Japan after ~1900 very much flip-flopped in their policy between playing the anti-imperialist liberator of Asia and its first colonial power and equal to western colonial powers for some time. Of course there was a political power struggle within Japan about this direction. Defining moment was the victory in the Russo-Japanese war of 1905, which was the first victory of a &quot;3rd world&quot; country against a traditional colonial power.<p>Likewise they partially treated Koreans as lost brothers that needed to be elevated and integrated into their empire and an inferior race that was to be exploited colonial style.
Note that even the &quot;integration&quot; strategy showed some similarity to what the Nazis later (after 1938) did with their &quot;Heim ins Reich&quot; strategy (which included &quot;reintegration&quot; of ethnic Germans on foreign soil by territorial annexation).<p>In practical terms both policies were put into measures sometimes simultaneously, but the colonialism supporters grew stronger over time. The famous &quot;Greater Asian Welfare Sphere&quot; rhetoric was a perverted remains of the &quot;liberator&quot;-style agenda.
(I read a history book on the topic many years ago, but unfortunately can&#x27;t find a reference, sorry.)<p>Whether the Japanese empire of the time should be classified as fascist seems to be at least highly controversial among historians. I had the impression the majority see it as a nationalistic (and after the putsch 1936 also military) dictatorship.