Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Japanese propaganda during World War II was designed to assist the current ruling government of Japan during that time. Many of its elements were continuous with pre-war elements of Statism in Sh wa Japan, including the principles of kokutai, hakk ichiu, and bushido. New forms of propaganda were developed to persuade occupied countries of the benefits of the Greater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, to undermine American troops' morale, to counteract claims of Japanese atrocities, and to present the war as victorious to the Japanese people. It started with the Second Sino-Japanese War until that conflict merged with World War II. It used a large variety of media to send its messages.