Empire of the Sun is a semi-autobiographical account of J.G. Ballard’s childhood living in the International Settlement in Shanghai, followed by a Japanese controlled civilian prison camp during World War II. The International Settlement was an area for European merchants and businesses established after British victory in the First Opium War (1839-1842). Born there in 1930, Ballard was likely influenced by this context. He was brought up within a family and cultural milieu that considered itself British yet simultaneously existed within a city and culture radically distinct from Britain’s. The effects of this can be seen throughout the novel through Ballard’s avatar, Jim. Jim, never having been to Britain, struggles with his sense of national and cultural identity, often finding himself identifying with the Japanese rather than the British.

When the Empire of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, it effectively declared war on the Allied powers and seized the International Settlement in Shanghai. After this, European nationals living there, like Ballard’s family, were interned in civilian prison camps. As described in the novel, these were grim places. Sanitation and medical care were non-existent, and rations were severely inadequate. As a result, deaths from malaria, beriberi, dysentery, and starvation were commonplace.