The Role of the Contributing Authors Wan Mengwan and Li Yunbing, from the Chinese Women’s Society of CI JIAN, in Tamura (Satō) Toshiko’s periodical Nü-Sheng

Abstract

It is known that Tamura Toshiko’s periodical Nü-Sheng (1942-45), which was supported by the Japanese military and Wang Jingwei’s puppet government, had a large proportion of contributing authors who were covert Communists.I found reports on a symposium held by Toshiko with Wan Mengwan and Li Yunbing, who were the chief director and the director of the Chinese Women’s Society of CI JIAN, respectively, which was part of Wang Jingwei’s puppet governmen. They contributed five articles to the early issues of Nü-Sheng. The symposium and two of these articles showed women’s passionate demand for a fuller role in society outside of the family, which was consistent with Toshiko’s advocacy of women’s rights. Their viewpoint differed from Toshiko’s in terms of whether women’s primary responsibility was home-making, and whether women taking a fuller part in society was a valid goal. Finally, in the symposium the two women’s role in Nü-Sheng and Toshiko’s attitude to them were discussed. This paper shows the consistent assertions about women’s rights that the female cadres of Wang Jingwei’s puppet government, who contributed to Nü-Sheng, shared with Toshiko, in spite of some differences between them. These findings show that there was harmony in diversity among contributors to Nü-Sheng and Toshiko in relation to giving voice to the case for women’s rights.