Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to describe the struggles in the physical examination for conscription between draft dodgers and Japanese army surgeons. The draft dodgers tried to escape from conscription by asserting that they were not sufficiently fit to be a solder. They injured themselves or told false stories about their health situation. The army surgeons tried to recognize draft dodgers. Examination of the documents written by the doctors shows that it was not easy to recognize draft dodgers and surgeons had to face many problems. This suggests that there would have been a number of draft dodgers who in escaping conscription and that the government could not completely control people in Japan.
