Japanese Military Policy towards French Indochina during the Second World War: The Road to theMeigo Sakusen(9 March 1945)

Abstract

The Japanese occupied the Philippines in 1941, and Burma and Indonesia in 1942. French Indochina, then calledFutsuinby the Japanese, continued to remain in French hands until 9 March 1945. It seemed to present a contrasting picture vis-à-vis Japanese policies in other Asian countries and to contradict the declared policy as expressed in the “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere” (in JapaneseDai-Tōa-Kyoei-Ken). On 9 March, however, this was reversed by the Japanese military action, which disarmed the French Indochinese Army. This action has come to be known as theMeigo Sakusen(Meigo [bright moon] Action).