Latest news with #SecondSino-JapaneseWar
Japan Forward
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Japan Forward
Life as It Wasn't: Uncovering Wartime Propaganda Photos
"At first glance, it may look like a nostalgic snapshot, but given the magazine it appeared in and the historical context, it's far from heartwarming," says Mari Shirayama, who has long been involved in photo research and exhibition planning at the Japan Camera Industry Institute (JCII). The Second Sino-Japanese War began in 1937. As the conflict escalated, starting around 1938, photography was increasingly used as a wartime propaganda tool to boost public morale. These images came to be known as kokusaku shashin , or "national policy photographs." The photo magazine Shashin Shuho was launched to support this effort. Smiling boys holding model airplanes. During the war, the Ministry of Education organized workshops for teachers on how to build and fly gliders. The hope was that children learning about aviation at school would grow up to support the aviation industry. Published in "Shashin Shuho," April 10, 1940. (Photo by the Cabinet Information Bureau) Even seemingly casual snapshots were carefully staged and paired with headlines and articles designed to shape public opinion during wartime. Notable photographers such as Ihei Kimura and Ken Domon, who later became leading figures in Japanese photography, also took part in these activities as part of the government's total war mobilization. A procession of horsemen marches past Nihonbashi Takashimaya, with crowds filling the streets all the way to Yasukuni Shrine. The "Koa Horse Riding Tournament" was held to promote awareness of equestrian activities during the war. From the Koa Horse Riding Tournament Commemorative Photo Album. After the war, the national policy photo archive was inherited by the Japan Travel Bureau (JTB). While most of the materials were later transferred to the National Archives of Japan, a collection of black-and-white film that remained at JTB was donated to JCII in 2018. Actress Kinuyo Tanaka is shown reading a German magazine. The photo was taken around 1940, shortly after the Japan-Germany-Italy alliance was formed, likely to promote goodwill between Germany and Japan. (Photographer unknown) According to the foundation, research into the archive is still ongoing. Many of the negatives have been confirmed to date from the prewar period. Digitization is also in progress, with about 20,000 images already processed. The collection is extensive, and its full scope has yet to be revealed. A boy works hard running the family shop while his father is away at war. The article featuring this image was written as a letter to the front, ending with a heartfelt wish for his father's courage and success. Published in Shashin Shuho, September 27, 1939. (Photo by the Cabinet Information Bureau) "Preserving, studying, and exhibiting these valuable negatives is essential to passing them on to future generations," Shirayama emphasizes. National policy photographs may have fulfilled their original purpose during the war, but 80 years later, it is time to reconsider their significance — as a way to remember the war and pass on its lessons. Storage area for materials collected by the Tokyo City Disinfection Office. To secure resources for making weapons and ammunition, government offices and public organizations led metal collection efforts. They gathered not only large items like iron doors and rails but also small objects such as fasteners from traditional tabi socks. Published in Shashin Shuho, April 23, 1941. These wartime photos and other historical materials are currently featured in the exhibition "Japan Through the Former JTB Stock Photo Collection: Demonstration and Propaganda – National Policy Photography During the War, Part 1," on view until July 27 at the JCII Photo Salon in the JCII Camera Museum in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. This photo appeared on the cover of the special issue titled "Showa." The article encouraged a positive attitude toward daily life during wartime, with slogans like "Work with a smile." Published in Shashin Shuho, April 2, 1941. (Photo by the Cabinet Information Bureau) ( Read the article in Japanese . ) Author: Katsuyuki Seki, The Sankei Shimbun
Yomiuri Shimbun
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
China Voices No Criticism of Japan at Ceremony Commemorating Marco Polo Bridge Incident
BEIJING — China held a ceremony on Monday to mark the 88th anniversary of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, a prelude to the Second Sino-Japanese War. No major criticism of Japan was made at the ceremony, which was held near the bridge in Beijing's suburbs, at a museum memorializing resistance to 'Japanese aggression.' According to state-run news agency Xinhua, the Chinese Communist Party's fifth-ranked official, Cai Qi, who is a member of the Central Committee Secretariat and is also on the Politburo Standing Committee, delivered a speech that stressed how the party fought bravely on the front lines of the resistance. This was the first time for a member of the Politburo — the party's supreme policy-making body — to attend the ceremony since 2022, which marked 85 years since the incident. According to Xinhua, Cai called for unity within the party, urging the thorough implementation of President Xi Jinping's guiding ideology. However, Cai did not make any notable criticisms of Japan in his speech, possibly in consideration of warming ties with Japan. Beijing has labeled this year 'the 80th anniversary of China's victory in the War of Resistance against Japan' and is ramping up its publicity campaign. A special exhibition on the history of the Second Sino-Japanese War and Japan's war crimes started Monday at the museum. Xinhua reported that Xi visited a facility related to the country's fight against Japan in Yangquan, Shanxi Province, on Monday and laid flowers in memory of those who died in battle. A military parade is set to be held at Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Sept. 3, which China celebrates as the anniversary of its victory over Japan.
