Abstract
As a student of the history of women, I have been, for more than 10 years, attempting to reconstruct the historical perspective of the Occupation period of Japan, utilizing a standpoint of gender equality and a methodology of oral history. Re-examining the period through the life experiences of women of the occupied country exposes completely different aspects of the occupation period of Japan from the so-called "good occupation" described by hitherto mainstream historians. Among them, it is especially important to look into the experiences of prostitutes, recruited at RAA (Recreation and Amusement Association) sexual "comfort" facilities created by the Japanese authorities for the Occupation forces, and of street girls, called "Pan Pan," dealing with US soldiers. This time, after conducting a field survey of RAA and the "red-light districts" constructed at that time by the authorities in Atami, I have reported my finding that at present these women are unable to disclose their experiences. I have frankly asked the participants at the conference what kind of oral history methodology to use in this situation, in order to break the barrier between the past and present. I have obtained various useful suggestions from diverse standpoints.
