New Books in East Asian Studies Gennifer Weisenfeld, "Gas Mask Nation: Visualizing Civil Air Defense in Wartime Japan" (U Chicago Press, 2023)
Sep 5, 2023
Gennifer Weisenfeld, an art historian specializing in modern Japan, discusses her latest work, which examines the visual culture of civil air defense during wartime. She reveals how society balanced fear with creativity, using intriguing images of gas masks and fashionable promotions for children. Sheldon Garon, a historian at Princeton, adds perspectives on Japan's global role and the psychological effects of anticipatory fear felt before air raids. Together, they explore the complex interplay between horror and the mundane in wartime Japan's cultural landscape.
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Japan's Transnational Air Defense Role
- Japan was deeply engaged in a global transnational movement of civil air defense with shared technologies and cultural exchanges.
- The visual and cultural strategies Japan used challenge the notion of wartime isolation, showing cosmopolitanism instead.
Complexity of Wartime Participation
- Wartime Japan's experience involves both coercion and active cultural participation reflecting pleasure alongside anxiety.
- Mass media and consumer culture played key roles in mobilizing the public beyond simple propaganda models.
Civil Defense: Mindset Over Mitigation
- Civil air defense efforts focused on inculcating an automatic protective mindset through visual training across the populace.
- Despite extensive preparation, the existing technology could not materially prevent the catastrophic bombings of wartime Japan.
