Republic of Indonesia

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The Republic of Indonesia is a Japanese satellite state in South East Asia. Formed from the ashes of the Dutch East Indies, the country is an archipelago of several thousand islands, the largest ones being Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sulawesi, and New Guinea. The nation borders the Military Governorate of Shonan-Marai in the Malayan Peninsula and the North Borneo Military Administration in North Borneo. They are a member of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.

History

Indonesia was formed through the fires of the Pacific Theatre in the Second World War. Formerly ruled under the name of the Dutch East Indies by the Netherlands, the territory would befall the same fate of the European and American holdings in the Pacific. Invaded by the Japanese in the conquest of South East Asia in 1941-1942 in their "Strike South" doctrine.

Seizing the opportunity given by the Japanese, and their promises of Pan-Asian solidarity, Sukarno and the Partai Nasional Indonesia (PNI) with Japanese backing declared the Unitary Republic of Indonesia, breaking free from their colonial masters. Little did they know, they traded one master for another for the Japanese would exploit Indonesia for its oil and rubber resources, which were plentiful and established by the former Dutch administration.

Indonesia would declare its independence in the Proklamasi or Proclamation on the 17th of August, 1945, following the Japanese victory in the Second World War. Sukarno was named President of the new republic, and Mohammad Hatta as his Vice-President. However, due to differences on how to rule the fledgling nation strained their relationship, and to add more strain to the new nation, a more pressing issue revealed itself.

During the Second World War, many Indonesians were conscripted for labor to fuel the war effort and were supposed to be reimbursed for their service through the Indonesia Keizai Kaihatsucho (IKCC). In practice, these workers are never actually compensated for their efforts and their money was effectively withheld by the IKCC heads. This was the start of the Japanese exploitation of Indonesia.

Although Sukarno and the Indonesian government resisted to the Japanese exploitation, a direct confrontation could spell doom for the nation, for the power that Sukarno's government truly held was kept in check by Tokyo's leadership. Hence, in order to preserve Indonesian independence, Sukarno's government was forced to turn over the rights to Indonesia's vast resources, most of it being the largest rubber and oil deposits in the Pacific. Additionally, the establishment of the Romusha System, where a portion of the population was "levied" as manual labor to be exploited. Under this system, Indonesian workers would face terrible conditions and marginal pay, effectively turning them into a slave for the Japanese.

Additionally, whilst in the attempt to modernize the nation to achieve industrial and economic growth, a consortium was established between the Indonesian government and the Zaibatsus. In return for aid, the Zaibatsus that sponsored the modernization effort would be rewarded in mineral wealth across the Indonesian islands. Although many years have passed since Japanese support for the campaign has dried up, the Zaibatsus continue to control the lion's share of Indonesia's mineral wealth and the profits from their sale.

These policies despite winning little favor with the Japanese, ensured that the nation would retain its independence and not turned into a colony like Malaya. However, as a result of acquiescing to Japanese demands, it made the people of Indonesia lose enough faith for separatist groups to begin forming.

Furthermore, concepts of Pan-Asianism spoon-fed to the people did little to quell discontent with the economic stagnation in the outer islands of Indonesia beyond Java. in part due to the central government's refusal to devolve enough power to the regions to bolster their local economies and in part due to Japanese exploitation.

Hope would soon trickle in, with Prime Minister Djuanda Kartawidjaja's Eight Years Development Plan, which would kickstart megaprojects revolving around infrastructure, roads, and dams to practically transform Indonesia. However, the costs of the plan leave seeds of doubt of whether such an ambitious scheme is possible.

Time will tell if Indonesia will survive in The New Order.

National Spirits

The Republic of Indonesia starts with the following National Spirits.