Japanese Military and Burmese People under the 'Independent' Burma

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K00979
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 03020:Japanese history-related
• Research Institution: Kyoto University of Education
• Principal Investigator: Takeshima Yoshinari 京都教育大学, 教育学部, 教授 (30379060)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: ビルマ / 太平洋戦争 / バモオ / タキン党 / 泰緬鉄道

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, I carried on the perspectives gained from my book, "Independent Burma in the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere," and examined (1) the political autonomy of the Ba Maw government and the Japanese military's response to it, and (2) the war damage suffered by Burmese residents in detail. Ba Maw government was active in negotiations to ease the pressure imposed by the Japanese military, and in thit sense, it has been found the analyses of (1) and (2) have a connection. In addition, investigating the history of research on the Pacific War, I pointed out that research could be significantly rewritten by using historical materials in local languages. This study demonstrated that research method that relies exclusively on Japanese historical materials is incorrect.

Free Research Field

日本近代史・ビルマ史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、拙著『「大東亜共栄圏」の「独立」ビルマ』（２０２０年）で提起した視点を継承し、バモオ政府の政治的自立性と民衆の戦争被害の深刻さを、より詳細に論じたものである。その際、バモオ政府の抵抗・突き上げに対し、日本（軍）が譲歩をしたことを指摘した。譲歩の程度は決して小さくはなく、このことは従来の太平洋戦争研究に見直しを迫る材料になる。そして、少なからぬ学術的・社会的意義を持つ。また、本研究の視点はビルマ語史料を活用することで得られた部分が多く、「大東亜共栄圏」の研究を、日本語史料に頼って行うことの限界も示した。このことも、学術的・社会的意義を持つはずである。