This is clear war time propaganda from

World War II produced by the Navy some

time after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It
portrays name calling techniques,
demonizing and fear tactics.
The first thing you notice when you look at
this poster is the giant head of a Japanese
man, depicted as a caricature of Hideki
Tojo, a Japanese general of the Imperial
Japanese Army and the Prime Minister of
Japan at the time. When looking at the
poster compared to the actual man, the
poster’s face is a lot more exaggerated with
the crooked teeth and stronger cheekbones.
These features make him seem a lot more
menacing, playing into a typical Japanese
stereotype, mouth full of pointy, crooked
teeth, the small mustache, the small round
glasses.
His hat says Tojo to show the Americans
that this is Hideki Tojo. The quote used in
this poster is “Jappy so-o-o happy when this happens to you. The reason for this quote is
shown with the bottom cartoon, where it depicts a car accident. An arrow next to it says
‘Watch out for the driver ahead, the driver behind and the one around the corner!” Jappy is
a derogatory word for a Japanese person. Terms like that were often used as racism
against Japanese Americans spiked after the bombing. The poster is also a Navy
department safety poster and was geared towards American drivers and is being advertised
from a branch of the armed forces, people tend to listen to big entities like the army, the air
force, the CDC, etc., The red on the poster could be to accentuate anger towards the
Japanese and Tojo. It is interesting to see that this is a poster to help promote awareness of
driving, but it uses a total random piece of propaganda to scapegoat against the Japanese.
 - Write an Introduction that summarizes the state of affairs in the USA and the
world at the time the poster or advertisement was created.

President Roosevelt began his third term; the U.S was in a depression. World War II
was at its height, Japan had just bombed Pearl Harbor, marking the United States
official entrance into the war.

1. Find the approximate date of the poster or ad.

1941 ish?

2. What medium was used to create the original piece. (Painting, drawing,
illustration, photograph, other.)

Painting, print

3. What is the name of the agency, organization or company that produced the
poster?

Navy Department of Safety

4. Who is the intended audience or purpose of the poster or ad?

American citizens, to spur fear of Japanese Americans in WWII

5. What is the poster trying to persuade the reader to do?

Be wary of people of Japanese descent

6. Which of the seven propaganda techniques discussed in class were used.

(Bandwagon, Testimonial, Snob Appeal, Transfer, Name Calling, Demonizing, Fear-
 Tactics, Glittering generalities, Patriotic appeal, Plain Folks Appeal) Could be more
than one.

Demonizing, name calling, fear tactics

7. Describe how and why each technique was used and how effective you feel the
intended message is.

Demonizing- a propaganda technique which promotes an idea about the enemy being a
threatening, evil aggressor with only destructive objectives.

Name calling- the term “jappy” is a racist term geared towards people of Japanese
descent. It was a term widely used after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in an effort to
dehumanize and isolate Japanese Americans.

Fear tactics- plays on deep-seated fears; warns the audience that disaster will result if
they do not follow a particular course of action

8. Is stereotyping used? Explain how it was used.

Yes, Japanese people are often depicted with a toothy grin. This depiction is of Hideki
Tojo, the prime minister of Japan credited to give the attack order on Pearl Harbor.

9. Describe any symbols or symbolism you see in the posters. Why do you think
symbols were used?

The character they are depicting is meant to resemble Hideki Tojo, and he is meant to
look like he’s in a military uniform.

10. Does color play an important role in the poster or ad? Explain why or why not.

I’m pretty sure there’s a correlation between the color red and Japanese related
propaganda during WWII. Red is also a very bright, abrupt color and could be being
used to instill fear, anger and unease within poster.