Imperial Delights
Did Colonization by the Japanese Bring Economic Benefits?
What is the reality behind the claim that the colonization of East Asian countries during the Second World War by Japan bring about subsequent economic growth?
During the Second World War (1939-45), the Japanese armed forces conquered most of the countries of East and Southeast Asia. The response of local people to the arrival of the Japanese was mixed: some welcomed the Japanese as an alternative to the (often) hated British colonialists; others realised that substituting one form of imperialism for another was not likely to help the common people. For a while, the groundswell of support for the Japanese kept the occupation going on an even keel, especially as it seemed that the Japanese were likely to be on the winning side. However, as the war continued and the Russian and American armies were brought into play, it became apparent that the Japanese were no more indefatigable than the British and, perhaps partly in response to this and the worsening economic condition, oppression of the local people became worse and worse. Eventually, there were very few people who were prepared to accept that Japanese occupation was not a disaster – there are always some people who benefit from the misery of others.
In the decades that followed, a number of the countries which had been occupied by the Japanese and subsequently liberated were able to achieve periods of extensive economic growth. South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore were the first Four Tigers or Newly Industrialising Economies of East Asia. The reasons why they achieved this success were varied: Hong Kong and Singapore had the benefit of a strong British legal system and position as entrepôt to much larger economies; Taiwan became a manufacturing superpower based on American support in the vain effort to destroy the Chinese economy; South Korea benefited also from American support – the USA had gained enormous power around the world by insisting, according to some writers, the British must give up their empire as the price for the Americans joining the Second World War on their side and then claiming all the benefits of success.
Nevertheless, it is often claimed that one of the more important reasons why the Four Tigers and those that have followed them have benefited is because of the Japanese occupation, which modernized their economies and exposed them to the disciplines of the free market. Of course, there are political motivations behind the arguments for this, which bear little meaningful scrutiny. The fact is that imperialism has never been found to benefit any of the people who have been suppressed by the jackboots of the oppressors, no matte how virtuous the discourse they might use to disguise their real intentions.
References and Further Reading
Booth, Anne, “Did It Really Help to be a Japanese Colony?: East Asian Economic Performance in Historical Perspective,” ARI Working Paper, No.43 (June 2005), available at: http://www.ari.nus.edu.sg/pub/wps.htm.
John Walsh, Shinawatra University, March 2007
