S8E5: Rajio Taisō; Or, How to Get Fit in a Time of War

<html><p>At seven o’clock on the dot, a high-pitched Japanese voice blared out from speakers and switched-on radios all across the archipelago. The program came on like clockwork, chirping in immediately after every station signed on for the day—a cheery signal of a brand-new day under Imperial rule. </p><p>In wartime Philippines, Rajio Taisō was everywhere—schools, private companies, government offices, military camps. If you browse through pictures from World War II, you can see many pictures of dozens or even hundreds of citizens stretching and twisting in unison. But how was this radio regimen baked into the lives of ordinary Filipinos from all walks of life?</p><p></p><p>Support us on Patreon:<a href="https://patreon.com/thecolonialdept" target="_blank"> </a><u><a href="https://patreon.com/thecolonialdept" target="_blank">patreon.com/thecolonialdept</a></u></p><p>Follow us on IG:<a href="https://www.instagram.com/thecolonialdept/" target="_blank"> </a><u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thecolonialdept/" target="_blank">@thecolonialdept</a></u></p><p>Follow us on TikTok:<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@thecolonialdept" target="_blank"> </a><u><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@thecolonialdept" target="_blank">@thecolonialdept</a></u></p><p>Email us: <u><a href="mailto:thecolonialdept@gmail.com" target="_blank">thecolonialdept@gmail.com</a></u></p><p></p><p>References: </p><p>Jose, Ricardo Trota (1990). “The <em>Tribune</em> During the Japanese Occupation.” <em>Philippine Studies, 38</em>(1), pp. 45-64.</p><p>Griggs, Alyson (2020). <em>There Were Children on the Battleground: Japanese and Filipino Youth in the Second World War</em> [masteral dissertation]. Utah State University.</p><p>Yamashita, Samuel (2023). “Understanding Daily Life in Wartime Japan, 1937-1945.” <em>Education About Asia, 28</em>(2). <u><a href="https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/understanding-daily-life-in-wartime-japan-1937-1945/" target="_blank">https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/understanding-daily-life-in-wartime-japan-1937-1945/</a></u></p><p>Bigcas, Deana; Javate, Bianca (undated). "Radio Taiso: The Birth of Community Morning Exercises in the Philippines During the Height of the Japanese Occupation." <em>Scribd. </em><a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/488287830/Radio-Callisthenics-in-the-Philippines" target="_blank">https://www.scribd.com/document/488287830/Radio-Callisthenics-in-the-Philippines</a></p><p>Frühstück, Sabine (2014).