Asahi Shimbun
07-07-2025
- General
- Asahi Shimbun
VOX POPULI: History lessons too often skip imperial Japan's war atrocities
Imperial Japanese Army troops at the Marco Polo Bridge in the suburbs of Beijing in 1937 where the Second Sino-Japanese War began (Asahi Shimbun file photo) I leafed through the pages of a thick tome titled 'Takasakishishi,' a history of the city of Takasaki in Gunma Prefecture. There, I came across an account of the Imperial Japanese Army's 215th Regiment, which had been stationed in the area during World War II. The unit was deployed to the Burma campaign, a series of military operations fought in what was then the British colony of Burma—today's Myanmar. It was in a village called Kalagon where a notorious atrocity took place. On the evening of July 7, 1945—exactly 80 years ago today—soldiers of the regiment's 3rd Battalion entered and occupied the village under orders to sweep the area for guerrillas suspected of collaborating with British paratroopers. They rounded up the residents and subjected them to harsh interrogations in an effort to identify those aiding British forces. The following day on July 8, out of approximately 1,000 villagers, more than 600 were massacred. Among the victims were children, the elderly, women and men. Later, the soldiers set fire to the village. Records of the postwar British tribunal that investigated the massacre are preserved in the city's history. Maj. Seigi Ichikawa, the commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion, admitted to the killings along with other defendants. However, they claimed that the massacre was 'a lawful reprisal' for acts of hostility committed by some of the villagers. According to Japanese historian Hirofumi Hayashi's 'Sabakareta Senso Hanzai' ("War crimes on trial"), the battalion commander was asked why he had taken the lives of even infants during the tribunal. He replied, 'To save time and accomplish my mission.' He further stated that the orders from his superiors 'included killing the children.' Eighty years after the war, how many people today still remember—or even know of—this incident? Even memories of the victims of war are not easily passed down. All the more so, the history of perpetrators—unless we make a deliberate effort—can all too easily fade without a trace. Today, July 7, is also the anniversary of the 1937 Lugouqiao Incident, better known as the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, when clashes between Chinese and Japanese troops near the Marco Polo Bridge outside Beiping (now Beijing) erupted. This seemingly localized skirmish drew Japan into a dark and disastrous war against China. This too is a grim chapter in Japan's wartime history that must never be forgotten. —The Asahi Shimbun, July 7 * * * Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
AllAfrica
08-05-2025
- Business
- AllAfrica
Trump failing to grasp China's long-game trade war tactics
As US and Chinese representatives prepare to meet in Switzerland in an effort to ease their escalating trade war, a potential sign of Beijing's approach has emerged in an opinion piece published in the state-owned journal Beijing Daily. Articles in the publication are often seen as a reflection of Beijing's official stance. The latest piece – Today, it is necessary to revisit 'On Protracted War' – argues that the trade war is an American attempt to strangle China's economic growth and that it is necessary to perceive the current trade tensions as a long-term development. What's particularly important here is that the title refers to former Chinese leader Mao Zedong's 1938 essay 'On Protracted War', a piece of writing that set out Mao's approach to combating the invading Japanese during the Second Sino-Japanese War between 1937 and 1945. This strategy was also key to the subsequent establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, after the communist victory in the long-running Chinese civil war. Mao became the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party from 1943 until his death in 1976 and created a set of political theories referred to as Maoism. He wrote extensively on political strategy. Chinese policymakers and media figures often invoke the nation's history to justify domestic and foreign policy. And the decision to reference Mao's text reflects not only China's strategy in the current trade war but also the lasting influence of his ideas. Mao's 1938 essay described a struggle that might seem, at first glance, a world away from the current China/US tariff conflict. His key thesis was that guerrilla warfare was a long-term affair with little chance for a quick victory. Mao's argument was that a war of attrition would end with a Chinese victory as it would slowly bleed the conventionally stronger Japanese forces of resources. Such an approach has been a key feature of insurgencies throughout the modern world, with movements such as the Taliban in Afghanistan using the long war of attrition against larger or more technologically advanced foes. By invoking On Protracted War, it would appear that Beijing perceives its economic struggles with the US as a conflict without a swift resolution, something