MIZOBE Yasuo
Department Undergraduate School , School of Global Japanese Studies Position Professor |
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Language | English |
Publication Date | 2011/03 |
Type | Bulletin of Universities and Institutes |
Title | AFRICAN NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF JAPAN (THE JAPANESE ARMY) DURING WORLD WAR II: THE CASE OF THE GOLD COAST OBSERVER AND THE ASHANTI PIONEER, 1943–1945 |
Contribution Type | Sole-authored |
Journal | 明治大学国際日本学研究 |
Volume, Issue, Page | 3(1),pp.15-25 |
Details | This paper surveys the manner in which African newspapers reported on and described Japan—more specifically the Japanese Army—during the final phase of World War II. During this period, African soldiers, including Ghanaians, were in direct combat with Japanese soldiers in the Battle of Burma as members of the British Army. This calamitous event has been mentioned in various existing studies; however, few have dealt with the African press coverage on it. This paper introduces some important articles from two Gold Coast newspapers, The Gold Coast Observer and The Ashanti Pioneer, which are the only extant newspapers published in the Gold Coast, now Ghana, during the period. Based on these articles, this paper observes how the African press communicated the complexion of the war and described the ‘enemy’, namely the Japanese Army, and examines how this did or did not influence their views on Japan. Keywords: Gold Coast (Ghana), World War II, African newspapers, Afro-Japanese relationship, West African troops, colonial censorshi |