ADDRESS OF HIS EXCELLENCY
MR. JOSE P. LAUREL, REPRESENTATIVE OF
THE PHILIPPINES
November 5, 1943

Your Excellency, Your Excellencies, Gentlemen:
In all humility, I rise to say a few words in behalf of theRepublic of the Philippines on this momentous and gloriousoccasion. My first words shall be those of profound appreciationand gratitude to the great Empire of Japan and to her great leader,
His Excellency Premier General Hideki Tojo, who is sponsoring
this great convention of leaders of the peoples of the Great East
Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, so that they may discuss the common
problems affecting their safety and their general welfare and sothat, also, they may, through personal contact, know one anotherand thereby hasten the establishment and perpetuation of theGreater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, for the glorification not
only of the Asiatic peoples but of the entire mankind.
My second thought is one of greetings to Your Excellency, toHis Excellency the Representative of China, to His RoyalHighness the Representative of Thailand, to His Excellency theRepresentative of Manchoukuo, to His Excellency theRepresentative of Burma, and if I may be allowed, Your
Excellency, to His Excellency Subbas Chandra Bose, whorepresents a new epoch in world history—the fight of the Asiatics
for the freedom of the Indian people.
In fact, as I look back, Your Excellency, and recall the historyof human civilization, I feel that this meeting of the peoples ofGreater East Asia should have been held a long time ago.
Whereas, in the past we have been kept as strangers, one and all,it is really gratifying to note that through the trying efforts of thegreat Empire of Japan, for the first time in history we are gatheredand grouped together, never again to be separated as in the past,
ready to fight oppression, exploitation and tyranny so that we may
proclaim to the world that, no longer shall the one billion peoplesof Asia be subjected to domination and exploitation by a few
Western Powers. At this juncture, will you allow me, Your
Excellency, to mention three reasons, why, in my opinion, we
have not been permitted to meet, unite and discuss our common
problems here?
The first reason is that the policy of the Western Powers,
especially of England and America, has always been to dominate
politically and exploit economically the oppressed peoples ofGreater East Asia, with the possible exception of Japan, andnaturally, that policy of exploitation and domination has
weakened the peoples of Asia, has sapped their vitality and,
therefore, has deterred and dwarfed their initiative; and because ofthat policy of the peoples of England and America, we have notbeen able to meet earlier to discuss the common problems ofGreater East Asia.
The second reason is, in accordance with that policy and as acorollary to that policy, that America an England have always
intended to divide the peoples of Greater East Asia in accordancewith the principle of “divide et impera”, in order to weaken themorale, the vigor and vitality of the peoples of Greater East Asia,
America and England have divided these peoples by establishingdivisions in their religion, in their classes and by encouraging
political differences among them. They have divided, at least, thepeople of my country. They have divided, I am sure, the people ofChina, and I am sure they have divided the peoples in other parts
under their jurisdiction and sovereignty, so that the peoples ofGreater East Asia divided and weakened, may not be able toconsolidate their forces and rise to uphold the honor and dignityof the Orient.
The third reason is based on the experience of the small andyoung Republic of the Philippines. America and England havetaught us to hate the Japanese on the pretext that Japan is a

conquering power, greedy and imperialistic; that Japan desires toexpand her authority and prestige and that, when we have come incontact with her people, we shall be exploited and oppressed.
Realizing that Japan is the only country in this part of the world
which could not be subdued because of her great spiritual andmaterial powers and because its people are united, Western
diplomacy maneuvered to create a feeling of hatred and suspicion
towards the Japanese people, making us think and believe thatthey were our enemies and not our friends and brothers. These, in
my opinion, are the reasons why the peoples of Greater East Asia
have not been able to unite and band together for the purpose of
discussing their security, their prestige and their very honor.
I was, Your Excellency, very deeply touched the first time that
the Representatives of the participating countries were asked topartake of Your Excellency’s hospitality. As I entered yourreception room, tears flowed from my eyes and I felt strengthened
and inspired and said, “One billion Orientals; one billion peoplesof Greater East Asia! How could they have been dominated, agreat portion of them, by particularly England and America? Iwonder!” And so it is really with the utmost pride and satisfactionthat I have come to represent a small republic like the Philippinesand extend my greetings to Their Excellencies who have come inresponse to the invitation of the illustrious leader of the great
Japanese Empire.
I have listened with attention and enthusiasm to the following
words employed by His Excellency, Premier General Hideki Tojo,
and I will ask your permission just to read a few line which I
believe express fundamentally the guiding principles which,under the leadership of Japan, will guide and govern the conductof the Oriental peoples, the peoples of Greater East Asia, andwhich will make me go on forward until the war is won and until
the principles of the Co-Prosperity Sphere shall have been firmlylaid. His Excellency said: “The nations of Greater East Asia,
which mutually recognizing their autonomy and independence,
must, as a whole, establish among themselves relations of

