Japanese Policy towards Jewish Refugees in Shanghai: Continuity and Change (100 characters)

1. Continuity and Change in Japanese Policy towards Jewish Refugees in Shanghai, 1938-1943by______________________________ Supervisor: _____________ Extended Essay in _______ Word Count: ______ _________ High School Temecula, California, United States Examination Session: May _____

2. Research Question In 1943, Japanese officials in Shanghai reversed an earlier, liberal policy towards Jewish refugees by relocating the community to a small designated area that became known as the “Hongkew Ghetto.” To what extent was this decision a direct result of pressure from Nazi Germany?

3. Introduction • Jews are persecuted • Shanghai only city with no entry requirements for Jewish refugees (Kransler) • 15,000 Jews from Poland, Austria, Hungary • In 1943, suddenly the Japanese attitude towards the Jews turns from neutral to negative and the Hongkew Ghetto is created • The cause of this shift is of much concern to historians: Possible influences include the Gestapo, White Russians, and Japanese realization that their plan wasn’t working • Thesis: this essay assesses the various factors influencing the Japanese policy toward the Jews and argues that the creation of the ghetto was not principally due to Nazi pressure. Rather, the establishment of the ghetto represented continuity in the Japanese policy of trying to use the Jews for their own purposes.

4. Japanese perception of the Jews pre-1938 • Japanese view Jews with “awe” (Goodman and Miyazawa) • Jacob Shiff provided large loans to Japanese (Kranzler) • Much different perception than Germans

5. Shanghai: 1938 • “international metropolis” (Sergeant) • Treaty of Nanjing opened port to Western trade (Ibid. 16) • Many foreigners, and policy-making body composed solely of Westerners (Kranzler) • Chinese refugees and White Russians settle (Sergeant) • White Russians join with the “Sephardim.” Wealthy (Shanghai Ghetto) • Pie Chart of Shanghai’s international population by nationalityfrom census (Kranzler) I took stats and made chart

6. Treatment of Jews in Shanghai 1938-1943 • Japanese seem uninterested (Shanghai Ghetto) but they are really interested in how Jews can help them (Kranzler 225) • “Five Ministers Conference” – policy for Japanese dealing with the Jews – they saw economic and political benefits for the Japanese (Ibid., 236) • Hoped they would help to influence American Jews (Ibid 155-156) • “Fugu” plan – Blowfish (Goodman and Miyuzawa 133)

7. AnalysisShanghai foreigners and their impact on Japanese policy changes • Bombing of Pearl Harbor, all Brits and Americans interred – includes Sephardic Jews • White Russian Jews resented the new refugees – felt they caused them to be degraded (Kranzler) • Heppner (Primary) says that people would not take responsibility for the Jews • Other Westerners get angry with Jews who support the Japanese in elections (Heinz) • Japanese begin to resent refugees due to tough economics of wartime (Kransler 270) Open door policy gone • White Russians gain power in Shanghai (letter from Eugune Pick) • Japanese leader states the WR spread anti-Jew Propaganda (Yasue)

8. Other Analysis Sections • The Creation of the Ghetto • Nazi Influence • Problems with the Gestapo Theory • Continuity and Change in Japanese Policy

9. Conclusion • Explanation of the conclusion student came to as a result of the research, and specifically, how the research helps support the conclusion