Cultural Policy during the Japanese Occupation | Dr. Ricardo T. Jose
Summary
TLDRThis script explores the cultural policies imposed by Japan during their occupation of the Philippines in World War II, highlighting the conflict between cultures and the attempts to integrate the Philippines into the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere. It discusses the introduction of Japanese educational principles, the effort to replace American and European influences with an Asian perspective led by Japan, and the challenges faced due to cultural differences. The narrative also touches on the Filipino resilience and adaptability, using humor and local ingenuity to survive and subvert the imposed cultural changes.
Takeaways
- 🌐 The speaker discusses the cultural policy during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, emphasizing the conflict among cultures and the introduction of Japanese influence.
- 📚 The Japanese aimed to replace the U.S. cultural influence and European traditions with an Asian perspective led by Japan, as part of the Greater East Asia co-prosperity sphere.
- 🏫 The Japanese implemented educational principles to reshape the cultural and educational system in the Philippines, promoting the learning of Japanese language and Filipino traditions.
- 👥 There was an attempt to foster a sense of unity and discipline among Filipinos, with the Japanese introducing their own concepts such as love of labor and dignity.
- 🔄 Despite the cultural policy, the Japanese occupation was primarily military, and the cultural aspects were overshadowed by the harsh realities of war and resistance.
- 🤝 The Japanese tried to establish a cultural connection with the Filipinos, but their actions, such as physical punishment, often contradicted their intentions and damaged relations.
- 🏙️ The occupation led to a cultural disconnect, as the Japanese did not understand certain aspects of Filipino life, such as Western toilets and bathing customs.
- 📈 The cultural policy had mixed success, with some Filipino intellectuals showing interest in Asian history and practices, but the general population was resistant to the imposed hierarchy.
- 🗣️ The Filipinos adapted and used the Japanese language as a form of resistance, twisting words to convey hidden meanings and maintain their identity.
- 🍅 The occupation led to the development of local resources and substitutes for imported goods, such as the creation of banana ketchup, showcasing Filipino ingenuity.
- 💪 The speaker concludes by highlighting the resilience of the Filipino people, who managed to adjust, survive, and even benefit from the cultural changes brought about by the Japanese occupation.
Q & A
What was the primary goal of Japan's cultural policy during their occupation of the Philippines?
-The primary goal was to bring the Philippines closer into what they called the Greater East Asia co-prosperity sphere by replacing the US cultural influence and minimizing the European tradition with an Asian perspective led by Japan.
How did Japan attempt to restore normalcy in the Philippines after their military occupation?
-Japan tried to restore normalcy by reopening movie houses, allowing newspapers to resume, and restarting radio stations. They also introduced their cultural policy through educational principles about a month later.
What were the main points of the educational principles introduced by the Japanese during their occupation?
-The educational principles included removing the traces of the United States, minimizing the European tradition, promoting an Asian perspective led by Japan, encouraging the study of Filipino traditions to fit into the Asian mold, and introducing Japanese concepts like love of labor and dignity.
How did the Japanese occupation affect the teaching of languages in the Philippines?
-The Japanese introduced the idea that students had to learn Japanese, but they also promoted the learning of Filipino languages, emphasizing pride in both the Asian concept and the Filipino version of it.
What was the impact of the Japanese cultural policy on the hierarchical structure in the Philippines?
-The Japanese cultural policy reinforced a hierarchical structure where the Japanese were number one, the Filipinos were number two, and the Japanese language was prioritized over Filipino languages.
How did the Japanese attempt to instill discipline and a sense of hierarchy among Filipinos?
-The Japanese emphasized following teachers and superiors without question, promoting a Confucian society that prized hierarchy and discipline, which was quite different from the Filipinos' previous exposure to Spanish and U.S. democratic traditions.
What was the reaction of some Filipino intellectuals to the Japanese cultural policy?
-Some intellectuals saw the policy as an opportunity for the Philippines to learn Asian practices, languages, and history, and to become part of the Asian world, which they believed was overdue.
How did the Japanese cultural policy affect the daily lives of Filipinos during the occupation?
-The policy led to the inculcation of an Asian orientation and a more Philippine identity, but it also brought about cultural disconnects, such as the Japanese not understanding Western toilets and their unfamiliarity with local customs.
What was the role of humor and resistance in the Filipino response to the Japanese occupation?
-Filipinos used humor and wordplay as a form of resistance, such as altering the Japanese greeting 'Ohayo-gozaimasu' to a Tagalog word with a different meaning, to subtly undermine the Japanese authority.
How did the Japanese occupation influence the development of local products in the Philippines?
