Turning Japanese

For the second time, Cebu joined the rest of the Japanese-occupied nations in celebrating the anniversary of Kigen Setsu, the founding of the Japanese Empire, on February 1, 1944.

Dubbed the 2604^th Kigen Setsu, the celebrations were considered more successful than the ones held the previous year as the former marked the culmination of Japanese propaganda efforts in the city aimed at inculcating the values and traditions of an alien culture (with the help of Filipino imagery).

The affair began with the solemn ceremonies of flag raising, the singing of the anthems of both Japan and the recently-installed republic, and the customary kowtows in the direction of the Imperial Palace and Bagumbayan. Governor Jose Delgado and Mayor Juan Zamora led the Filipino bureaucracy in commemorating the event at the Fuente Osmeña, which was earlier, renamed Rotunda Plaza for obvious reasons. Activities lined up for the day comprised the usual calisthenics, radio presentations, folk dancing and singing contests. Indigenous games were given prominence amidst the absence of such Western sporting games as basketball, football and baseball.

The highlight of the affair came in the afternoon with both Zamora and Delgado discussing the food situation in the city. For the celebrations had come amidst the scarcity of rice and corn brought about buy increasing guerilla activity in and around the city.

- Ybarra