Western Propaganda about Japan's War Comparing With Japan's Perspective

Western Propaganda about Japan's War Comparing With Japan's Perspective Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Western Propaganda about Japan's War Comparing With Japan's Perspective Before the start of the 20th Century, Japan was secluded from the rest of the world and was in a turmoil. The beginning of the twentieth century gave way to Japan’s rapid change and modernization. The country began to catch up with other superpowers during that time. However, despite their need for modernization, the effects of the great depression also affected the nation, which had a weak democracy. Consequently, Japan’s military gained power and became uncontrollable. Driven by past beliefs of spiritual and racial purity, the military turned to the politics of assassination. War was considered to be an act of purifying the nation, individuals and eventually the whole world. The nation’s acceptance to be ruled by nationalists and militarists can be associated with the effects of worldwide depression and several scandals in the country’s government. Flaws in the Meiji constitution also contributed to militarists rise to power. The Japanese militarists looked to the past for guidance from the Sun Goddess, whom the Emperor had descended from. The aim of the militarists was to restore a Japan, which they believed had lost its purity. The military attempts by Japan to purify the world led to their attack on Thailand, which was under British rule and U.S army bases in Guam and Hawaii. This attack led to the two nations joining forces and attacking Japan during the Pacific War. However, during World War II, Japan had a different perception of itself and other nations, and so did U.S.A and Britain. This essay seeks to discuss the different perceptions of these three countries during the war. During the period of 1941-1945, various forms of propaganda emerged regarding the perception of Japanese in America. After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, several bias messages emerged which dehumanized the Japanese. Such biased messages brought fear among the Americans and in turn, they led to racism and cultural hatred. The Americans believed that the only way the Japanese could stop being a threat is if they were defeated in war. The propaganda greatly affected Japan. According to the American propaganda, the Japanese held their race to be more superior compared to other races, including other Asians. The Japanese treated other Asians as minorities by constantly slapping them and forcing them to bow to the East, where their emperor resided. The attitude and perception that Americans had towards the Japanese were that they were repulsive and subhuman. Several propaganda arts emerged during the years before 1945 that portrayed Japanese as inhuman and ruthless. The ‘Tokio Kid,’ a Japanese character that was famous in several World War II posters depicted the Japanese as dangerous killers (Miles, 2012). The poster showed a Japanese character with pointed ears, fangs and enlarged buckteeth, representing the physical characteristics of the Japanese people. Aside from that, the caption written in broken English showed how unintelligent the Japanese were. The ‘Tokio Kid’ was one of the many posters that portrayed the Japanese as less humans. A majority of such post...