2-WWII+Japan+HF

For Japanese civilians, the war began in July 1937, with the launch of an all-out campaign by the Japanese military in China. The government didn't need to persuade people to express their support for the military, through gestures such as dressing up boys in military costume for the traditional shrine visit; or cooling themselves with fans decorated with military motifs; or rallying to celebrate the fall of Nanking in December 1937. For most Japanese people, the war in China was still a very remote event, and the realities of that brutal campaign were yet to be felt in the homeland. Propaganda was rampant through radio and newspaper, whether it be some declaration made by the emperor, or an article exaggerating a victory abroad, regardless, it did not take much at all for the civilian population to support the military. The mindset at home was distinct; the populous supported the military and the war effort, and even near the later part of the war, when defeat was imminent, the population persevered with the hope and illusion of victory because the thought of losing the war was the ultimate fear to the overall mentality of the society. The greatest contribution to from the Home Front would be the establishment of the Spiritual Mobilization Campaign. This brought together all sorts of war-supporting organizations under one roof, such as the Patriotic Women's Association and the National Women's Defense Association. Membership to the SMC eventually became compulsory, and duties had to be carried out. Their activities included the preparation of care packages for soldiers at the front, the sewing of thousand stitch belts to be worn by soldiers at the front under their uniforms; campaigns aimed at encouraging frugality and austerity, such as the wearing of utilitarian trousers instead of the traditional kimono, and campaigns against extravagant clothes and western fashions. Many War effort rallies were mobilized, whether it was an anti-allies message being promoted, or a celebration of the capture of a certain territory, every citizen whether they were old or young, participated in the moral and emotional support that the community around them had fostered, and took part in these events or knew about them. The social structure of having deep value in the neighborhood and community also played a role, for if you were cheating the government, you would be cheating your neighbor as well and thus support was even more reinforced. In the case of children, the support of the war effort became a part of everyday life. For example, there were students playing baseball in their air raid gear or elementary school children playing at being casualties in an air raid drill. The people even expressed hatred of the enemy, which the Japanese government was never very successful at instilling, through playful gestures, such as in the streets of Tokyo where people had a chance to trample on the American flag; or school playgrounds where children were encouraged to take a shot at images of Roosevelt and Churchill. Like other wartime governments, the government of Japan needed to mobilize hitherto marginal elements of the population, notably women and children, into the workforce. Children were mobilized through the school system, which sent large numbers of students to work, though at a notoriously low level of productivity. Women, and men who were too old or weak for military service, were mobilized primarily through the offer of good wages. In the case of Japanese woman, they were objects of both far-reaching governmental mobilization schemes and static, male-dominated outlooks expressed by Japan’s military rulers and society at large. They were also victims of strong socioeconomic changes brought on by the war. They were put to extensive service during the last two years of the conflict, after being forced to join one of the Women’s’ organization, given heavier shifts and longer work hours as the war progressed, and were also trained by officers in the case of an American invasion.

Gordon, Andrew. "Consumption, Leisure and the Middle Class in Transwar Japan." JSTOR. Oxford University Press, Apr. 2007. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.

Havens, Thomas R. H. "Women and War in Japan, 1937-45." The American Historical Review 80.4 (1975), 913-34. JSTOR. Oxford University Press, Oct. 1975. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

Hicks, Sally. "The WWII Home Front In Japan” Simon Partner, Duke Today, 20 Mar. 2003. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.

"Japan's Quest for Power and World War II in Asia” Asia for Educators, Columbia University., 2009. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.