World War II is one of the most studied conflicts in human history. There are many works considering the causes of the conflict, as well as various aspects of its course. However, rather limited attention is paid to the consideration of social aspects, as well as the attitude of citizens of countries to the Second World War. Japan is considered by researchers in different ways within the framework of this conflict. Some view it as an imperialist aggressor, while others tend to think of Japan as a victim. In fact, the history of Japan in the Second World War is ambiguous, which is what the researchers emphasize. The main debate in this area is the position of Japan in the conflict, the attitude of the Japanese to the American occupation, as well as to the country’s militaristic activities in Asia.
Even decades after the end of World War II, there is debate about the activities of imperialist Japan in this conflict. The country’s defeat in the war marked the end of the militaristic pressure that fueled Japan’s invasion of other countries in Asia. The aggressive policy of the imperialist government during the Second World War led to many war crimes and cruelty towards other peoples. At the same time, Japan experienced the catastrophic consequences of a world war, including nuclear strikes. This fact largely determined the outlook of the Japanese in the post-war period.
The main debate in this area remains the question of positioning Japan as a party to the conflict in the Second World War. In particular, after the defeat of the Japanese militaristic government in the war, America began a large-scale occupation of the country (Jacob 12).
In particular, the main goal after the end of the war was the demilitarization and democratization of Japan (Jacob 12). Researchers look at this process differently, assessing it as a violation of Japan’s sovereignty or as forced actions to prevent the conflict from escalating (Porter and Porter 66). Machida emphasizes that the occupation of Japan by the United States caused discontent among the Japanese and increased confidence in self-defense policies (29). Jacob, on the contrary, interprets these events as forced actions to maintain peace, which were considered by Imperialist Japan as a threat (76). Thus, there are different opinions in the scientific community regarding the motives of Japan’s activities in the framework of the Second World War.
Additionally, researchers do not give an unequivocal opinion on the attitude of the Japanese people and members of the government to the military activities of the state. In particular, Porter and Porter emphasize that the Japanese government used extensive propaganda to maintain approval of military aggression (67). They also report that most of the people of Japan during that period were unaware of the military occupation of other countries in Asia by Japan.
The invasion of American troops and the defeat of Japan in the war was a certain shock for them, which was not expected (Porter and Porter 69). Hinnershitz supports these views by pointing out that throughout World War II, US soldiers were particularly cruel to the Japanese (124). In particular, there is a history of long-term use of American Japanese labor in the United States (Hinnershitz 125). This factor emphasizes the position of Japan and in particular its citizens as victims in this conflict.
Researchers also view Japan’s motivation and decision to participate in the war not as imperialist ambitions but as a response to US suppression. In particular, Record emphasizes that the Japanese government was aware that it had an illusory chance of winning the conflict (46). However, Japan saw no other way out of this situation, as it feared the loss of its own sovereignty. Although this partially happened after the end of the Second World War, Japan managed to reach more favorable agreements. Researchers also motivate the general approval of the actions of the Japanese government in the conflict by the general sense of national integrity experienced by Japanese citizens (Record 46). In this regard, the opinions of researchers also differ, as they are considered from different perspectives.
One element of the current debate in the area is the ambiguous attitude of researchers towards the opinions of Japanese citizens regarding the Second World War and military operations. In particular, Seo reports that during the Second World War, there was widespread approval of the government’s actions in the mass media in Japan (52). Additionally, active propaganda supported the generally positive attitude of Japanese citizens towards participation in the war. However, after the defeat of Japan and, in particular, episodes of nuclear strikes on the country, approval began to decline sharply, growing into general dissatisfaction with the activities of the government.
This view of the attitude of the Japanese to the Second World War does not give a complete understanding of both the motives of the state and the opinions of citizens. Jacob, for example, does not emphasize that the Japanese government and people experienced exclusively imperialist aspirations within the framework of the conflict (78). This view is contrary to the assumptions made by other researchers, who tend to view Japan as a victim of the conflict (Porter and Porter 114; Record 65; Seo 52). In this situation, there is no consensus on the assessment of Japan’s activities in the framework of the Second World War.
However, it should be noted that researchers pay limited attention to the influence of propaganda on the formation of Japanese attitudes towards war. In particular, research mainly focuses on the political aspects of the conflict, as well as the imperialist and militaristic activities of Japan. At the same time, the authors rarely turn to the study of the reasons for Japan’s participation in the war and aggression against other Asian countries. Consideration of social factors that were relevant at that time in the country play an even smaller role in this area. Thus, it is quite difficult to assess what position Japan took in any world war, as well as what attitude the Japanese had towards this conflict.
The Japanese government used propaganda to create a certain positive attitude among Japanese citizens towards World War II. However, researchers are not clear on how the Japanese government itself viewed itself within the conflict. There is no consensus as to what goals Japan pursued. Some researchers believe that the country has become a victim in the imperialist race of the West. Others believe that Japan wanted to seize the moment to expand its influence in Asia. One way or another, the attitude of the Japanese towards this conflict is ambiguous and is shaped by many different factors that the authors point to.
Works Cited
Hinnershitz, Stephanie. Japanese American Incarceration The Camps and Coerced Labor During World War II. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2021.
Jacob, Frank. Japanese War Crimes during World War II: Atrocity and the Psychology of Collective Violence. ABC-CLIO, 2018.
Machida, Satoshi. “War Memories and Japanese Citizens’ Views Toward the Self-Defense Forces.” Contemporary Japan, vol. 33, no. 1, 2021, pp. 24-40.
Porter, Edgar A., and Ran Ying Porter. Japanese Reflections on World War II and the American Occupation. Amsterdam University Press, 2018.
Record, Jeffrey. Japan’s Decision For War In 1941: Some Enduring Lessons. Lucknow Books, 2015.
Seo, Gijae. “Shonen Kurabu and the Japanese Attitude Toward War.” Children’s Literature in Education, vol. 52, 2021, pp. 49-67.