The Growth of Wartime Nationalism
- The Japanese occupation (1942–1945) transformed South-East Asia’s political landscape, destroying European colonial authority and empowering local movements.
- Nationalists used Japan’s promises of “Asia for the Asiatics” to gain political experience, mass support, and military training.
- Many local leaders cooperated with Japan to achieve short-term goals of autonomy or independence, even as they rejected Japan’s imperial control.
- Japanese propaganda emphasized Asian unity and the rejection of Western imperialism, helping spread nationalist ideology.
- By the end of the war, these movements had gained organization, leadership, and legitimacy, allowing them to claim independence once Japan surrendered.
Definition
Asia for the Asiatics
Japanese slogan used to justify occupation and rally anti-Western sentiment in Asia.
Definition
Collaboration
Cooperation with the occupying Japanese forces, often to advance nationalist or political goals.
Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) Collaboration and Mobilization
Growth of Nationalism
- Japan overthrew Dutch rule in March 1942 and encouraged limited participation of Indonesian nationalists such as Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta in local administration.
- Japanese propaganda promoted Indonesian identity, banning Dutch language and using Bahasa Indonesia in education and media.
- Japan formed nationalist organizations like Putera (Center of People’s Power) and PETA (Defenders of the Homeland) to mobilize labor and local defense forces.
- These institutions gave nationalists valuable leadership and military experience.
Resistance and Consequences
- While initially cooperative, Indonesian workers and peasants suffered from forced labor (romusha) and food shortages, sparking local revolts.
- Many PETA members secretly supported independence rather than Japanese victory.
- When Japan surrendered in August 1945, Sukarno and Hatta declared Indonesian independence (17 August 1945) using the nationalist networks Japan had unintentionally built.
- The occupation thus became a training ground for self-rule, directly leading to the postwar Indonesian Revolution (1945–1949).
Definition
PETA
Indonesian volunteer army created by Japan, later forming the core of the postwar national military.
Definition
Putera
Japanese-sponsored nationalist organization aimed at mobilizing Indonesian support for the war effort.
Resistance and Collaboration Across the Region
- Nationalist responses to Japanese occupation varied between active resistance, strategic collaboration, or a mixture of both.
- In many regions, rural populations resisted exploitation, forced labor, and food requisitioning, while nationalist elites cooperated to gain political advantage.
- Japanese repression and famine caused disillusionment, leading many to turn against Japan by 1944–1945.
- Secret resistance movements grew, some supported by the Allies, such as anti-Japanese guerrillas in Vietnam and Malaya.
