Presented by the United States Navy during WWII, THE ENEMY JAPAN presented the American public with a look at their new adversary. In this, Part Two of the three part series entitled “The People,” is narrated by former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Joseph C. Grew. The film portrays the Japanese as a people trained from childhood to completely commit themselves to the Japanese Empire and its causes. The film begins with Grew giving an introduction (00:41), then shows footage of Japan’s Emperor Hirohito (01:51) as he rides a horse in a military parade. The Japanese military marches down a city street lined with cheering people (02:27). The film shows Tokyo (02:53), including Tokyo Station, a Mitsubishi office building, another train station, and a subway station—all part of the modern look of the country. Bankers sell cash to customers (04:15) and the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s floor bustles with transactions (04:43). At a theatre, Japanese men and women watch a play celebrating the Nazis (05:45), further promoting the idea of total war. Grew tells viewers that the Japanese government censors the media to perpetuate the national narrative, and there is footage of Japanese newspapers printing papers (06:47) and members of the military delivering news via radio broadcasts. The strength of Japan’s military comes from the peasant population; the film shows a peasant woman working on a farm (07:34) and other peasants working in a kitchen, building huts, and harvesting grain and rice. Men chop wood (09:06), as lumbar is a critical resource for the war effort. In an old traditional town (09:45), each home doubles as a miniature factory, where families produce a variety of goods. A family has tea in their kitchen (10:25). Grew accuses the Japanese of being ungrateful of the help the U.S. provided after the 1923 earthquake; the film provides footage of what appears to be destruction from that earthquake (10:38). Women work in a city factory producing textiles (11:16), and men build engines on an assembly line (11:55). Japanese participate in a Shinto event (12:38) and visit a Shinto shrine. Young boys dress in military uniforms (13:47) and participate in drills. The film then shows footage of the aftermath of a Japanese bombing of China (14:30), with Chinese people trying to escape the destruction. Japanese students study and paint Japanese characters (15:07) and do calligraphy. Japanese soldiers drill (15:52) and train with rifles. Young men attend the School of Military Government and Colonial Administration (16:55), where they learn how to govern an occupied people. Japanese soldiers stand for inspection (18:30), then they train with guns and in hand-to-hand combat. The film concludes with footage of Japanese soldiers marching in a military parade (19:25).
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
