Yoshiaki Yoshimi
Encyclopedia
is a professor
of Japanese
modern history
at Chuo University
in Tokyo
, Japan
. Yoshimi is a founder member of the Center for Research and Documentation on Japan's war responsibility. Born in Yamaguchi Prefecture
, he studied at the University of Tokyo
.
Yoshimi has done major works on the study of war crimes perpetrated by the Imperial Japanese Army
and the Imperial Japanese Navy
during the first part of the Shōwa period
such as publications on the use by the army of chemical weapons ordered by emperor Shōwa himself.
He is mostly famous for his work about the comfort women
, having found in the Defense Agency library in Tokyo the first documentary evidence that the imperial Japanese army established and ran "comfort stations". One of these was a notice written on 4 March 1938 by the adjutants to the Chiefs of Staff of the North China Army and Central China Expeditionary Force titled "Concerning the Recruitment of Women for Military Comfort Stations" stating that "the armies in the field will control the recruiting of women".
The publication of these proofs led to the admission statements of Chiefs Cabinet Secretary Koichi Kato
on 12 January 1993 and Yōhei Kōno
on 4 August 1993.
In July 2004, Yoshimi and historian Yuki Tanaka announced the discovery in the Australian National archives of documents proving that cyanide gas was tested on Australian and Dutch prisoners on November 1944 on Kai Islands
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/member/nn20040727a9.html.
On 17 April 2007, Yoshimi and fellow historian Hirofumi Hayashi
announced in press conference the discovery in the archives of the Tokyo tribunal of documents showing proof of coercion used by Tokkeitai
members against women from Indonesia, Indochina and China to forced them into sexual slavery http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/17/AR2007041701380.html.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of Japanese
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
modern history
Modern history
Modern history, or the modern era, describes the historical timeline after the Middle Ages. Modern history can be further broken down into the early modern period and the late modern period after the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution...
at Chuo University
Chuo University
Chuo University is a one of the Japanese leading universities. Thus it is competitive in several rankings such as shown below.-General Rankings:The university has been ranked 27th, 25th, 34th during 2008-2010 respectively in the ranking "Truly Strong Universities" by Toyo Keizai.-Research...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Yoshimi is a founder member of the Center for Research and Documentation on Japan's war responsibility. Born in Yamaguchi Prefecture
Yamaguchi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Yamaguchi, in the center of the prefecture. The largest city, however, is Shimonoseki.- History :...
, he studied at the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
.
Yoshimi has done major works on the study of war crimes perpetrated by the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
and the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
during the first part of the Shōwa period
Showa period
The , or Shōwa era, is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, from December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989.The Shōwa period was longer than the reign of any previous Japanese emperor...
such as publications on the use by the army of chemical weapons ordered by emperor Shōwa himself.
He is mostly famous for his work about the comfort women
Comfort women
The term "comfort women" was a euphemism used to describe women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II.Estimates vary as to how many women were involved, with numbers ranging from as low as 20,000 from some Japanese scholars to as high as 410,000 from some Chinese...
, having found in the Defense Agency library in Tokyo the first documentary evidence that the imperial Japanese army established and ran "comfort stations". One of these was a notice written on 4 March 1938 by the adjutants to the Chiefs of Staff of the North China Army and Central China Expeditionary Force titled "Concerning the Recruitment of Women for Military Comfort Stations" stating that "the armies in the field will control the recruiting of women".
The publication of these proofs led to the admission statements of Chiefs Cabinet Secretary Koichi Kato
Koichi Kato (LDP)
is a Japanese politician . Born in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture, he is a member of the House of Representatives and the Liberal Democratic Party.- Political career :...
on 12 January 1993 and Yōhei Kōno
Yohei Kono
is a Japanese politician and a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. He served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from November 2003 until August 2009, when the LDP lost its majority in the 2009 election...
on 4 August 1993.
In July 2004, Yoshimi and historian Yuki Tanaka announced the discovery in the Australian National archives of documents proving that cyanide gas was tested on Australian and Dutch prisoners on November 1944 on Kai Islands
Kai Islands
The Kai Islands of Indonesia are in the south-eastern part of the Maluku Islands, in Maluku Province.-Geography:...
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/member/nn20040727a9.html.
On 17 April 2007, Yoshimi and fellow historian Hirofumi Hayashi
Hirofumi Hayashi
is a historian, an authority on modern Japanese history, and is currently a professor of politics at the Kanto Gakuin University. He has been conducting research on the Japanese occupation of Southeast Asia, Japanese war crimes, and war crimes trials including the subject of comfort women.-...
announced in press conference the discovery in the archives of the Tokyo tribunal of documents showing proof of coercion used by Tokkeitai
Tokkeitai
Tokkeitai may refer to;Tokkeitai is abbreviated name of Tokubetsukeibitai*Special Boarding Unit, special forces unit of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force*Tokubetsukeibitai *Tokubetsukeibitai...
members against women from Indonesia, Indochina and China to forced them into sexual slavery http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/17/AR2007041701380.html.
Some Publications
- Dokugasusen to Nihongun, Iwanami Shoten, 2004, ISBN 4000241281
- Comfort women, Sexual slavery in the Japanese Military during World War II, Columbia University press, 2002, ISBN 0231120333
- Yoshimi and Seiya Matsuno, Dokugasusen Kankei Shiryō II (Materials on poison gas Warfare), Kaisetsu, Hōkan 2, Jūgonen sensô gokuhi shiryōshū, Funi Shuppankan, 1997
- Yoshimi and Kentarō Awaya, Dokugasusen Kankei Shiryō , Jūgonen sensō gokuhi shiryōshū, 18, Fuji Shuppan, 1989
External links
- Interview of 30 March 2007 with the International Herald Tribune http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/30/asia/japan.php, published in the New York Times
- http://space.geocities.jp/japanwarres/center/english/appeal04.htm
- Interview of 12 March 2007 about the declaractions of Shinzō AbeShinzo Abewas the 90th Prime Minister of Japan, elected by a special session of the National Diet on 26 September 2006. He was Japan's youngest post–World War II prime minister and the first born after the war. Abe served as prime minister for nearly twelve months, before resigning on 12 September 2007...
on comfort women - http://chinadaily.com.cn/world/2007-03/12/content_824829.htm
- Link to the Center for Research and Documentation on Japan's War Responsibility http://space.geocities.jp/japanwarres/center/english/index-english.htm
See also
- Comfort womenComfort womenThe term "comfort women" was a euphemism used to describe women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II.Estimates vary as to how many women were involved, with numbers ranging from as low as 20,000 from some Japanese scholars to as high as 410,000 from some Chinese...
- Japanese war crimesJapanese war crimesJapanese war crimes occurred during the period of Japanese imperialism, primarily during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. Some of the incidents have also been described as an Asian Holocaust and Japanese war atrocities...