Reaction of Natives to the Japanese Occupation of Sea
The Japanese occupation of Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaya impacted and hence triggered a response in Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaya in the form of various nationalist groups. Some groups were formed and sponsored by the Japanese, yet others were formed to oppose the harshness of Japanese rule.
Economic: The economic drain on the colonies in South East Asia resulted in the opposition of the natives towards the Japanese. In Malaya, the devastation and collapse of the economy caused a nightmare for the people of Malaya. However, many nationalist groups were formed within racial groups. The Chinese formed the Malayan Peoples’ Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA). However they were not able to unite the society because membership was limited to Chinese only and they practiced excessive revenge against collaborators, causing the Chinese community to regard them with fear and wariness and the other racial communities could not join, hence fragmenting the effort. The Japanese sponsored the formation of the Indian National Army (INA) led by Chandra Bose, however the independence struggle lacked unity and ultimately failed. They also sponsored the formation of the Union of the Peninsular Indonesia (KRIS), however there was not much support from both the ethnic Malays and Japanese and also failed in the end. In Vietnam, the rampant inflation and the scarcity of basic necessities caused the nationalism in Vietnam to flourish. When the famine in Tonkin broke out in 1944, the Viet Minh took over granaries belonging to the Japanese and rich landlords and distributed the rice to the peasants. This contributed to the rise of the Viet Minh as they were viewed as heroes. Hence, in both cases, the harsh conditions caused by the Japanese occupation led to the rise of nationalist groups in Malaya and Vietnam.
Social: The Japanese Occupation changed the society of Vietnam and Indonesia. It gave the people of Vietnam an obvious nationalist cause, to expel both the Japanese and the French. This
Economic: The economic drain on the colonies in South East Asia resulted in the opposition of the natives towards the Japanese. In Malaya, the devastation and collapse of the economy caused a nightmare for the people of Malaya. However, many nationalist groups were formed within racial groups. The Chinese formed the Malayan Peoples’ Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA). However they were not able to unite the society because membership was limited to Chinese only and they practiced excessive revenge against collaborators, causing the Chinese community to regard them with fear and wariness and the other racial communities could not join, hence fragmenting the effort. The Japanese sponsored the formation of the Indian National Army (INA) led by Chandra Bose, however the independence struggle lacked unity and ultimately failed. They also sponsored the formation of the Union of the Peninsular Indonesia (KRIS), however there was not much support from both the ethnic Malays and Japanese and also failed in the end. In Vietnam, the rampant inflation and the scarcity of basic necessities caused the nationalism in Vietnam to flourish. When the famine in Tonkin broke out in 1944, the Viet Minh took over granaries belonging to the Japanese and rich landlords and distributed the rice to the peasants. This contributed to the rise of the Viet Minh as they were viewed as heroes. Hence, in both cases, the harsh conditions caused by the Japanese occupation led to the rise of nationalist groups in Malaya and Vietnam.
Social: The Japanese Occupation changed the society of Vietnam and Indonesia. It gave the people of Vietnam an obvious nationalist cause, to expel both the Japanese and the French. This