Rules & Regulations issued by the Japanese

Source: Christine "B"est
Fukushima Main Page     Committee Report (Part 3)

Fukishima Civilian Internment Camp

RULES AND REGULATIONS OF FUKUSHIMA PRISON CAMP

Roll Call
1. Must not get up before the first bell.
2. Must be fully dressed for roll call.
3. May wear an overcoat but not a dressing gown.
4. Bedding must be folded up before roll call.
5. Must not cough, sneeze or blow nose etc. when lining up for roll call.
6. Must not wear towel round neck at roll call.
7. Must not smile or look sarcastic at roll call.
8. Must remain in line after keireiing (saluting).
9. Must not talk or chew when in line for roll call.
10. Must number in Nipponese.

Washing & Bathing
11. Must not strip naked for washing in washrooms.12. Must not pour jugs of water over oneself in washrooms.
13. Bottom half of washroom windows must be closed.
14. Must use wooden clogs provided in washrooms.
15. Must dry soles of feet before leaving washrooms.
16. Must shave only during bathing hours.
17. Must not get into bath.
18. No clothes may be washed on Sundays.
19. Must not use hot water for washing clothes.
20. Must not wash after roll call at night.
21. Must not waste water.
22. Must not go out to clothes line except at stated times.
23. Must get into long bath 5 persons at one time on hot bath days and save water. (Cancels No. 17)
24. The long bath may not be used for washing clothes.
25. From July to September internees may take cold baths between 11 and 12 o'clock in the morning and between 4 and 5 o'clock in the afternoon in the bathroom only.
26. Only 1 bucket of water may be used for a cold bath and the bucketful must be taken all at once.

Meals
27. Must not take more than 15 minutes for each meal.
28. Must not take whole rations of bread upstairs.
29. Must not eat in passageways.
30. Must not keep cutlery or cups upstairs.
31. Must not lock inner windows of dining rooms.
32. Must not enter kitchen.
33. Must not talk to kitchen staff on duty.
34. Must not wear headgear during meals.
35. If anyone breaks a cup or plate, he loses his food for one day.
36. Must not shut inner dining room windows if guard has opened them.

Smoking
37. May not smoke in corridors.
38. May smoke out of doors only near tin provided.
39. Must not smoke in bed.
40. Must not throw cigarette ends on asphalt playground.
41. Must not draw cigarette ration if a non-smoker.
42. Must not put ashtrays on sleeping mats.
43. Must not smoke after roll call at night or before roll call in the morning.
44. May use as ashtrays only those receptacles which have been approved and numbered as such.
45. Ten minutes before roll call at night, ashtrays must be emptied and placed outside the door of rooms beside the notice recording how many ashtrays pertain to the room.

Garden
46. Must go out when ordered, unless sick.
47. Must not come in without permission of the guard, even for lavatory.
48. Must not lie and sleep out of doors.
49. Must not look over the walls.
50. Must not walk beyond the limits of the asphalt playground or paths up to the door of the shoe-room (exit) and up to the S.E. corner of the building.
51. Must not spit on the asphalt.
52. Must not pick flowers, fruit or vegetables.
53. Must not take blanket out of doors.
54. Must not urinate out of doors.
55. Must wash feet outside before coming in, if not wearing shoes.
56. Must not sit on grass on north side of the playground.
57. Must not sit on back verandah.
58. Must not take books to read out into the garden. (An early regulation, soon a dead letter).

Women Internees
59. Men must not wave or smile at the women and vice-versa.
60. Men must not communicate in any way with the women except through the office and vice-versa. (June 1944)61. Unattached men may send mending to the women through the office.
62. Letters between men and women internees may be sent through the office only. (June 1944)

WINDOWS
63. Must not bow, wave or smile from the windows at passers-by.
64. Must turn back on passers-by seen from the window.
65. Must not stand naked to waist near windows.
66. Must not hang clothing out of the windows.
67. Must not lean out of the windows.
68. Must not look at women internees out of the windows.
69. Must not throw anything out of the windows.
70. Must not spit out of the windows but must use spittoons.
71. Must not eat at windows when visible from outside.
72. Must not keep windows more than '2 fists' open at the bottom.

Footware
73. Must take off outdoor shoes immediately on entering the building.
74. Shoe room must be left tidy.
75. May only wear slippers without backs indoors.
76. Must not wear slippers with leather heels indoors.
77. Must not wear slippers when walking on sleeping-mats.
78. Must not wear indoor slippers out of doors.
79. Must not bring outdoor shoes upstairs.
80. Must wipe feet on mat provided when coming indoors.
81. Must not put shoes in the lockers in shoeroom but only on the shelves.

Bedding

82. Bedding must be kept folded, piled in one corner of the room and covered with a blanket during the day.
83. Must not wrap blanket round body above the waist line in daytime.
84. Must not sit on bedding during the daytime.
85. Must not use quilt to lie on at night.
86. Must not put up mosquito nets or make up beds before roll call at night.
87. Must not use blankets at all during the daytime (while heating is on).

