The Research On The Department Stores And Commercial Association Of Shanghai During The Enemy Occupation(1937-1945)

Shanghai was occupied by Japan in1937.They fostered traitors to set up a puppet regime and governed Shanghai. After the outbreak of the Pacific War, Japan’s policy on China changed.Japanese controlled the Shanghai area indirectly by the Wang Jingwei Government and implemented the wartime materiel control policy. The National Commercial Association for Resources Control and the professional associations were specifically responsible for implementing the wartime materiel control policy.The organizations and personnel of the Department stores and Commercial Association of Shanghai were not changed too much,but in fact, the association was controlled completely by the Wang Jingwei Government during the enemy occupation.It must always request the Wang Jingwei Government before execution. The Department stores and Commercial Association of Shanghai mainly undertook materiel control.The association controlled price,fighted against the wrongful act, handled the proof of the material transfer,did the materials rationing,managed the tax and so on.It played an important role in controlling materials.On behalf of the merchants, the Department stores and Commercial Association of Shanghai performed its responsibility of protecting the merchant interests.But it must be under the premise of not damaging the interests of the Wang Jingwei Government.The Wang Jingwei Government could accept and approve the merchants’requirements selectively according to its own needs.But in fact many of the requirements about protecting the merchants weren’t approved by the Wang Jingwei Government.Objectively speaking, the Department stores and Commercial Association of Shanghai did play a positive role on helping stabilizing prices and maintaining the market order.But we should know that the association undertook materiel control and did damage the interests of the merchants.It already became the tools of the Wang Jingwei Government.