-The occupation led to the creation of substitutes for imported goods, such as banana ketchup, which was invented as a local alternative to the ketchup that was no longer available from the United States.
What is the overarching theme of the speaker's discussion on the Japanese occupation's cultural policy?
-The overarching theme is the resilience and adaptability of Filipinos in adjusting to the cultural changes imposed by the Japanese, and how they managed to survive and even benefit from the situation by incorporating and adapting the imposed cultural elements to their own advantage.
Outlines
🌏 Cultural Policy and Conflict During Japanese Occupation
This paragraph discusses the complex cultural dynamics during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, which lasted for three years. The speaker highlights the introduction of Japanese cultural policies aimed at replacing American and European influences with an Asian perspective led by Japan. The policy was multifaceted, involving educational reforms, language learning, and the promotion of traditional Filipino culture within an Asian context. The paragraph also touches on the challenges of implementing these policies amidst a military occupation and the resulting cultural conflicts.
📚 Japanese Educational Reforms and Discipline in the Philippines
The second paragraph delves into the specifics of the Japanese educational reforms, emphasizing the introduction of discipline and hierarchy in the classroom and society. The Japanese aimed to instill a sense of order and obedience, viewing the Filipinos as undisciplined. The narrative also explores the intellectual response to these changes, with some Filipinos seeing potential benefits in learning about Asian history and culture. However, the harsh realities of military rule and cultural misunderstandings often undermined the Japanese efforts to foster cultural harmony.
🛡️ Cultural Disconnect and Resistance During the Occupation
This paragraph examines the cultural disconnect between the Japanese occupiers and the Filipinos, focusing on everyday life and the challenges of adapting to each other's customs and practices. It discusses the Japanese soldiers' unfamiliarity with Western amenities and the hierarchical bathing practices that shocked the Filipinos. The paragraph also highlights the resistance that emerged from these cultural clashes, with the Filipinos using language and humor as a form of defiance against the Japanese occupation.
🏝️ Filipino Resilience and Cultural Adaptation
The final paragraph reflects on the resilience of the Filipino people during the Japanese occupation, emphasizing their ability to adapt and even benefit from the changing times. The speaker shares anecdotes about language adaptation for resistance, making jokes to cope with hardships, and the invention of local substitutes like banana ketchup. The paragraph concludes by celebrating the Filipino spirit of survival and the cultural legacy of the occupation era.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Cultural Policy
💡Japanese Occupation
💡Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
💡Educational Principles
💡Cultural Battlefield
💡Hierarchy
💡Confucian Society
💡Resistance Movement
💡Banana Ketchup
💡Haiku
💡Tagalog
Highlights
Introduction to the cultural policy during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines.
Conflict among cultures during the Japanese occupation, which was also a cultural battlefield.
The Japanese aimed to bring the Philippines into the Greater East Asia co-prosperity sphere.
Efforts to restore normalcy included reopening movie houses, newspapers, and radio stations.
Cultural policy was introduced through educational principles to replace US influence with Japanese.
Japanese policy aimed to remove traces of the United States and minimize the European tradition.
Policy encouraged looking back at Filipino traditions to fit into the Asian mold led by Japan.
Japanese concepts like love of labor and dignity were introduced alongside the Japanese language.
Cultural policy in schools included learning both Japanese and Filipino to foster a sense of Asian identity.
Japanese hierarchy and discipline were imposed, with the Japanese language and culture at the top.
Intellectuals saw the potential in learning Asian practices, languages, and history during the occupation.
The University of the Philippines introduced an Asian history course for the first time.
Cultural disconnects arose from differences in daily practices and societal norms.
Japanese military rule and its harsh realities overshadowed the cultural policy's intentions.
Filipinos adapted by using the Japanese language as a form of resistance and humor.
Cultural policy failed due to the harsh realities of war and the imposition of Japanese societal norms.
Filipinos showed resilience and adaptability by adjusting to the changing times and making the best of the situation.
Banana ketchup was invented as a local substitute for the unavailable American ketchup.
The occupation highlighted the importance of Filipino identity and the ability to adjust and benefit from change.
Cultural policy's impact on Filipino society and its lasting effects on identity and resilience.