Music
88. Must not sing so loud as to be heard outside.
89. Must not play any musical instrument except with permission.
90. Must not whistle in corridors after dark.
91. Must not sing or whistle when passing a guard.
92. May only play classical or religious music on accordion.
93. Piano may be played softly on Sunday afternoons in the Assembly Hall.
94. Harmonicas may only be played on Sundays between 9.00 a.m. and 7.30 p.m. (May 1944)
95. Must not sing martial airs.

Bedding (Continued)
96. Bedding must be folded in the regulation manner.
97. The blanket issued by the Nippon Government must not be used to sit on in preference to Red Cross blankets and must not be wrapped around the feet.
98. Sheets must be used to sleep on because they can be washed.
99. Mosquito nets must not be hung in the sunshine to air but only in the shade.

Official
100. Must not try to be friendly with the guards.
101. Must always do anything a guard orders at any time.
102. Must bow to every guard on meeting.
103. Must not bow with hands in the pockets.
104. Must remove headgear when bowing.
105. A bow must last about five seconds.
106. Must bow when entering and leaving the office.
107. Must not wear dressing-gown into the office.
108. Must not wear headgear into the office.
109. Must refer to a guard as "tai yin", to a sergeant as "bucho" and to the Japanese people as "Nipponjin".110. "Bucho" must not be referred to as "bucho".
111. Must not keirei to any stranger in the camp unless he has been introduced as an official.

Church
112. Must not come late to church.
113. Must look straight ahead in church.
114. Must not take hymn books out of church.
115. Must not loiter outside church during service.
116. Must not peer into church through windows during service.
117. Must not wear blanket to church.
118. Must not stand to watch the women going to church unless going oneself.
119. Must not cross knees, put hands in pockets or fidget in church.

Sickness
120. Must not go sick without previous permission.
121. Must report on recovering from sickness.
122. Must not take more than one aspirin without permission.
123. Eyewash issued must be kept and used over and over again.

Lavatories
124. Must finish going to the lavatories before 9.30 a.m.
125. Toilet paper must not be used as writing paper.
126. Must not put newspapers or solids down the lavatories.
127. Must not use certain lavatories.

Indoors Miscellaneous
128. May only use the back staircase.
129. Must not run in the passages.
130. Must not appear outside the rooms naked to the waist.
131. Must not sleep during the day.
132. Must not walk up or down the corridors after 6.00 p.m.
133. Must always have the corridors swept clean.
134. Must not do wood carving indoors.
135. Must not slam doors.
136. Must not enter other internees' rooms in they are occupied.
137. Must not put chairs on the sleeping mats.
138. Must not remove electric light bulbs from corridors or lavatories.
139. Must not look over banister into the main hallway.
140. Must not wet the floor.
141. Must not dry clothes on the radiators.
142. Must not read or play games between the hours of 9.00 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. and between 1.00 p.m. and 4.00 p.m. and between 7.00 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. except during inclement weather.
143. No one may cut hair without permission, only one camp barber appointed.
144. No one may go to the landings for prayers or any other purpose (later relaxed for those praying).
145. Brooms must be hung up or stood on the handles and not kept resting on their business ends.
146. Empty tins from Red Cross parcels must not be put in the rubbish bin, to be thrown out, but must be put into special receptacles.
DEMEANOUR AND CONDUCT
147. Must not speak to or greet tradespeople delivering food.
148. Must not be too happy.
149. Must not wear a contemptuous smile.
150. Must not behave in a suspicious manner.
151. Must not call other internees abusive words or names except through the two captains.
152. Must not fight.
153. Must not gamble.
154. Must not be unreasonable and ask for more and more.
155. Crowds must not collect in corridors or rooms.
156. Group leaders may not hold meetings without permission.
157. Must not do anything harmful to the Imperial Nipponese Government.
158. Requests to the Commandant may only be made through Captain Stratford.
159. Must always wear official number ticket.
160. Must not use articles issued by the Imperial Nipponese Government for any purpose other than that intended.
161. Must not alter in any way articles issued by the Imperial Nipponese Government.
162. Must not chew gum at Roll Call or when appearing in the office.
A.R.P.
163. Must not sit on A.R.P. water-tubs.
164. Must not place anything on top of A.R.P. water-tubs.
165. Must not interfere with any A.R.P. equipment.
166. When going down to the basement for shelter must leave hands and arms free and must not carry any packages or blankets when the weather is warm.

Outside World
167. May not communicate with the outside world.
168. May not receive news or any other communication from outside the camp.
169. May not buy anything except through the Commandant.
170. Letters may not be written to the Commandant or higher authorities without previous permission.
171. May write 100 typescript words in letter about health once a month only. (From 1st March 1944.)
172. May send cable only in reply to a communication from outside. (Replaced by No. 173 below.)
173. May only send one cable a year.