Health as Japanese Propaganda in the Wartime Philippines

This study examines how the Japanese occupation authorities used health messaging as propaganda in the wartime Philippines (1942–1945) through the newspaper the Tribune. We identify three key themes: promoting physical fitness as national strength, preventing disease amid collapsing public health infrastructure, and suggesting food substitutes during severe shortages. Health propaganda served a dual purpose—offering practical guidance while asserting Japan’s cultural superiority over Western powers. Despite sophisticated efforts to present health as emblematic of Japan’s modernity and benevolence, these messages proved ineffective amid deteriorating wartime conditions and unabated Filipino resistance.