An invisible Empire: the image of Great Britain in Japanese Occupied Hong Kong

Abstract

On 25 December 1941, Hong Kong fell to the Japanese, symbolizing the end of British rule since 1842. Though the British had left physically, they were “present” in the newspapers, media and other socio-cultural movements in the city controlled by the Japanese occupation government. Through these propaganda tools, the Japanese turned Chinese nationalism and Indian independence against British imperialism. At the same time, they emphasized the common racial, cultural and historical characteristics between Japan and other Asiatic and Eurasian populations in Hong Kong to solidify the “East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere,” attempting to break their ties with the British. Furthermore, the Japanese kept spreading news about military setbacks, political disorder and the shortage of resources faced by Great Britain, showing how “desperate” the British Empire was in the war. This was contrasted with the “continuous victories” and “prosperity” in various parts of the Japanese occupied territories. This paper explores the ways in which the British Empire was depicted by the Japanese in wartime Hong Kong. How did Hong Kong people perceive the British Empire and also the Japanese during the occupation period? Did it have any influence on British reputation and rule in the colony after their return in 1945?