that may come as a shock to Donald Trump, who is clearly signaling that he now wants a deal. This long-view approach has also been reflected in how Beijing has been preparing for a second Trump trade war ever since its experiences in the first Trump presidency. In contrast to China, the US administration appears to have banked on the trade war being a comparatively brief affair that should be ended by a quick and decisive knock-out blow against Beijing. And a public relations coup for Trump. This explains the showmanship behind the 'Liberation Day' announcements and the speed at which Washington deployed its key moves. But by preparing its citizens for a protracted trade war, it would appear that China's strategy, similarly to Mao's, is to slow down the process and grind out the best deal it can over time. Beijing believes that Chinese consumers are more capable of 'eating bitterness' (coping with hardship) than Americans. So, US diplomats would be well advised to dip into 'On Protracted War' to understand more of China's President Xi's intentions. However, this is not the only way in which Mao's strategies are relevant to global politics right now. Another of Mao's political ideas was what he termed the 'people's war.' This envisioned a slow movement where one group creates 'shadow institutions' that gradually displace established ones in order to build support from the local population. This echoes part of China's approach to globalization, where China has supported or created alternatives to US-led institutions. Many of Beijing's international institutions, such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and Belt and Road Initiative, are created to be alternatives to more established international bodies, such as the IMF and the World Bank. These Beijing felt were too dominated by the US. While China has worked on this policy for decades, it seems to chime with Trump's lack of commitment to US involvement in international institutions, such as the IMF and NATO. In this aspect of international politics, Xi and Trump seem to have somewhat similar goals, and could open up more space for Chinese leadership of these institutions. It's becoming clear that the Trump administration has severely miscalculated by assuming that Beijing would quickly capitulate, showing a lack of understanding of Chinese culture and political history. The expected instant deal has failed to materialize, and US stores are now warning that shelves may soon be empty of many goods. The trade war has become a war of attrition, and whatever moves Xi makes now are likely to be only his first in what he sees as a very long game, in the great Maoist tradition. Tom Harper is lecturer in international relations, University of East London This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The Mainichi
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Mainichi
Man gets admission to Osaka Expo with ticket for 1940 event that never took place
OSAKA -- A man with an admission ticket to the "international exposition" in 1940, which was scheduled to be held mainly in Tokyo but was postponed indefinitely due to the escalation of the Second Sino-Japanese War, gained admission to Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai on May 5, exchanging the 1940 ticket for a one-day adult pass. The 1940 expo was officially known as the "2600 Japan International Exposition," based on the Japanese imperial calendar beginning in 660 B.C. Among experts and enthusiasts, it is known as the "phantom expo," and tickets that were not refunded during the chaos have been used at subsequent expos, including the 1970 Expo in Osaka. Holding the time-honored ticket was Fumiya Takenawa, 25, a company worker from Tokyo's Suginami Ward, who was visiting his parents' home in Osaka Prefecture. A fan of the "Tower of the Sun," the symbol of the 1970 Osaka Expo, Takenawa collects expo-related memorabilia. In March, he found and purchased a "phantom expo" ticket online. Though he initially displayed it at home in a showcase, he became curious about whether it could be used at the latest event and contacted the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition. The association reportedly responded that if the ticket was genuine and met the requirements, it would accommodate its use. A smiling Takenawa said, "It's my first Expo, and it was great to be a part of history." He added, "Expos are bridges of peace. After 85 years, I hope this clears the regrets of the person who couldn't attend the Expo that they must have been looking forward to." He said his main interests were the Czech and Saudi Arabian pavilions, and he intends to return to the event each time he visits his family. According to an association representative, 1 million copies of the "phantom expo" ticket booklets were sold in 1938. Each booklet contained 12 tickets and was priced at 10 yen (approximately 17,000 yen or roughly $118 in today's currency). For the latest Expo, each unused booklet can be exchanged for two adult day passes, and the booklet is returned to the owner. Approximately 3,000 exchanges occurred at the 1970 Osaka Expo and about 100 at the 2005 Aichi Expo.
