1945년 전반의 日本陸軍 農耕勤務隊와 피동원 한인

The Agricultural Units(Nokoukinmutai) of Japanese Army and Mobilized Korean in 1945 －The Units Stationed in Nagano-ken－

1945年5月、徴兵検査で補充役の判定を受けた朝鮮人青年たちは日本陸軍の緊急食糧増産の方策によって組織された農耕勤務隊(以下、農耕隊)に徴集された。朝鮮人農耕隊は本州中部の山岳地帯に集団配置され、食糧増産のための開墾作業に当たった。長野県に配置された第5農耕隊の事例を通じて次のような事実が確認できる。朝鮮人補充役者たちの大体は日本語が通じなかったので、農耕隊の各中隊は多数の朝鮮人集団を少数の日本人が指揮監督する編成をしたし、ごくわずかな日本語のできる朝鮮人は通訳として配置された。配置現場での実態を見ると、彼らは事実上農業労働者としての役割をした。飢餓状態が続く中で山野を開墾してさつま芋や大豆を栽培するなど強度の高い労働を強要された。むろん当時は日本人一般も悪化した食料事情の下で困窮な状況にあった。しかし朝鮮人農耕隊は日本人上級者よりいっそう劣悪な環境に処した。現場の日本人農耕隊は朝鮮人より年齢も階級も上だったし、民族的優越感に浸って朝鮮人青年たちを同僚としてでなく ｢下等の民｣として差別的な待遇をした。しかし朝鮮人農耕隊は日本の敗戦直後に陸軍当局から帰還のための行政措置を何も受けず配置された現場でそのまま放置された。このような無責任極まりない状況を通じて当時の日本陸軍にはすでに農耕隊を管理する能力すらなかったと言える。結局彼らは全員自力で西日本の港へ向かって移動し帰還するしかなかった。

In May 1945, Koreans who were determined as supplementary soldiers in the draft examination were recruited to the agricultural units because of the food production enlarging policy by the Japanese army at that time. The Korean units were arranged as groups to the mountain areas in middle Honshu(本州) to do reclamation work. Through the examples of the 5th unit which was sent to Nagano-ken, we can clarify the situations like these. As most Korean supplementary soldiers could not speak Japanese, each agricultural unit had the system that a few Japanese supervised and directed the majority of Koreans. Even though they were only a few, Japanese speaking Koreans were stationed as a interpreter in the unit. Seeing the labor conditions, Korean soldiers of the units were actually forced to work as laborers. The intensity of labor was high. They had to cultivate the wasteland and produce sweet potatoes and soybeens, being hungry with little food supply. While ordinary Japanese generally suffered from worsened food situation, Korean supplementary soldiers were put in the more challenging conditions than Japanese superiors who were in higher positions. Most Japanese in the workplaces were much older and treated Korean youngsters with discriminatory manners with national superiority. For them, Koreans were not companions in the same workplace but 'inferior subjects.' However, Koreans in the units were left in the field after the end of war because the Japanese army neglected any administrative measures for them to return to Korea. This extremely irresponsible situation reveals that then the Japanese army had no ability to manage the agricultural units. For that reason, all of the Koreans in the units had to go home for themselves via ports in western area of Japan.