JAPANESE RULE IN EAST ASIA 223
Before World War I, Japan had annexed
Taiwan and Korea, and it acquired former
German Pacific islands as mandates after
the war. In the 1930s it invaded Manchuria,
large parts of eastern China, and Southeast
Asia from 1940 (see pp.106–107). Where
possible, the economies of these territories
were shaped to supply Japan’s war effort;
steel production in Manchuria increased,
agricultural output rose in Taiwan, and
electricity production soared in Korea.
Little consideration was given to local
needs, and there were widespread food
shortages. Many thousands of women were
forced into sexual slavery as “comfort
women” for the army. Japan also clamped
down harshly on dissent. Allied prisoners
of war (POWs) suffered greatly, including
the 80,000 taken when Singapore fell in February 1942. The Japanese
military code looked down on surrender, and Allied POWs routinely
received minimal rations, were beaten, and were put to hard labor,
including constructing the Burma railway, through 260 miles (420 km)
of mountainous jungle. The death toll was high—of the 36,000 US
troops taken prisoner by the Japanese, almost 40 percent died.GREATER EAST ASIA CONFERENCE
JAPANESE RULE
IN EAST ASIA
Japan acquired an extensive colonial empire before and
during World War II, in part to secure raw material
supplies for its economy. Little political freedom was
permitted in its colonies, and conditions were harsh.
In 1940, the Japanese government announced a Greater East Asia Co-
Prosperity Sphere. Ostensibly a bloc of Asian powers to promote prosperity
and political freedom, it was in reality completely directed by Japan. At its
1943 Conference in Tokyo, pro-Japanese leaders attended, such as Ba Maw
of Burma (far left) and José P. Laurel of the Philippines (second from right).△ Pan-Asian solidarity
Japanese propaganda extolled
the virtues of pan-Asian solidarity,
such as on this poster, which
promotes cooperation between
Manchuria, Japan, and China.US_222-223_F_life_under_Japanese_rule.indd 223 04/03/19 10:47 AM