The Japanese Eye on Latin America Through The Japan Times, 1926–1941

This paper examines the The Japan Times’ uses of Latin America during the early Shōwa period up to the attack on Pearl Harbor (1926–1941);The Japan Times was tightly linked to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs(Gaimushō) and thus it was an important player in shaping public perception and manipulating Western public discourses in favor of the Japanese empire’s international ambitions. Against the general wisdom that migration-related images were the most common conceptualization of Latin America in the Japanese Press, we argue that the image of Latin America as expressed by The Japan Times reflects a strong political meaning as well, viewing the region in Imperial terms: either as a location for colonial expansion or as a continent dominated by the U.S.-led Monroe Doctrine and the Pan-American movement. In other words, Latin America became apolysemous term, aptly used by the press and the officials in Tokyo to convey various social and political meanings that could serve their own ideological stance. The paper presents a mix-method research, including the results as coping review of all published information pertaining to Latin America between December 1926 and December 1941 in the web-based engine of The Japan Times Archives.