Wwii Changes In Japan Language Analysis

During WWII, people in Japan were forced to comply with many changes, enforced by the Japanese government, that resulted in much frustration and hardship. These sacrifices and vexations include changes to the Japanese written alphabet, new wartime procedures, and various unclear messages communicated via newspaper.

First, one of the initial changes in Japan was the changing of the native Japanese alphabet to the Roman alphabet to allow foreigners the ability to learn the Japanese language easier. The ultimate goal of this was to make Japanese the national language in “nations of the Greater East Asia Coprosperity Sphere,” but for this to be done, the alphabet in written form was changed from reading up and down to left in right, in a horizontal

As WWII continued, the Japanese government increased their rationing of metals in order to build battleships and weaponry (Senoh.). According to Senoh, they also forced people to “rid homes completely of metal,” making Japanese citizens turn over even the smallest scraps of metal to the war effort. In the document, Life on the Japanese Homefront, the child referred to frequently, H, described an “uncomfortable feeling,” when he thought he might have to give his old bike up; while his mother exclaimed in frustration, “they’re asking too much!” When basic metal necessities, such as pots and tongs required for cooking, were confiscated (Senoh.). Senoh also described that H hid his “collection of metal buttons” from the adults out of fear that they would be

Japanese citizens were continually asked to spend their hard-earned money on war bonds to support their troops. Community leaders, such as Toshiko, felt dismayed by the idea of having to go around a second time asking people to give up nearly one-third of their monthly salaries, in some cases, to finance war bonds (Senoh.). Some Japanese accepted the idea of war bonds a little more than others with the assumption that Japanese victory was inevitable and that their money would be paid back with interest. Going hand in hand with war bonds were significant increases in taxes to fund the War movement. For example, Hikari cigarettes almost doubled; “formerly eighteen sen for a pack, had gone up overnight to thirty sen and "Golden Bats" to fifteen” (Senoh.). While this increase in cigarette prices didn’t affect Japanese children firsthand, they all knew a rendition to the widespread “2,600th Anniversary Hymn” that spoke of the outrageous prices and frustrations of Japanese smokers (Senoh.). This song was illegal to sing in public, so consequently, many families sang it in the seclusion of their