Japanese Solidarity Discourse on the Philippines during the Second World War

Abstract

This article examines the formation of Japanese knowledge on the Philippines during the Second World War, which spawned numerous Japanese writings on the Philippines that ranged from governmental-military reports to fictional literature. Previous works criticized or simply dismissed these writings as products of a “wrong” history of Japan during its imperial era. Private Japanese wartime accounts were seen as “ethnocentric,” “self-deceiving,” and “violent.” This article sheds light on these so-called “bad” Japanese accounts by tracing their roots in American colonial writings. It demonstrates how Japanese Asiatic and solidarity discourse with the Philippines was informed by the US discourse on benevolent assimilation.

KEYWORDS: SECOND WORLD WAR • JAPANESE SOLIDARITY DISCOURSE •USES OF HISTORY • US COLONIALISM • KI KIMURA