Asia in Word War II Essay

World War II was the war that was supposed to end all wars. If one was an eyewitness of the said event more than 50 years ago, it is hard not to agree. The scale of the war was unprecedented. Millions of men and women were involved either as fighting in the front lines, being part of the support crew and team or by working as factory workers that supplied equipment and munitions. It was truly a global war because significant battles were fought not only in Europe but also in Asia. What the Nazis were to Europe, the Japanese Imperial Army was to Asia. They were a dominant force in countries such as China and Korea. They were able to terrorize and subjugate these two countries but it is not only in these territories that they flexed their military might. They also went southeast. This paper will look into the Japanese occupation of Southeast Asian countries: a) Philippines; b) Indonesia; c) Thailand; and d) Vietnam. The paper will attempt to find how the people from different regions and nations reacted towards Japanese occupation. Whether the people accepted Japanese rule or rejected them the factors and forces that are working for and against the Japanese will also be investigated. Occupying Force It does not require a rocket scientist or a gray-haired historian to realize that no people or nation will be delighted to find a foreign and invading army on their front yard the following morning. It is just plain unacceptable to find someone or something that disrupting someone’s routine. In the case of an occupying army the distraction and the aggravation is multiplied many times over. At the onset it can generally be said that no one – not even nice people fifty years earlier – would provide a red carpet welcome for the invading imperial forces. But a basic understanding of human nature can tell the first time researcher that in times of war the most basic human instinct that kicks in is self-preservation and that he will do everything to make his lot better even for his family. The following will discuss the situation in four Asian countries located in the southeast. All have similarities and also differences. For example, the Philippines was already under U. S. rule although it was being groomed for independence from the Americans. There was a significant military presence and for decades the Filipinos – at least the elite and others who occupy important positions – were collaborating with the Americans on various political issues. Vietnam was under French forces and based on the review of literature one can easily detect the dislike of the Vietnamese for their French rulers. This may explain their ambivalence over the Japanese occupation. Thailand on the other hand did not have a long history of colonization that may also have affected their view of the incoming Japanese forces. Indonesia was at the beginning stages of forming their national identity and the coming of the Japanese made for an interesting mix that generally favored the Indonesians. A more in-depth look will be found in the following pages. Elite vs. Peasants An accurate understanding on the effects of the Japanese Imperial Army’s occupation of the southeast region of Asia will not be possible without first understanding the role of the different social classes. Asia fifty or more years ago had a hierarchical society where the gap between rich and poor is so distinct. There were landed nobles and there were peasants doing back breaking labor. When the Japanese came, the invading army was like an equalizer of some sort. There are no rich and poor for the aggressor who is bent on subjugating a populace. For the Japanese soldier everyone is a Filipino, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Thai. Everyone are considered as the enemy which with the slightest advantage will not hesitate to overthrow or rout the occupying forces. But there are numerous sources and documentary evidence that can prove connivance between the ruling elites of the land and the invading army. This is not hard to understand because a wise general will always recognize the clout and capability of the members of the higher social classes in terms of helping them control the situation or on the opposite end aid others in setting up a guerilla movement to harass them. It then became a tricky political and social arrangement between the Japanese and the elite members of society who can be so practical in their outlook that they will be willing to be complicit with the enemy because there is no point in continually opposing their presence. This is the case of all Southeast Asian nations mentioned earlier. Atrocities Another factor that needs to be discussed first before going into the detailed description of local events is the mental and emotional baggage carried around by all the nations in the region even before the coming of the Japanese. This burden that they carry is the idea that the imperial army’s ranks are filled with blood-thirsty and sex crazed officers and men that will mutilate any nation that they will occupy. Before the bombing of the Pearl Harbor – which is the clear and irrevocable signal that the Japanese were in league with Hitler and Mussolini – the Japanese already showed signs of Nazi like ambitions. While Hitler wanted to gain control of Europe, Japan displayed its liking for Asian domination and so in 1937 the said army invaded China. In Nanking the world saw what Japanese soldiers are capable of when let loose in enemy territory. The following is an eyewitness account of what happened in the days following their invasion of China and it will be known later as the infamous Nanking Massacre: Foreigners who have traveled over the city report many civilians’ bodies lying in the streets †¦ A considerable percentage of the dead civilians were the victims of shooting or bayoneting in the afternoon and evening of the 13th, which was the time of Japanese entry into the city. Any person who ran in fear or excitement, and any one who was caught in streets or alleys after dusk by roving patrols was likely to be killed on the spot. Most f the severity was beyond even theoretical excuse. It proceeded in the Safety Zone as well as elsewhere, and many cases are plainly witnessed by foreigners and reputable Chinese. Some bayonet wounds were barbarously cruel (Zhang, 2001, p. 4). This kind of report will easily spread throughout the Asian region and it would have easily filtered to the local population of every nation. This will explain the reason why there are those who steeled themselves for Japanese invasion and vowed never to be under Japanese rule. Zhang argues that if the Nanking Massacre did not happen, the Japanese Army would have expected a far better reception in other countries but the atrocities in China was well known and he wrote, â€Å"At Nanking the Japanese Army has lost much of its reputation, and has thrown away a remarkable opportunity to gain the respect †¦ of foreign opinion† (p. 4, 2001).