160. Leaflets dropped over Japan, 1944 to 1945
Japan | Japanese | 202 leaflets, 1944 to 1945
A collection of 202 Japanese-language leaflets produced for distribution over Japan and the Pacific islands in the last two years of the war. Most are small illustrated sheets of about five by eight inches, drawn as cartoons or set with slogans, and 41 are large sheets made to look like newspapers and written to be read at length. Many come with the English translation sheets prepared for the O.W.I. and military intelligence and marked Confidential. A full list of the leaflets is available on request.
Twelve leaflets from this collection were exhibited in Office of War Information (O.W.I.), Pioneer Works, New York, 2026.
Historical context
The Office of War Information expanded its Honolulu operation in April 1944 to produce propaganda for Japanese audiences. By mid-1945 it also had a printing plant on Saipan, near the bomber bases used to distribute leaflets. These sheets addressed soldiers and civilians during the final phase of the Pacific War, using warnings, family appeals and arguments for surrender.
Sources: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, World War II Propaganda Leaflets.
Price on request
