Shane and Charmaine, Group 1, Support

We support the stand that the Japanese Occupation (JO) was a watershed for Burmese nationalism because it demolished British rule, helped to expand popular participation in politics, and forged unity amongst the nationalist groups.

Before the JO, Burma was under the iron grip of British colonialism, and nationalist movements were mostly weak and disunited. They did not achieve much success, and did not pose a viable alternative to colonial rule. However, during the JO, the British were swiftly defeated and driven out of Burma. This shattered the myth of Western superiority in the minds of the Burmese, and galvanised their resolve against the return of British rule once the JO was over.

During the JO, a few Burmese politicians such as Aung San rose to prominence and were given the opportunity to be involved in the administration of the country. They were also supplied with arms by the Japanese. With this newfound strength, Aung San and Than Tun founded the Anti-Fascist Peoples' Freedom League (AFPFL) in 1943. This coalition movement positioned itself as a united front that would incorporate the various nationalist factions. By September 1944 onwards, diverse groups that included the Burma National Army, peasant unions, communists and socialists, monks from the Maha Sangha Agency, and even individual politicians from the pre-WWII period joined the AFPFL. This created Burma’s first truly national political party, a powerful movement with a strong sense of dedication to the nationalist cause. The AFPFL would prove instrumental to Burma's decolonisation process in the post-WWII period, with Aung San being the leading figure who successfully won independence from the British in 1948.