Japan, circa 1919-1943

File — Box: 1, Reel: 59, microdex: 1

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Documents concerning YWCA activities in Japan. The YWCA of the U.S.A. supports YWCA activities in Japan by sending secretaries to serve in positions in the YWCA of Japan, offering training and opportunities for advice and through financial support and donations. Following the earthquake of 1923, requests are made to the United States for assistance in the relief effort and in rebuilding the YWCA building in Yokohama. In the United States, news of the YWCA of Japan is shared through newsletters and correspondence and educational materials regarding Japanese culture and life is distributed to associations for those interested in learning more about the work in Japan. Secretary's report back to the United states through correspondence, narrative reports and official annual reports. The YWCA of Japan is an autonomous organization working in cooperation with the YWCA of the U.S.A., not under it's authority. Their reliance on American leadership changes over time according to reports and correspondence from American secretaries who have spent time in Japan. The work of the YWCA of Japan concerns the social, physical, spiritual and intellectual well-being of women and involves students, young girls, business women, women in factories and industrial jobs, home-makers and young women.

Dates of Materials

Creation: circa 1919-1943

Language of Materials

English; Japanese

Conditions Governing Access

From the Record Group:

This collection is open for use without restriction beyond the standard terms and conditions of Smith College Special Collections.

However, by agreement with the YWCA of the U.S.A., microdexes known to contain financial records or personal health information (usually on job applications) were not digitized and/or not published in our online repository as part of the CLIR Digitizing Hidden Collections grant. These microdexes may still be accessed on the original microfilm, and digital files may be made available to individual researchers upon request.