戦後北海道における「引揚児童」と学校

―都市部における児童の就学状況―

抄録

　This paper analyzes the actual educational conditions of repatriated children in post-war Hokkaido’s urban areas, specifically Sapporo and Hakodate.

　After WWII, the Japanese government expected Hokkaido to accept repatriated citizens who resided in territories lost during the war. Consequently, many moved to Hokkaido, particularly to Sapporo and Hakodate with many having no choice but to leave their property behind when they fled. However, the Japanese government did not prepare sufficiently to accept these repatriates. Therefore, even after returning to their home country, many found themselves living in impoverished conditions.

　Due to their straitened circumstances, many of the repatriated children had no choice but to work. Some children were unable to attend school; others had to be absent from school for a long periods. However, even amidst these harsh living conditions, there were some people who established schools and others implemented an educational system to suit the actual circumstances of these children. However, this study reveals that implementation was not the result of the work of the government, but rather was made possible through the efforts of the repatriates themselves together with dedicated teachers.

　So far the study of education problems of repatriated children has been superficial, and there has been no investigation into the later lives of these children. This study shows that the measures taken by the governments of Japan and Hokkaido for repatriates were makeshift, as reflected in actual education conditions of the repatriated children under those circumstances.