동북아역사재단 2022년 08월호 뉴스레터
- Shin Ju-baek, Former President of the Research Institute of Korean Independence Movement History
About Studying Japanese Army
Since I obtained my doctorate in the history of national movements, I wanted to study the aspects of domination. The topic I chose to was ‘military.’ But it was a reckless choice. Even the National Assembly Library, known to have the largest collection of Japanese books, did not even have a basic dictionary on the Japanese military. I was hopeless.
Ultimately, I decided to visit the reading room of the Ministry of Defense, which had relevant materials. When I told this to my senior, his first reaction was, 'You are going to study Japanese history.' Still, I was able to study for 14 months at the Institute of Advanced Studies on Asia at the University of Tokyo during the financial crisis that hit Korea in 1997. Professors Haruki Wada, Hiroshi Miyajima, and Naoki Mizuno were of great help.
I went to the historical archive every day for six months and bothered the staff there with this and that. The employee asked, ‘What is the purpose of your research?’ It must have been his first time talking to a Korean like me. I also took a course on military history by Akira Yamada at Meiji University Graduate School for a year. It was very helpful. After that, I collected as much data as possible whenever I visited Japan. I received a lot of help from Professor Toshihiko Matsuda and several military enthusiasts.
Like Building a Castle for the First Time
I started writing about the Japanese military in 2001, and the Northeast Asian History Foundation published a book titled 『Japanese Army’s Invasion of the Korean Peninsula and Japan’s Management of the Empire』 in 2021. The book's purpose was to provide an overview of the history of the Japanese military on the Korean Peninsula, focusing on organization and major military actions. Since it was the first book I wrote with primary historical materials, I thought I should focus on that.
The Japanese Army on the Korean Peninsula was affiliated with the Japanese Legation Garrison → Japanese Troops in Korea → Japanese Army in Korea → Joseon Army in Joseon → Joseon Army → 17th Army, Joseon Military District, and Kwantung Army. In 1918, Japan established the Joseon Military Headquarters and changed its operating method from a regular replacement system to a permanently stationed system. These units fought against Russia (former the Soviet Union). They were sometimes assigned to aggressions deployed to various regions from northern Beijing to Manchuria. In 1945, when the “Mainland Decisive Battle” was decided, the mission of the 17th Army was to fight against the United States. The Kwantung Army was in charge of the operation against the Soviet Union.
The Japanese Army on the Korean Peninsula was the spearhead and pillar for aggression and domination. They opened the door to aggression by cracking down on the Donghak peasant army and volunteer army and filled the lack of administrative force with military police. In the desperate crisis of the March First Movement, the Japanese Army proved itself as the last bastion. After that, they kept pace with Japan's policy on China by maintaining a "high number of soldiers" despite disarmament. They did not stop their genocide, from the massacre of the Donghak peasant army in Ugeumchi and Seokdae to the anti-Japanese armed struggle in Manchuria in the 1930s. Wherever Japanese troops invaded, they always massacred civilians.
During the 15 years of war, which led to the invasion of Manchuria, the Sino-Japanese War, and the Asia-Pacific War, the Japanese Army was directly involved in the total mobilization of Joseon’s men and resources and came to the fore again. At this time, the head of the Joseon Military Headquarters was expanding rather than growing the military, but when the ‘Mainland Decisive Battle’ started, they expanded the 17th Army with vertiginous rapidity. In six months, the army alone increased from 30,000 men to at least 290,000 men. Among them were Korean soldiers. Most Koreans were conscripted as a labor force to build emergency facilities or take charge of large-scale transportation rather than combat soldiers. For this, it is necessary to view the military labor mobilization at this time as a new stage in forced mobilization.
Feeling Lacking and Inconvenient
I recently had a chance to organize my library. I felt a little uncomfortable while publishing the book, and I could understand why. That was because the materials I gathered from time to time were found in boxes put aside in the corners. I hope I have a chance to supplement them later...
In particular, I could not fully cover Japan's ruling policies and empire management strategies because I only went so far as the expansion of the Japanese army in China while examining them in the Korean Peninsula. Rather than stopping here, I would like to go on and cover the entire imperial order while reviewing military service regulations.
동북아역사재단이 창작한 '일본군의 한반도 침략과 일본의 제국 운영' 저작물은 "공공누리" 출처표시-상업적이용금지-변경금지 조건에 따라 이용 할 수 있습니다.
