| An administration led by Ba Maw declared independence in Japanese-occupied Burma on August 1, 1943. Ba Maw was appointed as the first Burmese prime minister in 1937 after Burma broke off from India. However, a series of incidents led to his fall from power, including an anti-Indian riot, a demonstration by oil field workers in 1938, and the shooting of student and Buddhist monk demonstrators by a police squad in 1939. Ba Maw was arrested and put in jail in 1940 for protesting Britain’s policy in Burma. When World War II broke out, there were conflicting opinions over Burmese cooperation in the war. In the midst of this conflict, Ba Maw, who was saved with the aid of the Japanese military, established a central government, naming himself prime minister and declaring Burma to be independent. |
- Document 1 is issue No. 284 of Shashin Shuho, which was published on August 11, 1943. This issue covers the alliance treaty between Japan and “Burma,” which declared that the government of the Empire of Japan would recognize Burma as an independent state and also provide every possible military, political, and economic aid necessary to achieve the aims of the Greater East Asia War. In addition, the issue also introduced photographs of the ministers in the Ba Maw government.
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