1943 or Showa 18 Japanese Coprosperity Sphere Map of the Philippines

This is an an important and rare 1943 or Showa 18 Japanese map of the Philippines published during World War II. The map depicts the Philippine Islands from the small islands north of the Luzon to North Maluku, which appears just outside the printed border, and from northern Borneo to the Philippine Sea. Myriad locations throughout the islands are labeled in Japanese, with at least two different grades of roads illustrated on the major islands. Air and sea routes are illustrated and distances are noted, and variations in oceanic depth are indicated using blue shading.

The Importance of the Philippines during World War II

The capture and control of the Philippines was vital to the success of Japanese plan to dominate the Pacific. Not only was the archipelago rich in natural resources, including rubber, oil, mineral resources, and wood, it was also centrally located and well positioned for expansion into the West Indies. Moreover, wresting control of the Philippines from the United States would have effectively undermined the American ability to wage war in the region. The Japanese, like the Spanish before them, quickly discovered that the hundreds of islands and limited infrastructure made the Philippines almost impossible to fully control. Nonetheless, the importance of the Philippines in the Japanese plan is evident in the fact that map is no. 3 in the series, following only the general map of the Co-Prosperity Sphere and East Indian Archipelago map.

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 the rarest map from the 20-map series Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere which was issued a between 1942 and 1944. There are at least two states of this map, the present example, and another, later edition, that includes an inset of Manila. The Co-Prosperity Sphere map series as published by the Japan Publishing and Distribution Company, Ltd. (日本出版配給株式會社).