Japanese and Indian Cooperation During World War II
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Japanese and Indian Cooperation
The relationship between the Indians and the Japanese is considered one that is free of any territorial, cultural, religious, or ideological disputes. It is characterized by warmth and uniqueness that emanates from long-term loyalty and gestures that are known to have begun back in the 6th century after the introduction of Buddhism to Japan which cultivated a sense of closeness between the two regions. Towards WWII various Indian and Japanese leaders united with the aim of evicting the British government from the country. After their independence in 1947, Indian signed a peace treaty in 1952 following the world war, which has since served to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries (Sareen, 2004). The cooperation between the Japanese and the Indians leaders during WWII was facilitated by religious, cultural, and ideological coexistence with the aim of expelling the British government from the Indian lands.
Japanese and Indian Cooperation During WWII
The cooperation evidenced between Indian and Japan during WWII was mainly facilitated by the fact that the two countries were fighting a common enemy, the Britons in that they were both guided by the phrase, “an enemy of my enemy is my friend.” The death of Indians and Japans in WWI coupled with unending conflicts in India as a result of the invasion by the British gave the two countries a reason to unite and work against a similar enemy (Belle, 2015). Such efforts to remain united saw the celebration of the 60th anniversary in 2012 of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between India and Japan. This celebration also served as a celebration of the various cultural events that were undertaken between the two countries in a bid to promote mutual growth and understanding.
Japan and Indian nationalists shared a similar wish of evidencing the expulsion of Britain from India. As such, some Japanese nationals reckoned with India in order to benefit from the mutual advantage inherent to both countries. In their venture, Japan used the Foreign Ministry in India with the assistance of counsel Okazaki who suggested the need to establish relations with India’s left-wing party and Subhas Chandra Bose who was in exile in Berlin in a bid to increase the growth of the Forward Bloc. The cooperation was also facilitated by various agencies and personalities including Toyama Mitsuru among other society groups. As such, the support of these agencies facilitated the cooperation between the Japanese and the Indian National Agencies (INA) owing to propaganda purposes and the need to foster an anti-British sentiment in Southeast Asia (Lebra, 2008). All the decisions and policies that were developed by the Japanese targeted to the achievement of this policy while encouraging the proliferation of an array of various Indian intelligence activities in Southeast Asia. This was also intended to expand the Japanese propaganda in a bid to sabotage the missions of the enemy lines. However, Japan’s propagation of INAs’ efforts and policies were affected by policy planning by the IGHQ (Imperial General Headquarters), military intelligence, and tactical implementation in the policy at various levels of operation. As such, it was evident that the cooperation between Japan and INA was mainly done in an effort to encourage the growth of the anti-British phenomenon in Southeast Asia, in India, and in the British-Indian protectorate. This led to the growth of cooperation that was further evidenced during WWII.
Subhas Chandra Bose, among other leaders, developed a strategic framework and the International collaboration with the aim of overthrowing the British imperialism in order to liberate India. As explained by Sareen (2004), Bose’s collaboration with Japan influenced the nationalism pace both directly and indirectly in the country. His efforts coupled with those of Chandra Bose in 1941 facilitated Indian nationalism in a bid to diminish the influence of the British in the country to earn the assistance of the Axis powers, actions that contributed to the cooperation of the two countries during the WWII. Bose’s strategies were successful owing to his ability to adopt a strategic framework to ensure the liberation of Indian despite the imposition of limitation and constraints by existing frameworks in the country.
The cooperation between the two countries can be attributed to the existence of a complementary strategic vision that were facilitated by the cultural, economic, and bilateral agreements. According to research by Lebra (2008), Indians arrived in Japan in the 1870s for commercial and business interests that led to the opening and growth of the Kobe and Yokohama ports. During the WWI, more Indians went to Japan to find products that would meet the demand in India owing to the diminished trade capability of Europe as a result of the war. This led to the cooperation evidenced in WWII which was further aggravated by the movement of Indians to the Kansai region following the Kanto earthquake in 1923. Through continued assistance by the Yokohama authorities, the Indian communities were provided with special incentives to revive their lives in the affected areas, which led to the creation of the largest migrant population of Indians in Japan. Through their settlement, the Indian community became the main source of electronics, textiles, and commodities into the country which formed a close linkage between the Indian and Japanese cities including Shanghai and Hong Kong which acted as the main players of trading activities in Asia. The trading relations were further facilitated by the development of Indian Merchants Associations, professionals, and Indian communities that engaged in jewelry and gems. However, this growth characterized by industrialization was affected by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, among others whose aim was to ensure increase reliance of the Indians on European imports. Nevertheless, Indian and Japanese communities were engaged in social and cultural activities which facilitated the growth of relations through religious, marriage, and trade relations while maintaining links with their motherhood. As such, these relations were evidenced in their unity and cooperation during WWII.
Since the introduction of Buddhism in Japan during the 6th century, modern exchanges that facilitated the cooperation evidenced in the WWII began during the Meiji era that lasted between 1868 to 1912 after Japan opted for modernization. Positive historical relations can also be related to the 20th century following the emergence of Japan as a huge power which also marked as a revamp for Asian resurgence. This support was further evidenced in the backing up of the Indian National Army and of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose that continued to showcase their relations from a positive perspective. Indian and Japanese leaders cooperated owing to their ability to remain more informed and aggressive than Germany in relation to their vision towards the end of WWII. With the Japanese support and the Indian war prisoners, Bose was able to form the Indian National Army (INA), although their military success was limited. With more than 2.5 billion Indian soldiers in the Royal Indian Navy and British Indian Army, the Indian industry managed to expand at an exponential rate during and shortly after the war (Belle, 2015). However, this growth was limited owing to the fact that India suffered one of the most devastating disasters due to the Bengal famine that claimed the lives of 4milllion people. The fact that the British leaders did not value Indian lives despite the fact that food was obtained from Indian lands created the notion that the British government were against the Indian independence and should thus be removed from the lands against all odds. However, although
During WWII, the Japanese and British governments engaged in fierce propaganda in a bid to influence the opinion of the people of South Asia to act in their favor. Both groups exploited all forms of media including film, wireless, and print in a bid to discredit the opponent in order to appear as the truthful friend to the people of South Asia (Sareen, 2004). Following this exploitation, Japan showed their interest openly through the leadership of General Tojo who announced publicly that the Indians should revolt against the British in order to drive them out of the country and gain their independence. Growth in Indian interest by the Japanese caused increased fascination propaganda determination to convert, an action that led to the desire of the civilians and Indian soldiers towards the Axis powers.
References
The cooperation between the Japanese and the Indians leaders during WWII was facilitated by religious, cultural, and ideological coexistence with the aim of expelling the British government from the Indian lands. Although the Japanese had individual interests in their venture to free the Indian from the British government, this can be attributed as the main factor in their close relations created between Indian and Japanese leaders. In their rebellion against India’s struggle for independence, the British were largely tormented by the various events on the home front including the Great Bengal Famine in 1943 and the Quit India Movement in 1942. The group of colonizers was also affected by the growth of the Indian Independence League, an organization that was led by Rash Behari Bose and Subash Chandra Bose who were in collaboration with the Axis powers.
References
Belle, C. V. (2015). Tragic Orphans: Indians in Malaysia. Singapore: ISEAS.
Lebra, J. (2008). The Indian National Army and Japan. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
Sareen, T. R. (2004). Subhas Chandra Bose, Japan and British imperialism. European Journal of East Asian Studies, 3(1), 69-97.