Abstract

"Mobilizing Sweetness: Sugar, Confectionery, and State Control in Wartime Japan, 1937-1945 "

Lillian Tsay, Brown University (lillian_tsay@brown.edu)

War was anything but sweet, yet the yearning for sweetness was never absent from war. Since the early twentieth century, Japan’s sweets culture had boomed owing to the advent of technology, colonialism, and capitalism. Consuming sweetness became associated with the notion of being modern and civilized. However, with the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), the supply of sugar was severely halted and later restricted strictly by the Japanese government. Yet, as this paper will show, sweetness did not disappear in people’s lives but even become a stronger signifier of Japan’s imperial and militaristic ideology in the aspects of production, marketing, and consumption.

As Japan shifted into a state of total war in 1937, the alignment between confectionery businesses and the Japanese state strengthened. Notably, raw materials, including sugar, became difficult for Japanese companies to obtain from the colonies and overseas due to the disruption of transportation. The confectionery industry thus turned to Japanese-occupied Southeast Asia to secure alternatives to produce confectionery goods. While marketing their products, prominent companies like Morinaga and Meiji Confectionery also fervently supported the Japanese state by seamlessly integrating their advertisements with state propaganda. Finally, I explore how sugar and confectionery were prioritized for soldiers on the frontline to sustain their energy and strength. Such sweets were not only critical for the military diet but also important to boost the soldiers’ morale.

Through the examination of sweetness during wartime Japan, this paper uncovers how the seemingly “unnecessary” tastes like sweetness played a pivotal role in mass mobilization during the conflict. Moreover, it sheds light on how the unique circumstances of war facilitated collaboration between businesses and the state.