ABSTRACT
By 1942, Taiwan was part of the region denoted as “Greater East Asia” (as used in the Co-prosperity of Greater East Asia). This region had undergone a substantial change. Prior to November 1942, “Greater East Asia” referred – roughly – to the area covering both Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia; it sometimes covered an even larger area, including Japan, Korea, Manchuria, and those parts of China and Southeast Asia that had been brought under Japanese control – even countries not yet under Japanese control such as India, Australia, New Zealand, and eastern Siberia (Shillony 1991: 141). Thereafter, “Greater East Asia” denoted a much smaller region than before. In terms of geographical spread, the Ministry of Greater East Asia (MGEA) excluded both naichi and gaichi, but included all other possessions within the empire of Japan; that is, other than Japan proper, Korea, Taiwan, and Karafuto.
