Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere 244149 226178499 2008-07-17T04:51:22Z 211.13.50.161 [[Image:Manchukuo011.jpg|thumb|150px|Poster of [[Manchukuo]] promoting harmony between [[Japanese people|Japanese]], [[Han Chinese|Chinese]], and [[Manchu]]. The caption says: "With the help of Japan, China, and Manchukuo, the world can be in peace."]] {{JapaneseText}} The '''Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere''' ([[Kyūjitai]]: 大東亞共榮圈, [[Shinjitai]]: {{lang|ja|大東亜共栄圏}} ''Dai-tō-a Kyōeiken'') was a concept created and promulgated during the [[Shōwa era]] by the government and military of the [[Empire of Japan]] which represented the desire to create a self-sufficient "bloc of Asian nations led by the Japanese and free of Western powers".<ref>[http://wgordon.web.wesleyan.edu/papers/coprospr.htm Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The Sphere was initiated by Prime Minister [[Fumimaro Konoe]], in an attempt to create a Great East Asia, comprised of [[Japan]], [[Manchukuo]], [[China]], and parts of Southeast Asia, that would, according to imperial propaganda, establish a new international order seeking ‘co prosperity’ for Asian countries which would share prosperity and peace, free from Western colonialism and domination.<ref>Iriye, 6</ref> However, this was one of a number of slogans and concepts used in the justification of Japanese aggression in East Asia in the 1930s through the end of [[World War II]] and the term "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" is remembered today largely as a front for the [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] control of occupied countries during World War II, in which [[puppet government]]s manipulated local populations and economies for the benefit of [[Imperial Japan]]. Negative connotations that many still associate with the term "Greater East Asia" (大東亜) remain one of a number of difficulties facing the annual [[East Asia Summit]]s, begun in 2005, to discuss the possibility of the establishment of a stronger, more united [[East Asian Community]]. == History == During World War II, many countries occupied by Japan were run by [[puppet government]]s that manipulated local populations and economies for the benefit of Imperial Japan, backed by this conception of a united Asia absent of, or opposed to, European influence. It was an [[Imperial Japanese Army]] concept that originated with General [[Hachiro Arita]], who at the time was [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)|Minister for Foreign Affairs]] and an army ideologist. {{nihongo|"[[East Asia|Greater East Asia]]"|大東亜|Dai-tō-a}} was a Japanese term (banned during the post-war [[Occupied Japan|Occupation]]) referring to [[East Asia|Northeast Asia]], [[Southeast Asia]], and surrounding areas. The idea of the Co-Prosperity Sphere was formally announced by [[Minister for Foreign Affairs (Japan)|Foreign Minister]] [[Matsuoka Yosuke]] on [[August 1]], [[1940]], in a press interview, but had already existed in various forms for many years. Leaders in Japan had long been interested in the idea, in reality to extend Japanese power and acquire an empire based on European models, though ostensibly to free Asia from [[imperialism]]. As part of its war drive, [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] [[propaganda]] included phrases like "Asia for Asians" and talked about the perceived need to liberate Asian countries from imperialist powers. In some cases they were welcomed when they invaded neighboring countries, driving out [[United Kingdom|British]], [[France|French]], and other governments and military forces.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} In general, however, the subsequent brutality and racism of the Japanese led to them being regarded as equal to, or, more often, much worse than Western imperialists. From the Japanese point of view, the main reason behind forming the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, was the same reason Japan initiated war with the United States: Chinese markets. Japan wanted their "paramount relations", in relation to Chinese markets, acknowledged by the U.S. government. The U.S., however, saw the abundance of wealth that could be found in these markets, and thus refused to let the Japanese have an advantage in distributing to these markets. Therefore, in an attempt to give Japan a formal advantage over the Chinese markets, the Imperial regime invaded China and launched the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. According to Foreign Minister [[Shigenori Togo]], should Japan be successful in creating this sphere, it would then emerge as the leader of Eastern Asia and the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity sphere would be another name for the Japanese Empire.<ref>Iriye</ref> [[An Investigation of Global Policy with the Yamato Race as Nucleus]], a secret government document completed in 1943, explicitly states that the Japanese were superior to other Asian races and suggested that the Sphere was merely propaganda intended to mask Japan's true intention of domination over Asia.<ref>{{citation| title=War Without Mercy| last=Dower| first=John W.