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Running Head: Japanese Propaganda
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Japanese Propaganda: World War II and Today
Jennifer Barnette
Anthropology of War: ANT 307
Dr. Arunima Kashyap
August 17, 2013
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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,
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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.
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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.