Censorship of medical journals in occupied Japan

Article Abstract:

The Civil Censorship Detachment (CCD) of the Occupation forces for the Allied Powers engaged in post-World War II censorship of Japanese publications, including medical journals. A code for censorship required that published information must not disturb public peacefulness and that Western allies could not be criticized. The library at the University of Maryland contains materials submitted by Japanese publishers that were censored from 1945 to 1949, including more than 30 medical journals. Censored material contains reports of venereal disease and gonorrhea among Japanese prostitutes, which were considered a criticism of the Occupation forces. The editor of the Japan Medical Journal was threatened with prison because of an article he wrote about the shortage of black market penicillin driving up the price. Although the article was meant to praise the Military Police, the censors interpreted it as implying that the Occupation forces were smuggling in penicillin for profit.

Medical writing, Japanese periodicals

---

The US medical occupation of Japan and history of the Japanese-language edition of JAMA

Article Abstract:

The Allied Occupation of Japan in the mid-1940s helped improve Japanese access to the latest medical information. The US physician Crawford F. Sams was appointed as Chief of the Public Health and Welfare Section (PHW) in Occupied Japan. He endeavored to disseminate advanced medical knowledge among Japanese physicians to help bring the Japanese medical system up to international standards. Sams lobbied to have the major US medical journals release copyrights so that their contents could be translated and published in Japanese journals. He displayed an array of US medical instruments at a Japanese exhibition and instructed physicians to disregard the patents and copy the design of the instruments. In 1946, a Japanese physician published the first native-language medical journal that summarized US medical articles. Two years later, the Journal of the American Medical Association-Japanese Edition was born.

Appreciation, Medical research, JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association (Periodical), Translations and translating, Sams, Crawford F.

---

Censorship of the atomic bomb casualty reports in occupied Japan: a complete ban vs temporary delay

Article Abstract:

Longstanding perceptions that the US concealed the atomic bomb casualty reports in Occupied Japan are incorrect. Japanese physicians began publishing atomic bomb-related medical research soon after the nuclear strike on Hiroshima in August, 1945. US prepublication censorship removed speculation that would arouse public alarm but did not delete all information about the atomic bomb. The censorship did not deter subsequent publication, contrary to belief. In March, 1947, the US restricted publication of Japanese reports until officials could determine that they were free of classified information. Of the 119 Japanese medical reports, 98 were delayed for up to 22 months. The two US groups that made publication decisions had different missions which resulted in confusion and delay. The Japanese were unaware of this internal strife and felt dominated by a foreign occupying power.

Research, Medical publishing, Atomic bomb, Atomic bombs

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: The efficacy of the placental biopsy. Fibronectinase activity in cultured human trophoblasts is mediated by urokinase-type plasminogen activator
• Abstracts: Effect of synovial fluid hyaluronan on the clearance of albumin from the canine knee. Functions of hyaluronan
• Abstracts: Heart transplantation is associated with an increased risk for pancreaticobiliary disease. Antimicrobial prophylaxis in bone marrow transplantation
• Abstracts: Results of a second-opinion trial among patients recommended for coronary angiography. Physician responsibility in the nuclear age

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.