This is a photograph of Japanese soldiers taken during the Japanese Occupation. The rise of militarism and ultra-nationalism in Japan led to the country’s involvement in World War Two as part of the Axis powers (Germany, Italy and Japan). Southeast Asia was occupied on the basis of Japan’s Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere, which was part of Japan’s desire to get rid of all westerners from Asia and free their “Asian brothers”. This was merely a ploy by the Japanese to exploit Southeast Asia’s natural resources in order to achieve Japan’s main goal of Hakko ichiu (eight corners of the world under one roof). Japanese occupation in Southeast Asia started in 1942 and ended in 1945.
