional than Japanese soldiers. She is afraid of
Chinese and Indian troops.
LIVING AND WORKING CONDITIONS;
In Myitkyina the girls were usually quartered in a large two story house
(usually a school building) with a separate room for each girl. There each girl lived, slept, and
transacted business. In Myitkyina their food was prepared by and purchased from the "house
master" as they received no regular ration from the Japanese Army. 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 phono-graph; and in the towns they were allowed to go shopping.
PRICE SYSTEM;
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;
1. Soldiers 10 AM to 5 PM 1.50 yen 20 to 30 minutes
2. NCOs 5 PM to 9 PM 3.00 yen 30 to 40 minutes
3. Officers 9 PM to 12 PM 5.00 yen 30 to 40 minutes
These were average prices in Central Burma. Officers were allowed to stay overnight for
twenty yen. In Myitkyina Col. Maruyama slashed the prices to almost one-half of the average
price.
SCHEDULES ;
The soldiers often complained about congestion in the houses. On many
occasions they were not served and had to leave as the army was very strict about overstaying.
In order to overcome this problem the Army set aside certain days for certain units. Usually two
men from the unit for the day were stationed at the house to identify soldiers. A roving MP was
also on hand to keep order. Following is the schedule used by the "Kyoei" house for the various
units of the 18th Division while at Maymyo;
Sunday -----------18th Div. Hdqs. Staff
Monday ----------Cavalry
Tuesday ----------Engineers
Wednesday ----- Day off and weekly physical exam.
Thursday --------Medics
Friday ------------Mountain artillery
Saturday ---------Transport
Officers were allowed to come seven nights a week. The girls complained
that even with the schedule congestion was so great that they could not care for all guests, thus
causing ill feeling among many of the soldiers.
Soldiers would come to the house, pay the price and get tickets of cardboard
about two inches square with the price on the left side and the name of the house on the other
side. Each soldier's identity or rank was then established after which he "took his turn in line".
The girls were allowed the prerogative of refusing a customer. This was often done if the
person were too drunk.
PAY AND LIVING CONDITIONS;
The "house master" received fifty to sixty per cent of the girls' gross earnings
depending on how much of a debt each girl had incurred when she signed her contract. This
meant that in an average month a girl would gross about fifteen hundred yen. She turned over
seven hundred and fifty to the "master". Many "masters" made life very difficult for the girls
by charging them high prices for food and other articles.
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.
The interrogations further show that the health of these girls was good. They
were well supplied with all types of contraceptives, and often soldiers would bring their own
which had been supplied by the army. They were well trained in looking after both themselves
and customers in the matter of hygiene. A regular Japanese Army doctor visited the houses
once a week and any girl found diseased was given treatment, secluded, and eventually sent to a
hospital. This same procedure was carried on within the ranks of the Army itself, but it is
interesting to note that a soldier did not lose pay during the period he was confined.
REACTIONS TO JAPANESE SOLDIERS;
In their relations with the Japanese officers and men only two names of any
consequence came out of interrogations. They were those of Col. Maruyama, commander of the
garrison at Myitkyina and Maj. Gen. Mizukami, who brought in reinforcements. The two were
exact opposites. The former was hard, selfish and repulsive with no consideration for his men;
the latter a good, kind man and a fine soldier, with the utmost consideration for those who
worked under him. The Colonel was a constant habitue of the houses while the General was
never known to have visited them. With the fall of Myitkyina, Col. Maruyama supposedly
deserted while Gen. Mizukami committed suicide because he could not evacuate the men.
SOLDIERS’ REACTIONS;
The average Japanese soldier is embarrassed about being seen in a "comfort
house" according to one of the girls who said, "when the place is packed he is apt to be ashamed
if he has to wait in line for his turn". However there were numerous instances of proposals of
marriage and in certain cases marriages actually took place.
All the girls agreed that the worst officers and men who came to see them
were those who were drunk and leaving for the front the following day. But all likewise
agreed that even though very drunk the Japanese soldier never discussed military matters or
secrets with them. Though the girls might start the conversation about some military matter the
officer or enlisted man would not talk, but would in fact "scold us for discussing such un-lady
like subjects. Even Col. Maruyama when drunk would never discuss such matters."
The soldiers would often express how much they enjoyed receiving magazines,
letters and newspapers from home. They also mentioned the receipt of "comfort bags" filled
with canned goods, magazines, soap, handkerchiefs, toothbrush, miniature doll, lipstick, and
wooden clogs. The lipstick and clogs were definitely feminine and the girls couldn't
understand why the people at home were sending such articles. They speculated that the sender
could only have had themselves or the "native girls" in mind.
REACTION TO THE MILITARY SITUATION;
It appears that they knew very little about the military situation around
Myitkyina even up to and including the time of their retreat and capture. There is however
some information worth noting:
"In the initial attack on Myitkyina and the airstrip about two hundred Japanese
died in battle, leaving about two hundred to defend the town. Ammunition was very low.
