Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies

Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies was a colony in Java and Eastern Indonesia (Southeast Asia) that lasted from 1942 to 1945 CE, about 3 years. Its people spoke Japonic languages (Japanese, Ryukyuan).

Japan took the islands in March 1942 for their oil, interned the Dutch and used huge numbers of Indonesians as forced labourers. It sponsored nationalists such as Sukarno, who declared independence two days after Japan's surrender.

See Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies on the interactive timeline

Facts

Dates

1942 to 1945 CE

Duration

3 years

Type

Colony

Region

Java and Eastern Indonesia, Southeast Asia

Language family

Japonic

Events in Southeast Asia during its time

• 1942 Fall of Singapore
• 1945 Indonesia declares independence

Neighbours in Southeast Asia

• Dutch East Indies 1800 to 1949 CE
• Indonesia 1945 CE to the present
• Nguyen dynasty 1802 to 1945 CE
• British Burma 1826 to 1948 CE
• Thailand 1932 CE to the present
• British Malaya 1874 to 1948 CE
• French Indochina 1887 to 1954 CE
• American Philippines 1898 to 1946 CE
• Democratic Republic of Vietnam 1945 to 1976 CE
• Shan States c. 1250 to 1959 CE

Elsewhere in the world at the same time

• Ethiopian Empire (Solomonic dynasty) 1270 to 1974 CE, North and West Africa
• Portuguese Empire 1415 to 1999 CE, Europe
• United States 1776 CE to the present, North America
• United Kingdom 1801 CE to the present, Europe
• Haiti 1804 CE to the present, Mesoamerica and Caribbean
• Commonwealth of Australia 1901 CE to the present, Oceania
• British Raj 1858 to 1947 CE, South Asia
• Empire of Japan 1868 to 1947 CE, East Asia
• Soviet Union 1922 to 1991 CE, Europe
• Soviet Union 1922 to 1991 CE, Central and North Asia

Questions