Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere (Japanese: 大東亞共榮圈, Hepburn: Dai Tōa Kyōeiken), also known as the GEACPS, was a pan-Asian union that the Japanese Empire tried to establish. Initially, it covered Japan (including annexed Korea), Manchukuo, and China, but as the Pacific War progressed, it also included territories in Southeast Asia. The term was first coined by Minister for Foreign Affairs Hachirō Arita on June 29, 1940.
| Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese name | |||||
| Kana | だいとうあきょうえいけん | ||||
| Kyūjitai | 大東亞共榮圈 | ||||
| Shinjitai | 大東亜共栄圏 | ||||
| |||||
The proposed objectives of this union were to ensure economic self-sufficiency and cooperation among the member states, along with resisting the influence of Western imperialism and Soviet communism. In reality, militarists and nationalists saw it as an effective propaganda tool to enforce Japanese hegemony. The latter approach was reflected in a document released by Japan's Ministry of Health and Welfare, An Investigation of Global Policy with the Yamato Race as Nucleus, which promoted racial supremacist theories. Japanese spokesmen openly described the Great East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere as a device for the "development of the Japanese race." When World War II ended, the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere became a source of criticism and scorn.