brotherly amity. Such relations cannot be created if one country
should utilize another as a means to an end. I believe that theycome into being only when there is mutual respect for one
another’s autonomy and independence, when one prospers
through another’s prosperity and all countries give expression totheir true selves.”
In other words, the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere is
not being established for the benefit of any integral unit of that
Sphere. According to His Excellency, the starting point of theestablishment of the Sphere is recognition, respect for theautonomy and independence of every integral unit, so that, withthat recognition of political independence and territorial integrity,each nation may develop in accordance with its own institutions,
without any particular member monopolizing the resulting
prosperity of any given country or nation, but with the object inview of extending that welfare and that prosperity to the otherintegral units, on the theory that the prosperity of al is theprosperity of the integral parts, but that the prosperity of theintegral parts is not necessarily the prosperity of the whole.
In other words, co-existence, co-operation and co-prosperity,
if I may be allowed to say so, are the three words, the three magic
words, which underlie the sacred cause championed by the great
Empire of Japan and subscribed to by the other peoples andnations of the Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere. To enable
the peoples and nations of Greater East Asia to enjoy the naturalright to live, the great Empire of Japan is sacrificing life andprosperity and is staking even her very existence in this sacredwar. She is fighting not for the Japanese alone, but for all thepeoples of Greater East Asia. Japan will not be happy, I know, tolive alone and see her brethren in East Asia die. She wants to live,
it is true. At the same time, however, she wants her brother
Orientals to also live, and to co-exist with her. Japan lives, Chinalives, Thailand lives, Manchoukuo lives, Burma lives, India lives,
the Philippines lives, and, all of us living, we shall endeavor toachieve, not alone the prosperity of China or any other nation orintegral unit, but the prosperity of all and working together in theachievement of the means necessary for national existence,
co-operate with each other – co-operate for the establishment of asphere of common prosperity, no longer to be dominated byWestern Powers, but occupying a rightful place under the sun,with peoples happy under their own respective laws andinstitutions, welded together into one compact and solid bloc andcontributing to the happiness and well-being, not of Asia andAsiaties only, but also and as well of the entire world.
There is another part of the speech masterly delivered by His
Excellency, the Premier, which I would like to obtain permission
to quote and to emphasize for the benefit of myself, and for thebenefit, perchance, of the other gentlemen who have been invited
to this gathering, so that we may preach and enlighten our peoples
when we go back and ive them an account of what transpired inthis Assembly. The quotation has reference to Oriental culture, tothe much-needed spiritualization of Oriental peoples. And I desire
to quote it particularly, Gentlemen, because I need it for my own
country. His Excellency said: “A superior order of culture has
existed in Greater East Asia from the very beginning. Especiallyis the spiritual essence of the culture of Greater East Asia the mostsublime in the world. I is my belief that, in the wide diffusion
throughout the world of this culture of Greater East Asia by its
further cultivation and refinement lies the salvation of mankind
from the curse of materialistic civilization and our contribution to
the welfare of ll humanity.” His Excellency enjoins upon us all
mutually to respect one another’s glorious traditions and todevelop the creative spirit and genius of our peoples and thereby
enhance even more the culture of Greater East Asia. This
spiritualization, this efflorescence of cultural supremacy of theOriental type, is something that we shall not only conceive andpreserve and transmit as a heritage to generations yet unborn but,as a basic idea, as it does from the lips of His Excellency, shouldbe planted deep in the hearts of all Orientals, especially thosecoming from a country, as weak and small as mine and which,unfortunately, languished long under the domination andinfluence of materialistic Western Powers, under Spain for morethan 300 years and under America for forty years. And that is thereason why this spiritualization of the people particularly of mycountry is necessary. Indeed, we the leaders of our respective
countries should renovate and change our entire educational
systems so that our peoples may feel, think and act as Orientals.
That is perhaps the best way of helping the Japanese to obtain thespiritualization of all the peoples of Great East Asia
It is needless for me to say anything about the military aspect
here. That is taken for granted because we cannot enjoy ourfreedom – neither Burma nor the Philippins can enjoy thefreedom that has been granted to them for any length of time –unless Japanese arms emerge victorious in the current war. We
fully realize this and, while we are undergoing difficulties, we aredetermined to carry on and forge ahead until the goal of victory isachieved by the Empire of Japan. The fight of China, the fight ofThailand, the fight of all the peoples of Greater East Asia for
freedom and integrity, depends upon that victory. Theestablishment of the Co-Prosperity Sphere depends upon thatvictory. The attainment of the supreme aspirations of the peoplesof Greater East Asia depend upon that victory. Without that
victory there can not be a Co-Prosperity Sphere; nor can there befreedom for my country or for any other country in East Asia.
There can never be prestige for the Orientals and, as in the past,
Occidental Powers will try to dominate us more and more unto
exhaustion and even death.
May I be permitted, Your Excellency, on this occasion topledge my support and the support of my people to Your
Excellency. May I offer also to their Excellencies, theRepresentatives of different countries, the sympathy andco-operation of my country, however small and however newlyborn it may be, and our desire to lend at least the encouragement
and sympathy os eighteen million Filipinos sho, dominated by aspirit of materialism in the past, in keeping with the general trend

