Divine Work' or Celluloid Collaboration? The Greater East Asian Film Sphere and the legacy of colonial cinema.

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The Japanese Colonial Empire is unique as one of the only non-Western Empires of modern times (Peattie & Myers, 1984:6) and began with the cession of Taiwan in 1895. Rapidly the Empire expanded to include Karafuto (colonized 1905), Korea (1910), German Micronesia (1914) and Manchuria (1931). Japan's initially success in the Pacific War would also see Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore and British Malaya come under Japanese rule. The Japanese Empire was marked by two key (and often conflicting) discourses. The first was one that focused on the cultural and historical 'sameness' of people in Asia and presented the unity of Asia as a positive and necessary process to defend against Western Imperialism. The 'Greater East Asian Co-prosperity Sphere' would unite all Asians under Japanese leadership in order to enter into the modern global experience. However, this paternalistic vision of Japan leading East Asia to a bright future was in contrast to the strongly held Imperial discourse that offered a clear notion of Japanese superiority and therefore, difference from the rest of the peoples and cultures of East Asia. This conflict between the ideals of a Pan-Asia and the focus on Japan as different and superior resulted in continual conflict between the colonizing Government and the local population that was often brutally repressed. 'The Greater East Asian Film Sphere' (GEAFS) was a term that came into existence around 1941. Linked into the Japanese Imperialist idea of 'united' Asia the GEAFS was part of the pan-Asianist movement that the Japanese Empire officially promoted. The GEAFS was never fully defined by the Japanese colonial units and, as such, is one of the forgotten and under-examined elements of the Japanese colonial machine. The notion, however, of a pan-Asian film ideology has survived and with the ever-increasing focus on Asian co-productions as the method to resist Hollywood domination, elements of the ideology of the GEAFS can be seen as still existing. The increasing influence of East Asian Cinema on the global stage has been enhanced by the increasing cooperation between the nations to present a united and sustainable East Asian Film Industry that transcends national boundaries (one of the key aims of the GEAFS). This project will focus on four main areas. The first is how can the GEAFS be defined? This first section will examine the theories and construction of the Japanese Empire and how visual elements such as film, animation and newsreels, played an important role in the dissemination of the ideals. The second area of study examines how the Japanese colonial government sought to implement these ideas in the various states that Japan occupied 1941-1945. This project will offer an overview of all aspects of the colonial Empire as it related to Visual Culture but will focus specifically on Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Korea, Manchuria and Taiwan. These regions reflect the whole spectrum of Japanese colonial states from those that had been part of the Empire in the early stages to later acquisitions. Whilst there is not a vast amount of primary material available from this period (due to lack of early conservation efforts and the various conflicts that have affected the respective regions since 1945), there are enough available primary sources (available via archives in all the respective countries) from these regions to make a well-supported and informed study of this period. The Japanese Empire was not a monolithic entity and the third section of the project will focus on examining how the GEAFS interact with colonial constructions and discourses in the specific states and focus on the differences and similarities that exist between them. The final element of this project will focus on the legacy of GEAFS in the modern day East Asian Film Industry. This project will examine how the present day East Asian Media Networks are highly indebted to the GEAFS and the foundations established in this period.