Today's History, March 1, 1942: The Beginning Of Japanese Colonialism In Indonesia, Successful Invasion Of Java Island

Japanese troops landed on the island of Java on March 1, 1942, marking the beginning of the Japanese occupation of Indonesia. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - Today 80 years ago, or March 1, 1942, to be precise, Japan first landed its troops to invade Java. They focused on resistance in three areas of Banten, Indramayu, and Bojonegoro. The landing was Japanese ambition to end Dutch rule in the Nusantara. The Japanese military aggression made the Dutch guts shrink. Moreover, Japan was able to expose the weaknesses of the Dutch East Indies colonial government. The weakness is none other than the outdated Dutch weaponry and war tools.

There is no denying the military power of Japan in the 1940s era. Japanese guts are so high. They dared to attack the base of the United States (US) fleet in the Pacific, Pearl Harbor in 1941. This attack destroyed the base.

The victims of the US side are many, so are the losses. The victory was able to reduce the strength of the US military. Japan saw it as an opportunity. An opportunity to immediately dominate other countries in Southeast Asia. the Dutch East Indies, in particular.

Japanese soldiers got on the island of Java on March 1, 1942. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Since then, Japan has been aggressively deploying its intelligence forces to disguise and mingle with the Dutch East Indies population as traders. For the sake of reading the situation, the thought. The disguise was in full totality. Many Japanese merchandise shops were established. They sell quality goods made in Japan at low prices.

Therefore, Japanese goods so hunted. The popularity of Japanese shops made merchants who were also Japanese spies more flexible to collect information. Especially from buyers. When the time came, they were ready to conquer the area in no time.

"Apart from trying to dominate the market, Japan is also trying to control shipping by ship. In market areas, Japan places its distributors or agents so that the marketing of goods is controlled. Many Japanese shops were set up. These are all not only economic endeavors, but also preparations for a military movement.

“It was proven when the Japanese landed and then occupied Indonesia, it turned out that the shop owners were Japanese officers. The Indonesians were astonished when the shop owners wore Japanese military uniforms with the rank of officer. In Yogya, the Fuji shop was famous," said G. Moedjanto in the book Indonesia Abad Ke-20 Jilid 1 (1989).

Successively Japan then paralyzed the Nusantara. From Tarakan, Balikpapan, Pontianak, Samarinda, Banjarmasin, Palembang, the most decisive landing was when the Japanese troops began to land on the island of Java on March 1, 1942. The landings were made in three places; Banten, Indramayu, and Bojonegoro.

Japanese troops after conquering the Dutch in Indonesia. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

The Japanese then launched a full attack. The navy, air and land united against the Dutch East Indies. All of that to smooth the ambition of defeating the Dutch in the Nusantara. Even the attack revealed Dutch bad side. The owner of the power apparently never increased their fleet and army. Some time later, the Netherlands was conquered by Japan on March 8, 1942.

“Of course, the collapse of the Dutch East Indies was not only due to the bad relationship between the regime and the people, but also lies in the weakness of the war equipment and its outdated military infrastructure. Since the last 125 years, the Netherlands has not experienced an international war in the truest sense," concluded historian Ong Hok Ham in the book Waktu yang Hilang, Negeri yang Guncang (2018).