Women of Controversy: Miyuki Ishikawa

Womanica

Acast Creative Studios

History, Society & Culture, Education

4.3 • 920 Ratings

🗓️ 26 November 2024

⏱️ 5 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Miyuki Ishikawa (1897 - c. 1987) was a Japanese midwife and serial killer. She is believed to be responsible for the death of 103 infants in the late 1940s. Her crimes highlighted the economic and social conditions of postwar Japan and the problems with its welfare system.

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This month we're talking about women who found themselves at the center of controversy -- whether deserved or not.

History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.

Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Before there was internet fraud and phone scams, there were always swindlers.
0:05.4	Female swindlers too.
0:07.4	Discover the stories of women from the past who not only survived, but thrived as con-artists and thieves.
0:16.6	How did they use their feminine characteristics to swindle in a world where men made the rules?
0:24.0	Join me, Lucy Worsley, historian and author, and my all-female team in ladies swindlers, wherever you get your podcasts.
0:34.2	Before we get started, a warning that this episode contains mention of infanticide. Please be advised
0:39.3	than listening.
0:43.7	Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica. This month, we're
0:49.3	talking about women who found themselves at the center of controversy, whether deserved or not.
0:54.8	Today we're discussing one of the most notorious serial killers in Japanese history.
0:59.9	She took advantage of struggling mothers and was responsible for the death of more than 100 infants.
1:06.1	Meet Miyuki Ishikawa.
1:11.1	Miyuki was born in the south of Japan in 1897.
1:14.8	Not much is known about her upbringing.
1:17.1	We do know that she moved to Tokyo for college and became a midwife.
1:21.6	Soon after graduating, she married a man named Takeshi Ishikawa.
1:26.0	He was previously a sergeant in the military, and after that,
1:29.4	a police officer for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, before being discharged.
1:36.5	Miyuki worked at the Kotabuki Maternity Hospital. Soon she became its director. New mothers
1:42.7	entrusted Miyuki to keep them healthy during pregnancy,
1:45.4	deliver their newborns, and care for their children.
1:49.0	In 1940s, Japan, abortion was illegal.
	...

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