1943 or Showa 18 World War II Era Japanese Map of Australia

This is a beautiful 1943 or Showa 18 large format map of Australia, issued by the Japanese during World War II as part of a series of maps promoting the Japanese imperialist concept of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. The map depicts the entire continent from southern New Guinea to northern Tasmania and from the Indian Ocean to the Coral Sea and the Tasman Sea. Australian states are shaded different colors to allow for easy differentiation. Numerous locations throughout Australia are identified. Shipping lanes around the continent and further afield are noted by solid red lines, while air routes are marked by dashed lines. An inset in the lower right corner details Tasmania and is mirrored by the map's key, which explains the various notations used.

The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere

The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere (大東亜共栄圏) was an imperial concept created and promulgated for occupied Asian populations during 1930-45 by the Empire of Japan. The concept was announced by Hachirō Arita on June 29, 1940. The Co-Prosperity Sphere was intended as a self-sufficient 'bloc of Asian nations led by the Japanese and free of Western powers.' It covered Southeast Asia, Eastern China, Manchuria, Japan, the East India Islands, and parts of Oceania. The idea promoted the cultural and economic unity East Asians, Southeast Asians, and Oceanians.

Publication History

This map was created by the Japanese during World War II and issued as part of a 20 map Series of Great East Asia Maps. The Co-Prosperity Sphere map series was published by the Japan Publishing and Distribution Company, Ltd. (日本出版配給株式會社).