Propaganda of Suppression: the Role of Cultural Policies During the Japanese Occupation, 1942-1945

Introduction This paper is about the cultural policies implemented by the Japanese Military Administration during their occupation of the Philippines (1942-1945). It is the intention of this piece to prove that the orders which the Japanese imposed were directed at suppressing the Filipinos in many aspects of their socio-cultural life. This position ironically contradicts the rosy picture which the Japanese painted for the country, that is, a new Philippines free from dependence on America and proud of its Oriental roots. Hence, this paper entitled, “Propaganda of Suppression: The Role of Cultural Policies during the Japanese Occupation, 1942-1945,” looks at how a seemingly adorable vision for a colonized country could be a strategic tool to subjugate and suppress its people. To explain how this propaganda worked, this paper will show the two sides of the same coin: the ideal vision articulated in Japan’s cultural policies and their repressive content. A portion of the discussion of every policy will also present the ideas and corresponding reactions of the Filipinos, to whom these policies were directed at. This is to show that the reactions varied according the nature of the policies. There were few Filipinos who, for example, benefited from one policy, while a magnitude of them experienced hostilities to which they responded through various forms of resistance. One could hardly grasp how he would have survived if he were to live in one of the Philippine’s darkest eras. Surviving during this time equated to surrendering one’s freedom, liberty, and happiness in exchange for imposed orders that dictated and controlled one’s actions. Defiance only meant punishment or death. And if one were to ask for the reasons behind all these hostilities, widespread social unrest, and extreme poverty, the answers will emanate from only one source, namely, Japan’s cultural policies.

The Cultural Policy: Definition and Scope The paper uses the term “cultural policy” to

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