Transcripts
[Music]
Grandin happens in Omaha good afternoon
minna-san konnichiwa I have greeted you
in three different languages this
afternoon because what I intend to talk
about is the cultural policy during the
Japanese occupation a period of time
where it lasted variable short it was
three years but this was a period of
time where you have a conflict among
cultures it was not just a military
occupation it was also a cultural
battlefield and so I'd like to introduce
this to you we're commemorating 75 years
of this war having started this coming
December but during the war we were very
exposed to the United States we had
strong Spanish cultural influence still
our own cultural tradition we knew a
little bit of it but it was not entering
the school system it was more popular
culture rather than formal culture what
the Japanese did was they tried to bring
in their own perception of culture they
brought in a military occupation they
brought in their economic policies but
they also brought in with them an
economic and cultural policy that would
bring the Philippines closer into what
they called the Greater East Asia
co-prosperity sphere when the Japanese
landed they brought in for soldiers they
got in their food they brought in their
own techniques they brought in their own
practices and when they in when he took
over Manila one of the first things they
did was to try to restore normalcy
normalcy in the sense that movie houses
would be reopened newspapers would be
allowed to reopen radio stations again
broadcasting about a month later they
put out their cultural policy in the
form of educational principles the
educational principles basically were
about four or five points the first of
which was that the US was no longer a
cultural power the u.s. was gone
the u.s. period of period of rule of the
US had gone and so replacing this was
Japan and the cultural policy that the
Japanese did was therefore first to
remove the traces of the United States
remove in fact or minimize the European
tradition in the Philippines and replace
this with an Asian perspective an Asian
perspective led by
Japan and then secondary to that
bringing us into the fold by letting us
look back and examine our own traditions
and bring that tradition back so that
will fit into the Asian mold and then as
a subsidiary to that the odd Japanese
also tried to bring in their own
concepts things like love of Labor
decency dignity and all of this it
sounded very nice on paper and when they
tried to implement this in the field it
also started to be interesting insofar
as the peaceful relations between
Japanese individuals and Filipinos was
concerned when they introduced this in
school they did bring in the idea that
you had to learn Japanese but they also
brought in the idea that you had to
learn Filipino yet to learn Tagalog yet
to be proud of both the Asian concept
and the Filipinos version of that which
was Filipino so the Japanese would have
had a very fertile ground to bring this
on and as the tea as the schools opened
in 1942 you did have this culture policy
coming in quite strong not only in the
schools but even in the government
offices government officials were told
to take some supplementary classes they
were asked to learn Japanese and even
Japanese soldiers in the streets
sometimes tried to teach their own
language this would have been fine again
but this was war and so we were
introduced to a different system that we
had not been exposed to before we belong
to Southeast Asia
we had been trained we had been reared
in Spanish tradition u.s. democratic
tradition when the Japanese came in here
it was quite different Japan comes from
East Asia this is a Confucian society
and the Confucian society prized
hierarchy yet people on the top people
in the middle people in the bottom and
you had to know your place in society
and therefore when the Japanese brought
in this cultural concept we would be
under the Japanese the Japanese were
number one we were number two Japanese
language was top
Filipino was second so there was that
hierarchy built in the second thing that
the Japanese also tried to bring in was
a sense of discipline and
audience you had to follow the teachers
you had to follow the superiors you had
to accept that without question and so
on and so forth they felt that it was
good because people in the Philippines
were seen as undisciplined and therefore
if that sense of discipline and
responsibility would be brought in the
Philippines could become a better place
to live in
again nice to say this on paper and some
Filipinos at that time did see there was
a possibility of the Philippines looking
into a different perspective coming into
a different world view some of the
intellectuals did see that that they saw
we had not become part of the Asian
world and that they thought it was high
time to learn Asian practices Asian
languages Asian history even U P at that
time u P opened in 1943 and U P began
look into the implementation of an Asian
history course for the first time prior
to that we only had world history which
was largely European history American
history and Philippine history but
during the Turkish occupation we began
to look into Asian history Chinese
history Korean history Japanese history
and we had not known about that at all
up to that point in time so again it
sounded nice on paper it sounded very
good it was a good policy intellectuals
looked into Japanese art they looked
into bonsai they looked into haiku and
all of this and it did seem something
interesting we couldn't some of our
writers began experimenting writing
haiku in Filipino or writing haiku in
English but on Philippine themes so the
cultural front was very wide open for
discussion the problem was well you
might discuss this in school and you
might meet occasional Japanese who would
point through the skin and say we are
the same skin color we belong to the
same race the problem was outside the
schools outside this friendly in
Japanese that one occasionally met the
rule of the Japanese was essentially
military rule and what was the priority
at that point was culture not too much
of importance it was important but it
was not top right
what was most important was the military
crushing the guerrillas and crushing
