<P> The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere (Japanese: 大 東亞 共 榮 圈, Hepburn: Dai Tōa Kyōeiken) was an imperial concept created and promulgated for occupied Asian populations during 1930 - 45 by the Empire of Japan . It extended greater than East Asia and promoted the cultural and economic unity of Northeast Asians, Southeast Asians, and Oceanians . It also declared the intention to create a self - sufficient "bloc of Asian nations led by the Japanese and free of Western powers". It was announced in a radio address entitled "The International Situation and Japan's Position" by Foreign Minister Hachirō Arita on June 29, 1940 . </P> <P> The intent and practical implementation of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere varied widely depending on the group and government department involved . Policy theorists who conceived it, as well as the vast majority of the Japanese population at large, largely saw it for its pan-Asian ideals of freedom and independence from Western colonial oppression . In practice, however, it was frequently corrupted by militarists and nationalists, who saw an effective policy vehicle through which to strengthen Japan's position and advance its dominance within Asia . The latter approach was reflected in a policy document released by Japan's Ministry of Health and Welfare, An Investigation of Global Policy with the Yamato Race as Nucleus, which laid out the central position of Japan within the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, and promoted the idea of Japanese superiority over other Asians . </P>

Japan referred to its expansionist policy during the 1930s and early 1940s as