Valley of Darkness: The Japanese People and World War Two

Chapters include The War at Home, Extravagance is the Enemy, Getting Organized for War, Tightening the Drum, bringing the War Home, Working, Eating, Adjusting, Fleeing, Enduring, and War's Social Residue.

Early on the book says that never before 1937 had the Japanese people been involved in a war where they would undergo austerities and total mobilization. The book refers to the “national spiritual mobilization” of 1937 to 1940.

At a later time in the war streetcars in Tokyo would stop near the palace to allow the passengers to rise and bow deeply in worship of the Emperor.

Some women were mobilized to stand on streetcorners and hand pamphlets to stylishly dressed women, the pamphlets basically saying they should be dressed in such a way due to the war.

The book talks about Domei, the information news service, and its formation and control. It also discusses how the number of newspapers was cut down, and how the number of magazines were cut down during the war, making control of their content easier.

Schoolchildren were also involved as the textbooks were changed, the curriculum was changed, and they had to do military drill and student labor service. Boys in the upper elementary and secondary schools had to take military training.

Only a minority of boys and girls kept their education going after the compulsory six years since so many were being pulled into “voluntary” activities related to the war effort.

The book spends lot of time discussion the formation of and organization of neighborhood associations, and what their purposes were. It also discusses censorship and control of newspapers. Then it talks about magazine, radio, and movie censorship and control.

As the war went on, there was a definite effect on the factories as absenteeism and shoddy work became chronic.

Military authorities in Hiroshima banned people from streetcars and buses in 1942. They were forced to walk or bike to work.

Dressmaking, art schools, and typing schools in the nation were closed down. People were expected to work longer hours and take less time off. The amount of school time dropped to around six hours a week as students also were expected to work in factories or on other projects.

Prisoners in the jails were put to work, along with prisoners-of-war, and 1.3 million Koreans and 38,000 contract Chinese workers. Of these, some 6,830 of the Chinese workers and around 60,000 of the Korean workers died.

After 1943, sugar and soap were rarely available.

The book also talks about the black market.

By 1944, the calorie intake of the average civilian had dropped 17% from the start of the war.

Primary school students in 1942 were fed roasted sparrows to help cut down the bird's eating of rice plants.

Government plans to protect the cities late in the war included evacuation of people, dispersal of factories, creating firebreaks, and strengthening air defense activities in the neighborhoods.

About 1/7th of the Japanese population (some 10,000,000 people) fled the cities into the rural areas. The six largest cities lost 58% of their population. Apparently there were some cultural and emotional differences, though, between the inhabitants of the rural areas and the group of city dwellers suddenly in their midst.

The book points out that the bombing of Japanese cities involved only about 1/8th of the number of bombs dropped on Germany. 300,000 died from the bombings of Germany, whereas some 500,000 died from the bombing of Japanese cities. The difference was related to the construction of the cities: German cities had more concrete and steel, whereas Japanese cities still had lots of paper and wood construction.

99.5 % of civilian casualties in Japan came from the bombing of the cities.

The book talks about how Japan tried to organize civilians into units that would resist American invaders.

There were around 3 million dead and $20 billion of national wealth destroyed as far as Japan goes. The group that profited the most from the war: big businesses.



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