Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere

A Japanese imperial project during World War II that proposed a Japan-led Asian bloc and served to justify Japanese expansion and occupation.

Pan-Asianism: A family of ideas advocating solidarity or political unity among Asian peoples and states. The project adopted pan-Asian language to present Japanese leadership as regional liberation.
Greater East Asia Conference: A 1943 Tokyo meeting attended by Japan and several governments or movements associated with its wartime bloc. The conference staged the sphere’s claim to represent cooperation among Asian states.
Japanese occupation of the Philippines: Japan’s military rule over the Philippines from 1942 until the Allied return in 1944–1945. The occupation promised Philippine independence while imposing Japanese authority and wartime demands.
Atlantic Charter: A 1941 statement by the United States and Britain setting out principles for the postwar order, including self-determination. Its stated principles provided a rival framework for judging Japanese claims of Asian liberation.
Japanese imperialism: Japan’s expansion of political, military, and economic control over other territories, especially from the late nineteenth century to 1945. The proposed bloc extended an imperial expansion already underway before the war.
Japanese occupation of Southeast Asia: Japan’s wartime military rule over territories in Southeast Asia conquered mainly in 1941–1942. Occupation supplied the territory and coercive authority behind the proposed bloc.
Japanese occupation of Indonesia: Japan’s rule over the Dutch East Indies from 1942 until Japan’s surrender in 1945. Japanese rule mobilized Indonesian resources and political organizations while preparing a constrained path toward independence.
Japanese war crimes: Violations of the laws and customs of war committed by Japanese forces during the Second World War. Abuses under Japanese occupation contradicted the sphere’s promise of mutual prosperity and liberation.
Manchukuo: A Japanese-controlled state established in Manchuria in 1932 and dissolved after Japan’s defeat in 1945. Its creation provided an early model for a nominally independent state under Japanese dominance.
Japanese wartime economic policy: Policies that mobilized resources, labor, and production for Japan’s war effort. The sphere’s economic integration chiefly served Japanese military needs and resource demands.

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