Final answer:
During the period of New Imperialism, racist ideas about non-Westerners were prevalent. Some believed that Western civilizations were improving the lives of African, Asian, and Pacific Islander societies, while others held more negative and racist views. Orientalism influenced American ideals of Asia as exotic, and in Japan, a belief in racial superiority led to their efforts to dominate Asia.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the period of New Imperialism, racist ideas were prevalent with regard to non-Westerners. Some believed that Western civilizations were superior and were therefore improving the lives of African, Asian, and Pacific Islander societies by introducing Christianity, monogamous marriage, and Western fashions. This belief was reflected in Rudyard Kipling's pro-imperialist poem, 'The White Man's Burden.' Others, however, held more negative and racist views, considering non-Western people as inferior and in need of guidance by the superior white race.
Additionally, Americans embraced Orientalism, which involved appropriating Eastern culture to fit their own ideas of Asia as exotic. The idea of racial superiority and the belief that nonwhite people were simply 'different' facilitated acceptance of imperialism by presenting conquered peoples as savages in need of assimilation or even as jungle animals.
In Asia, Japan had a similar belief in racial superiority and sought to establish dominance through the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. The situation in Asia, however, also involved resistance to foreign rule, such as in China where resentment against foreigners grew due to the impact on the local economy and interference in traditional practices.