The Peace Preservation Law in colonial Korea and Taiwan.

1998 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 08610333
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Japanese history
• Research Institution: KYOTO UNIVERSITY
• Principal Investigator: MIZUNO Naoki Kyoto University, Institute for Research in Humanities, Associate Professor, 人文科学研究所, 助教授 (40181903)
• Project Period (FY): 1996 – 1998
• Keywords: colonies / Korea / Taiwan / the Peace Preservation Law / Koreans outside of Korea / conversion

Research Abstract

Based on this evidential examination of the system and implementation of the Peace Preservation Law (PPL) in the Japanese colonies (particularly Korea), the following points have been made clear regarding the differences between Japan itself and the PPL system as it was constructed in Korea.
The legal system itself in colonial Korea was different from that in Japan itself, and the conception of the governmental authorities regarding the PPL was also quite different. Governor General Saito suggested that if the PPL were not established in the Diet, he would enact the PPL under the independent rule of the Governor General.
This law was initially applied not in Japan itself, but to cases in Korea. At first, the PPL was applied to the Korean independence movement, and then in 1930-31, the judicial precedent was established in the form of "Korean independence = the robbery of Imperial territory the reduction of sovereign rule change in the national polity (Kokutai)".
This law was more widely i nterpreted as it was aimed not only at the independence movement, but also at Koreans living outside of Korea. Among those arrested and indicted, the proportion of Koreans living outside "Imperial territory" was quite high. The law also came to be more widely interpreted as it was applied to Koreans who were affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party.
A major characteristic of the implementation of the PPL in Korea is that the death sentence was handed down. In the research up to this point, there are no examples of the death sentence resulting only from violations against this law. But it is clear that there was at least one such case.
Under the policy of conversion during the 1930's-40's, Koreans were severely coerced to convert. The strengthening of the policies of "Naisen ittai" and "Imperial spirit" and the establishment of the system of surveillance and education aimed at all aspects of daily life of those under protective observation were particular to Korea. The system of preventive detention was first established in Korea prior to its establishment in Japan itself.
In this way, we cannot grasp or understand the entire history of the PPL if we disregard the actual situation in the colonies.