Final answer:
The idea that the war against Japan was seen as a race war and involved dehumanizing propaganda is true. There was strong racial antipathy on both sides, with the U.S. engaging in racially charged propaganda and Japanese ideology presenting itself as a superior race.
Step-by-step explanation:
The notion that the war against the Japanese was seen as a race war, with government propaganda depicting the Japanese as subhuman, is true. The conflict between the United States and Japan during World War II was characterized by deeply entrenched racial animosities, as evidenced by wartime propaganda that portrayed the Japanese people, not just their military regime, as barbaric, subhuman, and needing to be stopped. This dehumanization was used to mobilize American sentiment and motivate the military, contrasting with the American approach towards European Axis powers where differentiation was usually made between the Nazi regime and the German people.
The racism inherent in this attitude was not only present in propaganda but also reflected in U.S. policies such as the internment of Japanese Americans. It was also mirrored by the Japanese viewpoint, which saw the Americans as hedonistic and culturally void, and themselves as the pure and superior race, as per the ideology of Japanese militarists. It's also important to note that the dehumanization and racism present in the Pacific theatre were part of a larger pattern of racism and racial ideologies that had various horrifying consequences, including the Holocaust in Europe and Japanese atrocities in Asia.