Bittersweet Flowers in Java: VD and Prostitution during the Transitional Period from Dutch to Japanese Rule

• In Event: 23. Crossing the Medical Divide: Continuity and Change in Medicine in Japanese-Occupied Indonesia

Abstract

One common tactic for governing a foreign territory is to research local conditions. During early Japanese occupation in Java, the medical corps of the 16th army studied health conditions in Java; perhaps unsurprisingly one of their foci was venereal disease, which had already proved to be one of the most troublesome issues for militaries in the 20th century. With the myth of uncontrollable male sexuality on the one hand, and concern about the spread of VD on the other, prostitution became a magic solution.
In various countries on a wartime footing, the idea of prostitution as a “solution” has been common. Maisons tolerées for British troops in France, prostitution for Nazi Germany’s troops throughout Europe, cold-war era Subic Bay brothels for US, as well as the Japanese military’s comfort women system during World War II, all indicate that a clear need to control or minimize spread of VD among soldiers and civilians was one trigger for creation of military prostitution/comfort women systems.
In the context of high prewar VD rates and apparent boom in prostitution prior to the Japanese arrival, this presentation will explore materials such as medical reports and a handbook published for military personnel and “Japanese” civilians living in Java during the Japanese occupation, seeking to better apprehend how Japanese military authorities employed medical knowledge for administrative and military purposes, as well as to better understand who comfort women were, what conditions they lived in, where they served, and the nature of Japanese military involvement in Java.

Author

• Mayumi Yamamoto, Miyagi University