I'm currently in Kanachaburi where the bridge over the river Kwai is, amazing place and the museum and speaking to people here has taught me so much already but I have a more in depth question that I haven't had a satisfactory answer too.
I've read that Thailand and Japan had a cooperation agreement, even going so far as for Thailand to declare war on the allies. What was this pact borne out of? An already friendly alliance, the need felt to preserve Thailand from the atrocities other Asian countries felt or something else? Who brokered this deal? How was thailand viewed by other nations at the time for doing so?
It seems so strange to me being here that such a thing would have taken place so if anyone has any more details
Cheers
Historically, countries who engaged in imperialistic ventures did so for selfish reasons but tried to justify it by saying they were helping the countries they were controlling. It's like America saying they are invading a country to help bring democracy to it or to root out communism while there are ulterior economic or political motives. This was no different with Imperial Japan.
Japan's rise in power was preceded by European imperialism in Asia. England created unequal treaties with China after the Opium Wars, England controlled Burma while France controlled French Indochina (Vietnam), etc. Japan's rise in power in fact was largely a reaction to Western encroachment as Japan attempted to become equally powerful to these nations rather than subordinate to them.
Anyway, fast-forward to early 1940s and Japan is the greatest power in Asia. The military has become the main influence in the government, which is now resembling fascism rather than democracy on the level of other Western nations. The military sees an inevitable clash with the Soviet Union and USA for world power in the future. Japan is engaged in the Second Sino-Japanese War, attempting to expand their imperial influence, and the US freezes Japanese assets and imposes embargoes on oil and other materials. Japan lacks the resources to continue their war with China even a year into the future and looks towards the resource-rich Southeast Asia. To make a long story short, they decide giving up on the war is not worth it after so much effort has been put into it, and instead they decide to surprise the US at Pearl Harbor to limit their force in the Pacific and use the time to occupy Southeast Asia and Pacific Islands from which they can acquire resources to carry on the war.
But Japan's real motives were hidden behind false justification. Most of Asia by this time wanted to be liberated from Western imperialism, and Japan claimed to be the powerful representative of Asian interests that would protect other, weaker countries. They came up with this concept called the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. They claimed to be fighting for Asian interests, to be kicking out Western powers, to make an Asian bloc that is beneficial for everyone. Since this is what Japan claimed to be doing, countries like Thailand and Burma allowed Japanese occupation because they thought the Japanese came to rid them of their imperialists.
Unfortunately, it turned out the Japanese were just another set of imperialists who only wanted to benefit their own country. They exported many resources back to Japan leaving little for the native populations. They gave the needs of the military precedent over anyone else. They used many natives for conscripted labor back in Japan.
Source:
McClain, James L. Japan, A Modern History.
Thank you for the response, very interesting but I'd love to know some more details for my other questions if anyone has them? Do Thai people feel they were tricked? How so countries like china and Korea view their cooperation considering how much they suffered? How did the Thais view the japanese and vice versa?