"Liberation" of Southeast Asia Under Japanese Occupation

Japan’s occupation of Southeast Asia became an ordeal of plundering and assimilation justified by the ideologies of the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. Japan wanted to “unify” Southeast Asia under their leadership in order to create an Asia that was free from European colonization. However, Japan’s liberation is more characteristic of colonization, “The Japanese tried to reorient the local population into an Asian social hierarchy – Asian but with Japan on top.”[1]  Japan implemented various policies and systems that aligned with their imperialistic goals. For example, Puppet Governments were created in order for Japan to gain a large amount of control over the affairs of Southeast Asian countries. Under the façade of independence, countries such as Burma and the Philippines signed military agreements that granted Japan’s military the freedom to control what they deemed necessary for the war. This included control over factories, airfields, ports, communication facilities and police affairs. 

Efforts were also made to interact with and assimilate the locals. Japanese schooling was implemented, and indigenous populations were forced to adapt to Japanese customs. Japanese language was taught in order to help spread the ideas of the Co-Prosperity Sphere and make the locals cooperate. Children went to school to pick up useful skills but were also taught to dislike colonial power. Despite the educational opportunities that they offered, the Japanese did not necessarily treat the indigenous populations with kindness and respect. They were strict with the work ethic of the locals and did not hesitate to give brutal corporal or verbal punishments. The education systems put in place were solely for the benefit of the Japanese empire. Japan also placed their own personnel into positions of power which were originally occupied by pre-colonial figures, "The Japanese were also posted in key administrative positions and some orders specifically state the need for them to introduce their own power structure while technically being under indigenous administrators”[2]

Japan also created structures to control the finances of occupied territories. Banknotes were issued by the Southern Development Bank to the occupied territories and also financed the Japanese enterprises which exploited resources. Local supplies faced shortage and an increase in price as a result. Agricultural economies were altered in order to provide military supplies, “Instead of sugar cane, pepper and coffee, Japan compelled local farmers to plant cotton, hemp and so forth for military purposes.”[3] The policies that Japan placed were different based on the conditions of each Southeast Asian territory, “In the countries which had the most valuable resources, especially the East Indies and Malaya, Japan imposed direct military rule. To the less important places, such as Burma and the Philippines, Japan gave more “autonomy,” even organizing so-called “allied states.”[4] This means Japans economic control wasn’t the same everywhere. Some states were more independent while others remained dependents that were directly controlled, such as Malaya, Singapore, Indochina, and the Dutch East Indies. 

The constant exploitation often hurt local populations, “…Japan cause an unprecedented famine in Indochina, because the Japanese imposed rice levies in northern Vietnam and the costal transport routes between the rice-rich south and the starving north had been blocked by US air attacks.”[5] Northern Burma was also faced with a famine due to transportation systems failing from constant extraction of oil by the Japanese. Contagious disease then spread, which the Japanese felt obligated to murdering sick and old people in order to prevent the spread of illness. 

[1] Frank Dhont, "A Holistic View of the Japanese Occupation of Southeast Asia." Suvannabhumi 8, no. 1 (2016). 

[2] Dhont, "A Holistic View," 86

[3] Bi Shi Hong, "Japans Economic Control in Southeast Asia during the Pacific War: It's Character, Effects, and Legacy." Yunnan University (2017). 

[4] Hong, "Japans Economic Control," 234

[5] Hong, "Japans Economic Control," 234

Conclusion

Japans involvement in World War II was a mission of empire and a path of conquering. In their ambition to liberate Asia from Western colonization, Japan became the colonizers themselves. The occupation of Southeast Asia has often been percieved as Japan's checklist, countries which served as points in tracking the history of Japans war activities. What has become a lack of discussion is what was actually going on between Japan and the countries it claimed as its territory. While pushing out Western colonies, Japan simply replaced "liberation" with policies and systems which benefitted their imperial goals without considering the impact on indigenous populations. Political and war history often focuses on the motives and actions rather than the impact on society. A pattern which simply must be broken.