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Running Head: Japanese Propaganda 1 Japanese Propaganda: World War II and Today Jennifer Barnette Anthropology of War: ANT 307 Dr. Arunima Kashyap August 17, 2013 JAPANESE PROPAGANDA 2 Japanese Propaganda: World War II and Today The images of World War II are still powerful to many, long after those who fought in the wars are gone. The iconic images on propaganda posters, such as Uncle Sam wanting YOU, sailors sinking beneath the waves because of “loose lips” and the newly rediscovered “Keep Calm and Carry On” message are still seen in museums and pop culture. Propaganda, when done effectively, can certainly penetrate to the basest emotions of humans, whether pride and patriotism or fear and anger. Much like the already well-known American propaganda, Japanese propaganda used political spin, powerful imagery, and racism to provide a positive image to its people. Prior to Pearl Harbor, the Japanese were embarking on a mission of conquest in Asia. They twisted this mission, declaring it to be in the best interests of all Asians by defeating the “ABCD” powers of Western imperialism (Dresser, 1995). Called the East-Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, the Japanese were attempting to portray the Western countries as fat, rich, white men who lived off the labor of the Asians (Brcak& Pavia, 1994; Dresser, 1995). One particularly striking example of a poster is that of a Japanese soldier breaking the chains with ABCD (America, Britain, China, Dutch) attached to them while standing on the caricatures of dead Americans and Britons. The Japanese used political spin to encourage their Asian brethren to accept their rule for the greater good, but instead they often met resistance. Propaganda artists on both sides of the war used what would garner the most shock value, resulting in images that persist to this day. Japan’s imagery often portrayed children looking to the future or massive samurai readying a killing blow. Generally, the target of enemy-specific propaganda was Great Britain for its historical sins of imperialism, but America was targeting occasionally, sometimes even with its own pop culture icons (Brcak & Pavia, 1994; Dresser, JAPANESE PROPAGANDA 3 1995). The Japanese knew enough about American culture to use characters like Popeye the Sailorman in their cartoons, something America could not do herself (Brcak & Pavia, 1994). Finally, the easiest way to establish an “us” versus “them” attitude is to emphasize that which differentiates the groups physically which is generally termed “racism”. American propaganda often portrayed the Japanese as simian-like, with buck-teeth, round glasses and emphatically slanted eyes. The Japanese, on the other hand, emphasized portly characters and the heads of Western nations atop demonic bodies (Brcak & Pavia, 1994). The Japanese were careful not to caricature other Asians since they were attempting to create an Asian empire and would prefer the support of the other nations (Brcak & Pavia, 1994). While the propaganda is not nearly as pervasive, it continues today in Japan. American propaganda like manga directed towards children, trying to enculture a friendly attitude towards Americans, and Korean propaganda demanding an apology for the World War II Comfort Women are the more obvious examples, but the Japanese are not entirely innocent. In an onagain, off-again feud with South Korea over a set of islands called Dokdo (SK) or Takeshima (JP), recent news states that the countries are both attempting to authorize funds for a “publicity” tour, which is just a politically-convenient term for propaganda (AFN, 2012). Japanese propaganda in World War II used political spin, powerful imagery, and racism to provide a positive image to its people. In general, the Japanese preferred to show themselves, not as invincible like the Americans showed themselves, but as the underdogs. They wanted to show themselves the victims of Western imperialism, trying honorably to survive in chaos, even if they had a hand in stirring it up. JAPANESE PROPAGANDA 4 References AFP. (2012, October 8). S. Korea, Japan leaders swap ‘cool’ diplomatic advice. Asia One. Retrieved from news.asiaone.com October 8, 2012. Brcak, N. & Pavia, J. (1994, June 1). Racism in Japanese and U.S. Wartime Propaganda. Historian, 56(4) p. 671-685. Retrieved from EBSCOhost October 7, 2012. Dresser, D. (1995). From the Opium War to the Pacific War: Japanese propaganda films of World War II. Film History, 7(1), pp. 32-48. Retrieved from JSTOR October 6, 2012.