Japanese Occupation
The Japanese occupation of Burma (1942?1945) in World War II began with the conquest of Burma by the Imperial Japanese Army on May 4, 1942. Almost the entire country of Burma (now Myanmar) then came under Japanese occupation and remained under the control of the Japanese Empire until 1943. In 1943, the Japanese government and Emperor Hirohito guaranteed the country independence, turning Burma into a puppet state under Japanese control. The country itself, part of the planned Greater East Asia Prosperity Sphere, was economically exploited, while the local population was often deported or mistreated. With the British offensive from India in the spring of 1945, Burma was almost completely reconquered by the British army.
Since 1937, Burma was no longer part of British India; A new constitution and status as a crown colony were intended to give the Burmese greater opportunities to participate in the administration of their country. At the same time, however, nationalist activity in the country also grew, particularly among the student movement Dobama Asiayone (We-Burmese Association; informally called Thakins). Nationalist uprisings had already led to the overthrow of Ba Maw's government in 1938/39, but not to independence. The outbreak of World War II in 1939 was seen by some Burmese nationalists as an opportunity to extract concessions from the British colonial power in return for support for the war effort. Others, including the Thakins under Kodaw Hmaing, rejected any support for the war, which they described as the War of the English. In August 1939, Aung San, together with some Thakins, founded the parties Ba Hein, Ba Thin, Than Tun and Thein Pe Myint, the Communist Party of Burma. Aung San was also involved in founding the Freedom Bloc, a nationalist and anti-colonialist resistance organization, with Ba Maw, the founder of the Sinyetha Party (Poor Man's Party, Buddhist Democratic).
