The Promise of Independence: the Concept of Indonesian Independence in Propaganda during World War Ii.

The Promise of Independence: The Concept of Indonesian Independence in Propaganda during World War II. This research examined how Japanese propaganda influenced the mindset of Indonesians during World War II. It uncovered how various specific elements, beyond the narrow interpretation of the evolution of the balance of political power between the Indonesians and the Japanese, were part of this dynamic. The Japanese manipulation of the Indonesian leadership with the irony of the rising status of the public figure of Sukarno and various Javanese royalty as the war continued. The Japanese propaganda and the propaganda of a new Indonesian society under the Japanese that gave rise to a new Indonesia without Japanese and Dutch colonial control. The Japanese propaganda of serving Indonesia under Japanese leadership that failed to hide the suffering of the Indonesian masses. The irony of stronger Japanese administrative control on Java during the war years, despite increasing military losses in the war and the granting of larger degrees of Indonesian political agency, and specifically, the creation of Pancasila as the Indonesian national foundation philosophy, as part of the Indonesian transformation process based on the failure of Japanese pro-imperial propaganda pieces. All these elements were found to be key components of the Indonesian nation-state that emerged after the Japanese occupation.