resistance and also getting the economic
benefits of Japanese control so what
people remember from the war is not so
much the cultural policy but they
remember the Japanese soldiers slapping
their mother or their father on the
streets that undid what the Japanese
were trying to do well the teachers were
trying to say we belong to the same
group of people we have a similar
cultural base the soldier who slapped at
Filipino in the street undid that all
the soldier who slapped the chopper of a
Filipino did not know that he was doing
harm to the Japanese to the Philippine
Japanese relationship they were
following what they had been trained in
the Japanese army it was believed that
slapping was the most minor of the
punishments that a soldier could be
given if he broke the rules so to a
Japanese soldier a slap was something
normal but in our culture a slap meant
something much deeper than that
your whole person was affected by it and
so well the Japanese were trying to
bring in their culture they also brought
in parts of their culture that didn't
fit into our own cultural sensibilities
one thing that Japanese for example did
because again the cultural background
was so different they didn't know how to
use Western toilets they didn't talk to
use Western bathrooms and so one part
one person I interviewed sometime ago
said that when the Japanese entered
their house they looked at the toilet
they didn't know what it was and they
washed their faces in the toilet bowl
and then they looked at the sink the
Navajo they didn't know what it was for
they stood on it and there they urinated
so they didn't know how these things
worked and so when you have a conquering
people doing these things because they
didn't know what they meant you wanted
what kind of conquerors are these and we
also this cultural disconnect because
how did the Japanese take a bath for
example the Japanese took a bath in hot
tubs and what they did was they clean
themselves outside and then they put
tubs of water on
of stones put lit fire under this and
then they took the bath out afterwards
the problem with this was it was done in
that hierarchical system that we talked
about earlier the Confucian system the
officer was the first to enter the tub
after which the second-in-command
entered the tub and then the whole
platoon followed suit after that so to
us who were so familiar with taking a
bath every day by ourselves seeing them
go through one tub of water 10 people a
hundred people wonderful
what kind of what kind of superiors are
these this we could simply not accept
which is why although there was this
good there were the good policies that
the Japanese trying to implement they
did fail what was more successful was
the inculcation of an Asian orientation
and more successful still the
inculcation of a more Philippine eyes
identity not so much aligned with Japan
but more aligned with Philippines and
this also aligned itself with the
resistance movement and others who were
outside the Japanese controlled area so
when we look at the Japanese occupation
we do see there's all this fighting that
took place there was a lot of violence
but there was also a cultural aspect to
it and one thing that the occupation
short as it was showed us and is still
relevant to us today is how Filipinos
can adjust to fast changing times adjust
make dough survive and even make a
benefit out of this what were some
examples I might give here we learn the
language yes the Japanese language we
learn bits and pieces of it but we
twisted it so that it could be a form of
resistance so instead of accepting the
Japanese way we made it a weapon of our
own example of this was the words that I
said earlier
konnichiwa that is Japanese for a good
day good morning in Japan is
ohayo-gozaimasu and when you bound to
the Sentry you said Oh hiya gozaimasu
but some Filipinos in Manila found out
if you added one letter to Ohio it
became a Tagalog word which meant
totally different so the other the
letter P after Ohio in the bowels DPS
wanted to the japanese guard saying Ohio
or ohayo-gozaimasu and the Japanese
soldier would say very good Filipino
very obedient but actually we had won
over him we were cursing him and say hi
up god that kind of thing
so there were these reactions that we
were doing and we did survive the war we
made fun of the Japanese we made jokes
out of them we made jokes out with
Americans earlier on we made jokes
during martial law it's a point of
continuity that we see we are able to
survive by laughing at these things we
also survived even though there was all
these difficulty there were shortages
the Japanese controlled the economy
there everything was had to be rationed
so one joke that came up during the
Japanese occupation was annoying
Donnellan and Monica stealin it was a
Filipinas really human annoying dinner
on a manga americano it was a Pilipinas
education enduring dinner done among
upon de cosas at a rush on because
everything was Michonne and they said we
should change the name Pilipinas to
Pilipinas because everywhere he went to
had to line up for soap for rice for
sugar for everything else so we survived
by making stalks out of that and even
though we had the shortages we did try
to subsist on what we had we discovered
our own local resources and we made our
own substitutes for former goods that we
imported and just to mention one item
that still very much on the market is
banana ketchup
before the war nobody touched that did
not exist during the war no ketchup came
from the United States we wanted the
taste of ketchup somebody invented it
and advertised it as new it was called
the inventor was model of Francisco and
the brand became my friend banana
ketchup and that's why we have banana
ketchup today 1942 Philippine ingenuity
and so cultural proper the cultural
policy of the Japanese might not have
worked exactly the way they wanted it to
work but we took over in a sense in
mediate work in our
own sense showing that we were still the
boss of everything else so with that
thank you very much for listening and
good afternoon
konnichiwa megundal happens I mean that
[Music]
[Applause]
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you
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