of events, have awakened to the consciousness of their true
Oriental character and are called upon to play the role which God
in Heaven has assigned to them.
Your Excellency, it has been my privilege to join thisconference with one single purpose in mind and that is, tocontribute in a small measure to the general awakening of thepeoples of our part of the globe. At the same time, I desire to
express officially the gratitude and appreciation of the Filipino
people for the great boon of independence which has just been
granted to them and which has enable me to come and attend thisconference and meet the worthy representatives of the peoples ofGreater East Asia to this august Assembly.
May I express the hope, Your Excellency and Gentlemen; that,linked together as we are, not only in body and the spirit but in allthat is needed for the successful prosecution of the current war,
after the termination of this war in favor of the great Empire ofJapan, no longer shall we have a bleeding China, a country
inhabited by five hundred million divided and exploited Orientals,
but a happy and unified China which will be a decisive factor inco-operation with Japan, in trying to make this part of the world asafe place for Orientals to live-in. When the time comes for us toclose our eyes and go to our graves, we can do so happily,
knowing that our children no longer would be exploited anddominated by Western Powers. May I also express the hope thatno longer shall India, now under the able and inspiring leadershipof Mr. Bose, be dominated and divided religiously and politicallyby the British; no longer shall India’s 350,000,000 strong besubjected to the influence , tyranny and oppression of GreatBritain or any other power, for that matter. And may I express thebelief, Your Excellency, that with the co-operation of Burma, ofManchoukuo, of Thailand, of China; and of the peoples of Java,
Borneo and Sumatra whose interest cannot be different from thoseof other peoples of Great East Asia, may I express the belief, Irepeat, that united with Japan, united together one and all into acompact and solid organization, there can no longer be any power

that can stop or deter the acquisition by the one billion Orientalsof the free and untrammeled right and opportunity of shaping
their own destiny, without the oppressive intervention of any
power of the West.
The East is the cradle of human civilization. It has given tothe West its religion and its culture, and yet the West has used thesame civilization to exploit the peoples and countries fromwhence that civilization came. God is His infinite wisdom thepeoples of Greater East Asia. God will come and descend fromHeaven, weep with us and glorify the courage and bravery of ourpeoples and enable us to liberate ourselves and to make ourchildren and children’s children free, happy and prosperous. I
thank you.