八紘一宇

Etymology
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Phrase

 * 1)  WWII-era phrase used by the Empire of Japan

Etymology
+ ≅ “the eight corners of the earth [united] under a single roof”

The concept originates from a passage in the Nihon Shoki (720): 兼六合以開都、 掩八紘一而為宇, in which Emperor Jimmu declares Kashihara to be the capital of the lands. Originally limited to context of Japan as a whole, but in 1903 Tanaka Chigaku first used it in reference to world unification. Widely used around 1937 during the Sino-Japanese War, the phrase was later included in the July 26, 1940 national policy known as Kihon Kokusaku Yōkō (基本国策要綱) during the Fumimaro Konoe administration.

Noun

 * 1) unifying and controlling the whole world as a single house
 * 2) during World War II, used as a nationalistic slogan to rationalize overseas expansion