Religion and art as japanese war propaganda in Brazil

Authors

  • Antonio Genivaldo Cordeiro de Oliveira PUC/SP - Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo. Estágio pós-doutoral PNPD-CAPES do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência da Religião. São Paulo - SP - Brasil. 01020-001

Keywords:

Just War, Japanese Imperialism, Yamamoto Shinjiro, Religion and International Relations, Catholic Circle Morning Star,

Abstract

The article is a result of a post-doctoral research based on primary sources of historical archives of the Brazilian Itamaraty, the Vatican Archives and the Diplomatic Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. It also used publications available at the platform Hemeroteca Digital at the Biblioteca Nacional. The article intended to show the appropriation of the Catholic Just War thought by the Greater Japanese Empire as part of justification of its imperialism and of its war propaganda throughout Catholic countries that also arrived in Brazil in 1938. The expansionist projects had forced Japanese authorities to rethink their understanding of religion before an ideological alignment with the Vatican motivated by the same fight against communism. Japanese Officials had soon realized that besides the collaboration in the occupied territories, the Catholic Church would be also useful in the propaganda in favor of Japanese occupation. This resulted in the dispatch of “Japanese catholic missions” to several countries in the following years. The historical documentation shows how the Catholic discourse was incorporated as part of the Japanese external politic.

Published

13/10/2020