JAPANESE PROPAGANDA

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 July 1945, Page 6

JAPANESE PROPAGANDA

“KEY TO VICTORY” In Japan’s total war it is held that “propaganda is the final key to victory.” Yet, according to Naokicm Horikawa, of the journal “Asahi, “Japan has had no skill in propaganda. She dislikes the whole business. But she has always adhered to truth. Thus the righteous spirit of Japan is being justified in the eyes of the whole world.” In this nobility of sentiment, Mr Horikawa is joined by many other Japanese writers and leaders, and evidently they hope that they may be believed, and thus ensure a favourable reception for the stream of messages going out to their own people, to their allies, to occupied territories, and to their enemies. They call it “Thought War.” „ In “Japan’s Political Warfare (reviewed by R.A.8., in the , Sydney Morning Herald”), .which is the result of first-hand knowledge and considerable research, Mr de Mendelssohn shows how this “Thought War” is conducted, also the nature of the material used. And he reveals some extraordinary methods, details, and doctrines, which have been only dimly apprehended by the Western peoples. Japan’s political warfare, which includes propaganda and home manufactured news, though nominally controlled by various Government departments, is in reality lully dominated by the Army, and civilian authorities exercise control only where and when the Army considers it useful. The means of dissemination are obtained by the use of the radio, newspapers, and the films. Since 1934 all radio stations m Japan have been merged into the Broadcasting Corporation oi Japan. This corporation is under strict Government control, and all its programmes are rigidly censored. An analysis of these programmes shows that about one quarter of all broadcasting time was devoted to talks and lectures, less than one-tenth to music, and less than one-tenth to entertainment. In 1940 it was estimated that the total output from the Nippon Hoso Kyokai, as the corporation is called, was 138,455 hours. Most of the programmes originate in Tokio and Osaka. In addition to this medium of transmission there are a number of stations in the occupied territories. In the Dutch East Indies a number of loud-speaker masts have been erected in school-grounds and public places. These “Singing Trees’ or “Singing Towers,” as they are called, not only broadcast propaganda and news items, but give lessons to children in Japanese conversation. From all these stations the Australian listening-post in Melbourne has picked up messages in no fewer than twenty languages. Many of these messages include items collected in Japan and occupied countries from Australian and American radios. The information obtained by Mi de Mendelssohn concerning the Japanese Press is particularly interesting At the end of he says, there were over 1,800 daily newspapers in Japan. Since then most of them have been abolished, and the remainder were forced into mergers, so that now there are only about five or six Japanese newspapers oi.any importance. Magazines and periodicals have received similar treatment. And even more drastic concentration is possible. The Government-owned Domei ’Agency holds the monopoly for foreign news, and the power ol life and 'death over the newspapers, for no paper can exist without its services. Editors therefore publish matter according to D'omei’s instructions, no objections are tolerated, and the threat, of suspension or extinction remains ever-present. . The Domei Agency itself is in turn a creature o! the Army. „ ' A very extensive use of films is made by the Japanese for the purpose of propaganda. Although pioduction is dominated, by two combines there is a rigid centralised control. Although almost every move must be approved by the Home Office, all branches must have special permits, and all employees must be registered, and the army .is always in the background making its influence felt. The films, 50 pei’ cent, of which are newsreels, are issued in various languages appropriate to tne countries of exhibition. OFFICIAL ANNOUNCED!ENTS Another activity is the implanting of the Japanese language m all the occupied territories. It has had sonic success, but the march ol coming events will no doubt interrupt it. In addition to the teaching of the language, the military-controlled Ministry of Education is establishing schools in which the youth of the conquered countries are trained in Japanese art, science, and culture. A constant flow of propaganda literature is flowing into these countries, including picture books lor the children. Even music is enlisted by the Army in this “Thought War.” Finally, Mr. de Mendelssohn deals with lhe nature of the propaganda used, and he tells us some surprising things. Victory propaganda consists of official communiques issued from Imperial Headquarters, Commentaries on the Communiques,. “Eyewitness” accounts, weekly summaries, and reports of the granting of decorations. In none of these messages does any admission of defeat appear, withdrawals are “readjustments oi positions,” and losses are always slight compared with those of . the enemy. The doctrine of the invincibility oi •the Japanese Army and Navy is continually preached and the people.are constantly reminded, of its glorious objectives illustrated by lhe slogans, “The Greater East Asia Co-prospei'ity Sphere,” “Asia for the. Asiatics,” and others concerning military and economic encirclements. Messages concerning treatment of prisoners of war constitute another branch of propaganda. The British and Americans are accused of cruelty and injustice towards Japanese prisoners as compared with Japanese kindness to prisoners in their hands. “Bushido,’ or Japanese chivalry, would not permit mean or unfair behaviour to prisoners in their hands. An examination, ol Japanese records and dictionaries, however, shows that “Bushido is a pure fabrication and has never existTo Western minds perhaps nothing could be more fantastic than the religious and political principles woven into Japanese propaganda. For mstance, there is ‘‘Tire Way of the Eraperor.” This is the path to world domination —a continuation of the claim of Japan’s first Emperor —“We snail built our capital all over the world, and make the whole world our domain.” That path will be taken because Hie Emperor is the direct, descendant of Amatc-rasu Omikami, the Sun Goddess, and is himself a god. Another phrase claimed to have been discovered by Matsuoka in 1941 means “The eight corners of the world under one roof.” From this comes the doctrine that Japan is the family and all other nations crowding together under her roof are just poor relations. It is explained that all these nations will have their proper places, and Japan the Mother will do the allotting. Japan is the original mother and the war waged by her is a mother's chastisement ol her naughty children into obedience. War waged by other nations on Japan is a mortal sin, an attack oil the mother nation which will be punished by the gods for it is matricide.