Japanese period and timeline
THE JAPANESE PERIOD (1941-1945)
Japan invaded the Philippines during World War II and occupied it for three years. During the French Indochina War, the Japanese Army conducted a search for resources in Southeast Asia. The Japanese occupied the Seletar military port (Shonan, Singapore) during World War II as a result of their rule over
the East Asian region. The Japanese purchased oil fields in the south to ensure that they would have access to the valuable commodity.
1941
In the early hours of December 8, 1941, Japanese warplanes descended on the Philippine capital of Manila. The attack came just hours after the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor, and the Philippines were caught completely off guard. During World War II, the Philippines was a strategic battleground between Japan and the United States. The Imperial Japanese launched an attack on the Philippines in December 1941. As a result, Japan seized the capital, Manila, and then occupied the Philippines.
The Philippines was a vital port of entry for oil shipments from the Dutch East Indies and French Indochina to Japan.
1942
Battle of Bataan was a World War II battle fought by the United States and the Philippine Commonwealth against Imperial Japan that occurred between January 7, 1942 and April 9, 1942.After crossing the Pacific Ocean island by island, U.S. General Douglas MacArthur wades ashore on the Philippine island of Leyte, fulfilling his promise to return to the area he was forced to flee in 1942.
1942 key events
1942 key events
The surrender of the garrison of American-Philippine troops on the island of Corregidor in the Philippines
The Japanese Empire invaded the Philippines, leading to the Battle of the Philippines. The defending forces, although outnumbered, put up a fierce fight. However, the Japanese swiftly overran most of Luzon during the first month of the campaign. The defenders’ decision to withdraw into a defensive position in the Bataan Peninsula allowed them to hold out for four more months. After a 40-day siege, the Japanese finally gained control of the Philippines, marking a dark chapter in history.
January
1942 key events
Following the fall of Bataan, American and Filipino prisoners of war endured the infamous Bataan Death March, a grueling forced march where thousands lost their lives commenced on April 9, 1942. At least 72,000 POWs were compelled to endure this 63-mile ordeal, starting from the southern end of the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines.
April
Near End Of The Bataan Death March, Us Photograph by Everett
1943
The Philippines was granted independence by Japan as part of the Greater East Asian Cooperation Sphere program in 1943, but this did not end there, as the Filipinos were subjected to atrocities not only against suspected guerillas, but also against a large number of innocent civilians.
1944
The Battle of the Philippines or the Philippines campaign was a combined effort by Mexican, Australian, American, and Filipino forces to overrun and defeat the Japanese occupation. The assault on the island of Leyte in October 1944 marked the beginning of the reconquest of the Philippines. In 1944, General Douglas MacArthur and the U.S. Army returned to the Philippines. After a bloody battle for Manila, the islands were declared liberated once more. Tragically, over 1 million Filipinos lost their lives during the war.
1945 key events
1945 key events
The Battle of Luzon raged from January to August. Notably, the Raid at Cabanatuan resulted in the liberation of 813 American Prisoners of War from a Japanese-held camp in Cabanatuan.
January
1945 key events
The Battle of Manila began as U.S. forces entered the outskirts of Manila to capture it from the Japanese Imperial Army. General Douglas MacArthur returned to Manila, and the first jeepney arrived in the city. The Battle of Corregidor and the recapture of the Bataan Peninsula also took place.
February
1945 key events
Painting of a guerrilla armed with a bolo knife disarming a Japanese sentry of his rifle.
On the 23rd of February the daring Raid at Los Baños saw the 11th Airborne Division, along with Filipino guerrillas, freeing captives from the Los Baños internment camp. Manila was fully liberated, and American and Filipino troops entered Intramuros.
February
1945 key events
United States and Filipino forces took control of Manila. The Congress of Labor Organizations (CLO) was established by former leaders of the Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa mga Hapon (Hukbalahap).
March
1945 key events
Battles included the Battle of Davao and the Battle of Bessang Pass. The Battle of Davao was part of Operation VICTOR V, aimed at liberating the Philippines. It marked a decisive engagement in the Mindanao Campaign. Bessang Pass was a stronghold of Japanese imperial forces guarding the Ifugao-Benguet-Vizcaya borders. Allied victory; paved the way for the entrapment of General Tomoyuki Yamashita’s forces in the Cordillera.
April
1945 key events
MacArthur’s July 5, 1945 Communique’ “The entire Philippine Islands are now liberated…”
The Philippines was officially declared liberated.
July 5
1945 key events
President Jose P. Laurel delivering a 1943 speech during the inauguration of the Japanese-sponsored Republic of the Philippines
on the 17th of August President José P. Laurel issued an Executive Proclamation, effectively ending the Second Philippine Republic and his term as President of the Philippines.
August
Japanese Occupation In The Philippines Summary
The Japanese occupation of the Philippines was a phase of World War II history that lasted from 1941 to 1945. On December 8, 1941, ten hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Empire of Japan commenced an invasion of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. One of the first nations in Asia to fall under the control of the Imperial Japanese Army, the Philippines saw heavy fighting during the conflict. During the occupation, more than a million Filipinos died, many of them from malnutrition and illness.
The Philippines was the target of a surprise Japanese attack on December 8, 1941. Ground attacks were launched after an aerial bombardment to start the bombing campaign. Not until the last US-Philippine combat did Philippine forces give up the fight to save their country. The guerilla and underground movement gathered momentum as the Japanese occupation of the Philippines grew stronger. The Japanese utilized the Death March as a means of execution against the 80,000 prisoners held at Bataan during World War II. At the end of the war, Japan controlled only twelve of the forty-eight provinces. During the Japanese occupation of Central Luzon, the Huks, also known as the People's Anti-Japanese Army, supplied the majority of the resistance forces.