All the 0.6 millions Korean were taken to Japan by the Japanese government. Korean workers were actually called out from Korea to Japan since September 1939. Besides, not all forms of mobilization were forced.
i) Mobilization by free recruitment (from September 1939 to January 1942)
ii) Mobilization by government sevice's mediation (from February 1942 to August 1944)
iii) Mobilization by General Mobilization Order (from September 1944 to August 1945)
In these three cases, "forcing Korean workers to Japan" was a form by General Mobilization Order because it had a legal force. It also intended for Japanese people. It was not racial discrimination's policy.
It was given to citizens in Korea since September 1944, but it had been already given to Army personnel and big factory workers in 1941 and February 1944. It was given to citizens in Japan except for Korea and Taiwan in July 1939.
The number of the 0.6 million Koreans included those who were gathered by mobilization of free recruitment and government sevice's mediation. Most of those Koreans were gathered by the long-term mobilization of free recruitment. Japanese government did not take such a large number of Koreans to Japan during wartime by force.
Japanese government must have considered riots in Korea because of anti-Japan's emotion. Japanese government delayed enforcement by General Mobilization Order and it considers the anti-Japan movement by Koreans in Korea later than in Japan.
Japanese government took a lot of Korean workers to Japan by General Mobilization Order. It would take Korean women to comfort stations. Japanese government took a lot of Japanese workers to factories. It was not a racial discrimination. It was applied to those who had Japanese nationality, including Koreans then.
Besides, Japanese government actually did not take Japanese women to comfort stations. It might not have taken Korean women to comfort stations. General Mobilization Orders does not prove to be racial discrimination policy. Even though Japanese government had a policy to oppress Korean activists, not all comfort women who were abducted and deceived were daughters of activists for independence.
Considering a lot of poor families in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and other Asian
countries, women in poor families would rush to comfort women's high income
which was more than ten times of the mens' college graduates' salary in the first year
and more than one hundred times of soldiers' income at that time. Moreover, comfort
women's income was far better than prostitute's income in Japan.
Year | Prostitutes | Geisha | Female Workers at Pub | Waitresses at Cafe Bar | Brothel's Dealers | Guests |
1927 | 50,800 | 80,086 | 111,032 | - | 11,383 | 22,270,000 |
1931 | 52,064 | 77,351 | 81,019 | 77,381 | 10,799 | 22,390,000 |
1937 | 47,217 | 79,868 | 85,699 | 111,284 | 9,238 | 31,820,000 |
1941 (Japan Only) | 32,294 | 69,077 | 68,439 | 66,802 | 7,588 | 27,520,000 |
(Korea) | 3,813 | 6,723 | 1,602 | 3,891 | - | - |
1942 (Tokyo) | 4,145 | 12,031 | - | - | 744 | - |
1943 (Tokyo) | 2,799 | 9,016 | - | - | 416 | - |
1953 (Japan) | 245,000 | - | - | - | - | - |