What was the 'Asian Brotherhood' propaganda that Japan used for its expansion about?

Answer 1

Hi Chris As far as I know - my knowledge in the field is hardly exhaustive - it was Japan herself who launched the idea of a "new Order" in Asia. In the propagating of this new order they utilised resentment against European and American colonisation of Asia. Propaganda posters displayed the Japanese as liberators, and all whites as evicted oppressors. Asians are often portrayed as a homogenous group, thus perhaps a brotherhood of sorts. From the outset, this propaganda effort had a major problem - the sender. The Japanese were since medieval times a nowhere very loved people, and asians tended to resented them at least as much as they resented westerners. There were numerous other problems. Western nations usually had ethnic or social minorities in the colonies who were quite dependent on their protection against majorities. White rule was usually based on the collaboration of such minorities ("divide and conquer"). These groups were not particularly interested in anticolonisalism arguments. In fact they had every reason to fear the departure of the whites. In some cases, such as the Philippines, religion became an issue (and at any rate, the Filipinos had no tradition of positive relations with the Japanese even before Spanish and then US colonisation). But, occasionally there were successes. Local movements were either inspired by these ideas (and the Japanese humiliation of white armed forces, showing it was possible to resist successfully), or simply used the Japanese as a mean to obtain an independence already desired. These successes were largely destroyed by the Japanese themselves, as they did not really offer independence and liberation, but simply change of oppressor, which was soon made evident. Hope that helps some Tommy