"Col. Maruyama dispersed his men. During the following days the enemy
were shooting haphazardly everywhere. It was a waste since they didn't seem to aim at any
particular thing. The Japanese soldiers on the other hand had orders to fire one shot at a time
and only when they were sure of a hit."
Before the enemy attacked on the west airstrip, soldiers stationed around
Myitkyina were dispatched elsewhere, to stem the Allied attack in the North and West. About
four hundred men were left behind, largely from the 114th Regiment. Evidently Col. Maruyama
did not expect the town to be attacked. Later Maj. Gen. Mizukami of the 56th Division
brought in reinforcements of more than two regiments but these were unable to hold the town.
It was the consensus among the girls that Allied bombings were intense and
frightening and because of them they spent most of their last days in foxholes. One or two
even carried on work there. The comfort houses were bombed and several of the girls were
wounded and killed.
RETREAT AND CAPTURE;
The story of the retreat and final capture of the "comfort girls" is somewhat
vague and confused in their own minds. From various reports it appears that the following
occurred: on the night of July 31st a party of sixty three people including the "comfort girls" of
three houses (Bakushinro was merged with Kinsui), families, and helpers, started across the
Irrawaddy River in small boats. They eventually landed somewhere near Waingmaw, They
stayed there until August 4th, but never entered Waingmaw. From there they followed in the
path of a group of soldiers until August 7th when there was a skirmish with the enemy and the
party split up. The girls were ordered to follow the soldiers after three hour interval. They
did this only to find themselves on the bank of a river with no sign of the soldiers or any means
of crossing. They remained in a nearby house until August 10th when they were captured by
Kachin soldiers led by an English officer. They were taken to Myitkyina and then to the Ledo
stockade where the interrogations which form the basis of this report took place.
PROPAGANDA
The girls know practically nothing of any propaganda leaflets that had been
used against the Japanese. They had seen a few leaflets in the hands of the soldiers but most of
them were unable to understand them as they were in Japanese and the soldiers refused to
discuss them with the girls. One girl remembered the leaflet about Col. Maruyama
(apparently it was Myitkyina Troop Appeal), but she did not believe it. Others heard the
soldiers discussing leaflets from time to time but no tangible remarks resulted from their
eavesdropping. However it is interesting to note that one officer expressed the view that
“Japan can’t win this war”.
REQUESTS;
None of the girls appeared to have heard the loudspeaker used at Myitkyina
but they did overhear the soldiers mention a "radio broadcast"
They asked that leaflets telling of the capture of the "Comfort girls" should
not be used for it would endanger the lives of other girls if the Army knew of their capture.
They did think it would be a good idea to utilize the fact of their capture in any droppings
planned for Korea.
APPENDIX “A”
Following are the names of the twenty Korean “comfort girls” and the two Japanese civilians
interrogated to obtain the information used in the reports. The Korean
Name, Age, Address
1, Shin Jyun Nimi, 21, Keishonando, Shinshu
2. Kak Yonja, 28, Keishunando, Sanzenpo, Yunai
3. Pen Yonja, 26, keishunando, Shinshu
4. Chinga Chunto, 21, Keishohokudo, Taikyu
5. Chun Yonja, 27, Keishonando. Shinsyu
6. Kim Nanju, 25, Keishohokudo, Taikyu
7. Kim Yonja, 19, Keishohokudo, Taikyu
8. Kim Kenja, 25, Keishonando, Keson
9. Kim Senni, 21, Keishonando, Kumboku
10. Kim Kun Sun, 22, Keishohokudo, Taikyu
11. Kim Chongi, 26, Keishonando, Shinshu
12. Pe Kija, 27, Keishonando, Shinshu
13. Chun Punyi, 21, Keishonando, Keisan Gun, Kayomon Mura
14. Koke Sunyi, 21, Keishonando, Kenyo, Sokibaku, Mo, Kyu Ruri
15. Yon Muji, 31, Heiando, Heijo
16. Opu Ni, 20, Heiando, Heijo
17. Kim Tonhi, 20, Keikido, Keijo
18. He Tonyo, 21, Keikido, Keijo
19. Oki Song, 20, Keishohokudo, Taikyu
20. Kim Guptoge, 21, Zenranando, Kosyu
ベトナム戦争の際、米軍に頼み込んで従軍した韓国軍が、地元のベトナム人女性をレイプして、混血児をたくさん産んだにもかかわらず、それらベトナム人女性と正式に結婚することはもちろん、生まれてきた子供たち（ライダイハン）（Lai Đại Hàn）約3万人を認知することもなく、韓国に帰って知らぬ存ぜぬ、を貫いている韓国軍兵士。
UNITED STATES OFFICE OF WAR INFORMATION Psychological Warfare Team Attached to U.S. Army Forces India-Burma Theater Japanese Prisoner of War Interrogation Report No. 49
