Japanese Army and Japanese government were not guilty because they protected
comfort women effectively. (Opposition to Professor Yoshiaki Yoshimi)
A lot of Japanese Army and former soldiers' documents which prove that the Army investigated and regulated some bad pimps who abducted or deceived women.
"How to handle the women who made a voyage to China" (on 23th February 1938)) Department of the Interior sent to each government office and prefectural governor.
The contents were:
I) Government office and prefectural governor may permit the voyage of women with the purpose of conducting prostitution. They issued ID cards for women only when the women matched the following regulation: The present occupation is legal prostitution abroad or prostitution in Japan. Women must be over 21 years old. Women must have no contagious diseases such as venereal diseases. Voyage to Northern or Middle China. The ID card should be issued such the "Bei" 3 classified 3776th notification of the Foreign Vice-Minister, issued in August, 1937. (Bei is something like A B C.)
II) Once government office and prefectural governor issued the ID card, they immediately had to have women return their countries after the temporary contract was over. They did not have to go on prostitution any more.
III) Women who would make a voyage to conduct prostitution had to show up the police in person in order to apply for ID cards.
IV) When the police issued the ID cards for the women who would make a voyage to
conduct prostitution, the police had to confirm whether they got their parents' consent or not. If a woman did not have any parents, her master's consent would be accepted. If a woman insisted that she did not have anyone who consented, the police have to
testify whether her insistence is true or not.
V) When the police issued the ID cards for the women who would make a voyage
to conduct prostitution, the police had to research their contracts and the background to avoid human traffic or kidnapping.
VI) If the police found some brothels' dealers who pretended to get permission of the Army or they told something which might have stained the dignity of the Army while recruiting comfort women, the police must strictly punish them.
VII) The sixth reason of "On recruiting the women who would make a voyage" told that the police could punish some brothels' dealers who advertised the recruitment or told false or exaggerated statement. Regarding the brothel's dealers, the police would have to investigate. If they didn't have official permission or ID card which were issued by the governmental institutions, their identites couldn't be proved, that is to say, they must not be recruited. (Translated by Mr. Shinji Kakichi)
This document did not intend only for Japanese women, it intended for Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese women. The present occupation was described as legal prostitution or prostitution in Japan. Yoshimi insisted that "The cases to handle the
women who would make a voyage to China" intended only for the Japanese prostitutes who would work abroad could have identification card issued.
However, the women who were prostitutes in Korea and Taiwan could have identification cards issued in order to make a voyage for prostitution after that notification for Japanese. According to "Cases How to Control a Voyage to China - Cases of Restriction and Control of Making a Voyage to China During Japan-China War", Colonial Office's Report how to control the People Who Would Make a Voyage to China (the first volume on 2nd, March 1939), Taipei (Taiwan) prefectural governor issued
identification cards and passport to 59 Japanese, 8 Koreans, 8 Taiwanese comfort women who would go to the Southern China. A high officer of the governor-office of Korea reported that the governor-office of Korea issued identification cards for and passport to 16 Japanese, 274 Korean comfort women who would go to the Northern part of China.
Primarily, Korean and Taiwanese women who would work as prostitutes abroad could not have identification card issued. However, a lot of reports told that the Korean and Taiwanese women prostitutes had identification card issued to go abroad. If this document intended only for Japanese women, and all Korean and Taiwanese women who would work abroad would be have identification card issued for other reasons. However, as the front lines in China were expanded, "The Cases how to handle the Women Who Would Make a Voyage to China" applied the women who were prostitutes in Korea and Taiwan. "The Cases how to handle the women who would make a voyage to China" applied for Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese women.
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