The fire of World War II spread to Asia-Pacific marked by the bombardment of the United States military base at Pearl Harbor by Japanese troops. The United States then responded to the surprise attack by declaring itself to join the Allies and fight the Axis stronghold consisting of Germany, Italy, and Japan.
In Europe, the big stage of war was filled by Germany and Italy, while in Asia the stage of war was filled by Japan. With a lightning attack, the Japanese military swept throughout Asia and secured strategic natural resources for war purposes.
Japan's big move in Asia meant disturbing European countries that had colonies in Asia, including the Netherlands, France, Britain, and the United States. In less than a month, the Dutch East Indies had fallen into Japanese hands. The Governor General of the Dutch East Indies was arrested and exiled to Manchuria to undergo forced labor.
Japan's military prowess over the Europeans evoked pride among Asians who were quickly swayed by Japanese propaganda that they had come to liberate Asia from European colonialism. This propaganda was needed by Japan to mobilize the people's power for the purposes of winning the war.
The photo above shows how Indonesian children were trained in rows while carrying wooden toy guns, 1943. The Japanese propaganda at that time was that the Indonesian people had to help Japan defend their country from Allied attacks. Many people responded to the invitation at first, until when the Japanese military atrocities peaked when the more pressured into the war sparked antipathy from the people.
Comments