ABSTRACT
As the American force grew and Camp Chickamauga in Beppu settled in as the regional Occupation headquarters, the thousands of men assigned to Oita began looking for entertainment outlets. Some Japanese have speculated that Beppu was spared any bombing because it was already designated to be the base of operations for this region. The reasons for this are twofold. First, Beppu had no strategic factories or military bases, thus there was no need to destroy it. This simplified setting up a base, as no reconstruction of the city had to be undertaken from the beginning. Second, Beppu was known as a holiday destination renowned for its hot springs and entertainment, or pleasure, district. Within the entertainment district were restaurants, bars, and brothels. The army knew that it would need all of these to keep the troops relaxed and comfortable. The streets of Beppu soon became crowded with young women flocking to the town. For some time all of this was strictly legal, as on August 18, 1945, the Interior Ministry, working under the guidance of the Occupation Headquarters in Tokyo, authorized the opening of special brothels for American soldiers. This was something encouraged by the Japanese for fear that without this outlet, their women would be raped by the Americans, not only shaming the women and their families, but threatening the “pure blood line of the Japanese people.” This concept was called the Yamato nadeshiko, or “personification of an idealized Japanese woman.” A radio message was sent to prefectural governors and city officials, as well as police chiefs throughout Japan instructing them to open and supervise these “comfort stations.” They then issued a call to collect as many women as possible for the operation. In other words, it was a patriotic duty of the city leaders to open the houses and for the women to volunteer themselves for this service. A fund of 100 million yen was established under the Recreation Amusement Association (RAA) to fund these enterprises and on August 28 a sign appeared on the streets with the following message:
For all Japanese women! Please cooperate by becoming comfort women for the American troops as part of the national urgency to heal the wounds of the war. We need female workers between the ages of 18 and 25. Free accommodations, clothes, and food will be provided.
