5 - Japan in Newspapers

Summary

Chapter 5 interprets German newspapers’ coverage of Japan. The press across the political spectrum depicted Japan as a modern, Westernized great power deserving of German attention and respect. Coverage of Japan’s participation in international diplomacy, commerce, culture, and sports placed it on a comparable footing with Germany in different sections of a newspaper. In the 1920s, mostly centrist dailies competently explained Japan without arousing ideological passion. The apolitical calm was shattered in September 1931 when Japan seized Manchuria from China. This violent challenge to the Versailles–JWashington system catapulted Japan to the front page, where the papers analyzed Japan according to their weltanschauungs and urged readers to take actions. The Nazi dictatorship suppressed the press and its cacophonous opinions of Japan in 1933. The party organ, now predominant, promoted transnational Nazism’s enshrinement of Japan’s strength, physicality, and above all victories. These traits enabled the Nazis to accommodate Japan in their ideology and establish ties with Japanese transnational Nazis.