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Poster of Manchukuo promoting harmony between Japanese, Chinese, and Manchu. The caption says: "With the help of Japan, China, and Manchukuo, the world can be in peace."

The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere (Kyūjitai: 大東亞共榮圈, Shinjitai: 大東亜共栄圏 Dai-tō-a Kyōeiken) was a concept created and promulgated during the Shōwa era by the government and military of the Empire of Japan which represented the desire to create a self-sufficient "bloc of Asian nations led by the Japanese and free of Western powers". ^[1] The Sphere was initiated by Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe, in an attempt to create a Great East Asia, comprised of Japan, Manchukuo, China, and parts of Southeast Asia, that would, according to imperial propaganda, establish a new international order seeking ‘coprosperity’ for Asian countries which would share prosperity and peace, free from Western colonialism and domination ^[2].

However, this was one of a number of slogans and concepts used in the justification of Japanese aggression in East Asia in the 1930s through the end of World War II and the term "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" is remembered today largely as a front for the Japanese control of occupied countries during World War II, in which puppet governments manipulated local populations and economies for the benefit of Imperial Japan.

Negative connotations which many still associate with the term "Greater East Asia" (大東亜) remain one of a number of difficulties facing the annual East Asia Summits, begun in 2005, to discuss the possibility of the establishment of a stronger, more united East Asian Community.

During World War II, many countries occupied by Japan were run by puppet governments, which manipulated local populations and economies for the benefit of Imperial Japan, backed by this conception of a united Asia absent of, or opposed to, European influence. It was an Imperial Japanese Army concept which originated with General Hachiro Arita, who at the time was Minister for Foreign Affairs and an army ideologist. "Greater East Asia" (大東亜, Dai-tō-a^?) was a Japanese term (banned during the post-war Occupation) referring to Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia and surrounding areas.

The idea of the Co-Prosperity Sphere was formally announced by Foreign Minister Matsuoka Yosuke on August 1, 1940 in a press interview, but had already existed in various forms for many years. Leaders in Japan had long been interested in the idea, in reality to extend Japanese power and acquire an empire based on European models, though ostensibly to free Asia from imperialism.

As part of its war drive, Japanese propaganda included phrases like "Asia for Asians" and talked about the perceived need to liberate Asian countries from imperialist powers. In some cases they were welcomed when they invaded neighboring countries, driving out British, French, and other governments and military forces. In general, however, the subsequent brutality and racism of the Japanese led to them being regarded as equal to, or, more often, much worse than Western imperialists.

From the Japanese point of view, the main reason behind forming the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, was the same reason Japan initiated war with the United States: Chinese Markets. Japan wanted their "paramount relations", in relation to Chinese markets, acknowledged by the U.S. government. The U.S., however, saw the abundance of wealth that could be found in these markets, and thus refused to let the Japanese have an advantage in distributing to these markets. Therefore, in an attempt to give Japan a formal advantage over the Chinese markets, the Imperial regime invaded China and launched the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. According to Foreign Minister Shigenori Togo, would Japan be successful in creating this sphere, it would then emerge as the leader of Eastern Asia and the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity sphere would be another name for the Japanese Empire ^[3].

The Co-Prosperity Sphere collapsed with Japan's surrender to the Allies.

The Kōa-in (興亜院, East Asia Development Board), created on 18 November 1938 under the first Konoe government, was developed to be one of the main actors in the economic development of the Sphere.

However, according to historian Zhifen Ju, its main result was the implementation of a system of slave work. She argues that until 1942, at least five million Chinese civilians from North China and Manchukuo were enslaved for work in Imperial mines and war industries. After the Greater East Asia War was launched, the number of workers that were coerced exceeded 10 million, of which about 7 million came from North China. ^[4]

According to a document found by journalist Reiji Yoshida, the Kōa-in was directly implicated in providing funds to drug dealers in China for the benefits of puppets governements of Nanjing, Manchukuo and Mongolia.^[5] This document corroborates evidence analyzed earlier by the Tokyo tribunal which stated:

"Japan's real purpose in engaging drug traffic was far more sinister than even the debauchery of Chinese people. Japan, having signed and ratified the opium conventions, was bound not to engage in drug traffic, but she found in the alleged but false independence of Manchukuo a convenient opportunity to carry on a worldwide drug traffic and cast the guilt upon that puppet state (...) In 1937, it was pointed out in the League of Nations that 90% of all illicit white drugs in the world were of Japanese origin..."^[6].

Greater East Asia Map Stamp

• Hachirō Arita: Army thinker who thought up the Greater East Asian concept
• Satō Nobuhiro: alleged founder of the Greater East Asia concept
• Imperialism in Asia
• Azad Hind
• Militarism-Socialism in Showa Japan
• Japanese fascism
• Japanese nationalism
• Japanese war crimes
• Korea under Japanese rule
• Second Philippine Republic (Japanese-sponsored)
• Tanaka Memorial
• Japanese Empire
• Ministry of Greater East Asia (Japan)
• Greater East Asia Conference (November 1943)
• List of East Asian leaders in the Japanese sphere of influence (1931-1945)
• Overseas political parties and movements with Japanese support
• East Asia Summit: unrelated term in the early 21st century

1. ^ http://wgordon.web.wesleyan.edu/papers/coprospr.htm
2. ^ Iriye, 6
3. ^ Iriye
4. ^ Zhifen Ju, Japan's Atrocities of Conscripting and Abusing North China Draftees after the Outbreak of the Pacific War, Joint Study of the Sino-Japanese War, Harvard, 2002, http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~asiactr/sino-japanese/minutes_2002.htm
5. ^ Japan profited as opium dealer wartime China, http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070830f1.html
6. ^ http://www.ibiblio.net/hyperwar/PTO/IMTFE/IMTFE-5.html

• Dower, John. War Without Mercy: Race and Power in the Pacific War. Pantheon Books. New York: 1986.
• Iriye, Akira. Pearl Harbor and the coming of the Pacific War :a Brief History with Documents and Essays. Boston : Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999.

• Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere - academic paper

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