ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the historical background of the creation of the Japanese war orphans in China as well as the reach and limitations of previous studies and the characteristics of this study. First, Japanese war orphans are analyzed as a product of a major turning point in East Asian history. The main historical context behind the creation of the Japanese war orphans can be summarized into the following three points: (1) Invasion of China by the Japanese military and civilians together, (2) Soviet entry into the war, and (3) the suspension of Japan's mass repatriation. Next, the reach of previous literature on Japanese war orphans was reviewed and their limitations identified. Finally, two characteristics of this study were presented. The major feature of this study is that it is an analysis of interviews conducted over many years with three groups: Japanese war orphans, their Chinese foster parents, and Japanese volunteers. The other characteristic of this study is that it researches the unique, one-time-only social phenomenon of Japanese war orphans from a sociological perspective, relating it to the universal phenomenon of modernization gaps.
