The Soviet-Japanese Confrontation in East Asia and Soviet Propaganda Policy during the Second Sino-Japanese War, 1920s-1940s: 1920-1940年代を中心に

This paper analyzes the construction of the Soviet propaganda strategy, methods and objectives in the period before and during the Second Sino-Japanese War. For much of this period Japan interacted with the USSR from a position of strength, as seen in the repeated Soviet attempts to sign a neutrality pact with Japan, and a series of concessions that Moscow had to agree in its interactions with Tokyo. I analyze Soviet newspapers and books to see how this relationship and Japan’s expansionist policies on the mainland were reflected in the minds of Soviet propagandists.