<資料・研究ノート>ブリタル反日蜂起の史的考察 : インドネシア8月革命序曲

Abstract

PETA (Tentara Pembela Tanah Air) was an Indonesian volunteer army organized under Japanese auspices in 1943 during the Japanese Occupation. In February 1945, one of the Battalions of the PETA Army, located at Blitar City, Kediri Residency, in East Java, rose in armed rebellion against Japanese rule. With Soeprijadi Shoodan-cho (Platoon Commander) as leader, several young officers of this Battalion began to plot an anti-Japanese revolt in September 1944. Their hatred and anger against Japan were caused primarily by the cruelty of the Japanese toward the Indonesian population, the pitiful condition of the Roomusha (forced laborers) in particular aroused bitter hatred in the hearts of PETA officers who had once worked with those Roomushas. The arrogant attitude of the Japanese Instructors appointed to each Battalion also irritated the Indonesian officers. Furthermore they felt that Indonesia should be totally liberated from Japanese rule. Taking all these factors into consideration, we can interpret this revolt as the prelude to the Indonesian Revolution, which began in August 1945. The Revolt, involving three-fourths of the soldiers of the Battalion, began at dawn on February 14. 4 Japanese civilians and 7 Chinese who were considered to be pro-Japanese, were killed, but the revolt was easily supressed because of lack of coordination with other Battalions combined with the fact that they had begun the revolt before their plans were complete. 55 of the revolutionaries were tried and sentenced. Six were sentenced to death and executed before the surrender of Japan. The leader of this revolt, Soeprijadi Shoodan-cho disappeared during the rebellion and has not been found to this day. Nonetheless, he was appointed the first Defense Minister and Supreme Commander of the Indonesian National Army, although he never actually assumed these posts. This demonstrates the extent of the influence of the Blitar Rebellion on the development of nationalism and the revolution in Indonesia.