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- Path: sparky!uunet!munnari.oz.au!uniwa!keis
- From: keis@psy.uwa.oz.au (Keis Ohtsuka)
- Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
- Subject: Re: Indian collaborators sided with Japanese
- Date: 22 Jan 1993 12:34:36 GMT
- Organization: The University of Western Australia
- Lines: 54
- Message-ID: <1jopksINNok6@uniwa.uwa.edu.au>
- References: <1iocppINN9uc@sumax.seattleu.edu> <AfHzQT600UhW80xI4B@andrew.cmu.edu> <C0tv9I.2sD@news.cso.uiuc.edu>
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-
- aijuin@ux4.cso.uiuc.edu (Miyamoto Musashi) writes:
-
- >Perhaps Asano is unaware of the relationship between India and Japan during
- >World War II. A prominent leader of the Indian independence movement (I
- >cannot for the hell in me remember what his name was) was actually very
- >friendly toward Japan, was viewed Japanese culture (such as sado) with
- >tremendous interest. He adopted sado as a way to educate the younger
- >generation. Historians agree that had this person not died (in a plane
- >accident if I remember correctly) during the war, he would have become
- >the leader rather than Ghandi (not sure about the spelling). It may be
- >difficult to understand, but the Japanese AIDED the indipendence movement
- >in India (at least when they were winning the war). I am no expert on
- >Japanese involvment in India during World War II, but I really do NOT recall
- >an instance in which the Japanese caused great atrocities in India.
- >If I am wrong, enlighten me.
-
- I am afraid your view lacks objectivity. To say the least, your view is
- contaminated with a Nip-centric propaganda to mascarade the imperial invasion
- as a war of "liberation" of Asians from the "tyrany" of European
- powers. Of course, the war was mascaraded as a "holy war" waged by
- Japanese, self-potrayed "master race" of Asia on behalf of Asian
- "brothers." (axis euphemism of "Untermensch")
-
- The Indian collaborated with Japanese was called Chandra Bose
- who headed the Indian National Army, Indian mercenary forces sided
- with the Japanese. I understand Mr. Bose also sought Nazi Germany's
- help to end British rule of India. However, I don't think he was
- a leader material let alone vying for replacing popular "Babu"
- Gandhi.
-
- There were a large number of Indian soliders in the British forces.
- During the war of Malaya and the defence of Singapore, the casuality
- rate among the Indian forces was high. Japanese actively sought to
- persuade Indians to take up arms agaist British. After the fall of
- Singapore, Japanese separated Indian soldiers and non-commissioned
- officiers from British commissioned officers at Changi Prison and
- indoctrinated them hoping that they would fight on the Japanese
- side. Some reneged and joined INR; most remained loyal to
- British. Japanese later invaded India to secure the Burma Road,
- a supply route to Chunking, a temprary capital of Nationalist
- China, in Sichuan Province. When Gen. Mountbatten finally decimated
- the Japanese Army at Impal and Kohima (both places are in the
- Indian territory not in Burma as widely belived among japanese)
- a large number of Indian soldiers fought for the British was
- instrumental for the victory.
-
- During turbulant days of Indian/Pakistani independence and a civil
- war between 1945-47, how to deal with the INR collaborators became
- a political football. Gandhi's decision to grant amnesty to INR
- collaborators was not popular one and widely criticised by the
- compatriots remained loyal to British and fought against the
- Japanese invasion of India.
-
- Any comments or corrections are welcomed.
-