| publisher=Pantheon Books| location=New York| year=1986| page=262-290}}</ref> The Co-Prosperity Sphere collapsed with [[Surrender of Japan|Japan's surrender to the Allies]]. == The Greater East Asia Conference == {{main|Greater East Asia Conference}} {{nihongo|The Greater East Asia Conference|大東亜会議|Dai Toa Kaigi}} was held in Tokyo from [[5 November|5]] – [[6 November]] [[1943]], in which Japan hosted the [[head of state|heads of state]] of various component members of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. The conference was also referred to as the ''Tokyo Conference''. The Conference addressed few issues of any substance, but was intended as a [[propaganda]] show piece, to illustrate the [[Empire of Japan]]'s commitments to the [[Pan-Asianism]] ideal and to emphasize its role as the “liberator” of Asia from western [[colonialism]]. It was attended by: * [[Hideki Tojo]], Prime Minister of Japan * [[Zhang Jinghui]], Prime Minister of [[Manchukuo]] * [[Wang Jingwei]], President of the [[Reformed Government of the Republic of China]] * [[Ba Maw]], Head of State, [[State of Burma]] * [[Subhas Chandra Bose]], Head of State of Provisional Government of Free India ([[Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind]]) * [[José P. Laurel]], President of the [[Second Philippine Republic]] * Prince [[Wan Waithayakon]], envoy from the Kingdom of [[Thailand]] The Conference issued a Joint Declaration promoting economic and political cooperation against the [[Allies of World War II|Allied countries]]. <ref> http://ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=70 WW2DB: Greater East Asia Conference </ref> == Failure of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere == Although Japan succeeded in stimulating anti-Westernism in Asia, the sphere never materialized into a unified Asia. Dr. [[Ba Maw]], wartime President of Burma under the Japanese, claims that this was because of the Japanese military: :The militarists saw everything only in a Japanese perspective and, even worse, they insisted that all others dealing with them should do the same. For them there was only one way to do a thing, the Japanese way; only one goal and interest, the Japanese interest; only one destiny for the East Asian countries, to become so many Manchukuos or Koreas tied forever to Japan. These racial impositions...made any real understanding between the Japanese militarists and the people of our region virtually impossible.<ref> Lebra, 157 </ref> In other words, the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere was not working for the betterment of all the East Asia countries, but rather for Japan's own interests and thus they failed to gather support in other East Asian countries. Nationalist movements did appear in these East Asian countries during this period and these nationalists did, to some extent, cooperate with the Japanese. However, Willard Elsbree, professor emeritus of [[political science]] at [[Ohio University]], claims that the Japanese government and these nationalist leaders never developed "a real unity of interests between the two parties, [and] there was no overwhelming despair on the part of the Asians at Japan's defeat".<ref> Lebra, 160 </ref> It seems that the failure of Japan to understand the goals and interests of the other countries involved in the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere led to a weak association of countries bound to Japan only in theory and not in spirit. Dr. Ba Maw argues that had Japan :only been faithful to the concept of Asia for the Asians that she herself had proclaimed at the beginning of the war, Japan's fate would have been very different. No military defeat could then have robbed her of the trust and gratitude of half of Asia or even more, and that would have mattered a great deal in finding for her a new, great, and abiding place in a postwar world in which Asia was coming into her own.<ref> Lebra, 158 </ref> Thus, had Japan created a sphere where all of Asia's interests were represented, post-war Asia could have been an entirely different place even with the military defeat of Japan. ===Political parties and movements with Japanese support=== *[[Azad Hind]] *[[Indian Independence League]] ([[India]]n nationalist movement) *[[Indonesian Nationalist Party]], [[Indonesia]]n nationalist movement *[[Khmer Issarak]] Cambodian-Khmer nationalist group *[[Dobama Asiayone]] (We Burmans Association), [[Bamar|Burmese]] anti-British nationalist association *[[Second Philippine Republic]] == See also == [[Image:DaitouaKyoueiken.JPG|thumb|150px|Greater East Asia Map Stamp]] *[[Hachirō Arita]]: Army thinker who thought up the Greater East Asian concept *[[Satō Nobuhiro]]: alleged founder of the Greater East Asia concept *[[East Asia Development Board]] *[[Imperialism in Asia]] *[[Militarism-Socialism in Showa Japan]] *[[Japanese nationalism]] *[[Japanese war crimes]] *[[Ministry of Greater East Asia (Japan)]] *[[Greater East Asia Conference]] (November 1943) *[[List of East Asian leaders in the Japanese sphere of influence (1931-1945)]] *[[East Asia Summit]]: unrelated term in the early 21st century == References and notes == <references/> == General == * Dower, John. War Without Mercy: Race and Power in the Pacific War. Pantheon Books. New York: 1986. * Iriye, Akira. Pearl Harbor and the coming of the Pacific War :a Brief History with Documents and Essays. Boston : Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999. * Lebra, Joyce C. Japan's Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere in World War II: Selected Readings and Documents. New York: Oxford University Press, 1975. == External links == *[http://wgordon.web.wesleyan.edu/papers/coprospr.htm Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere] - academic paper *[http://www.adam-matthew-publications.co.uk/digital_guides/fo_japan_series1_prt1to2/japanese_minister_officals.aspx#sixth Foreign Office Files for Japan and the Far East] *[http://ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=70 WW2DB: Greater East Asia Conference] [[Category:Empire of Japan]] [[Category:Japan during World War II]] [[Category:New Imperialism]] [[Category:Politics of World War II]] [[Category:Military history of Japan during World War II]] [[Category:Nationalism]] [[de:Großostasiatische Wohlstandssphäre]] [[es:Esfera de coprosperidad del este de Asia]] [[fr:Sphère de coprospérité de la grande Asie orientale]] [[ko:대동아공영권]] [[he:מרחב השגשוג המשותף של מזרח אסיה רבתי]] [[ja:大東亜共栄圏]] [[pl:Wielka Wschodnioazjatycka Strefa Wspólnego Dobrobytu]] [[pt:Bloco yen]] [[th:วงไพบูลย์ร่วมแห่งมหาเอเชียบูรพา]] [[vi:Khối Thịnh vượng chung Đại Đông Á]] [[zh:大東亞共榮圈]]