Japanese Occupation in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands: Impact on Common Islanders

The focus of this research is on the effects of Japanese occupation (1942-1945) on the common islanders of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands who suffered due to the oppression, forced labour, violence and terrible conditions of that time. The Japanese occupation led to the diversion of agricultural resources for military deployment resulting in food deficits and famine on the Islands. Repressive measures, forced resettlement and economic oppression were the lot of both the local tribes and settlers. Whole ethnic groups, especially indigenous people, were recruited for labour, broke their way of life and were exiled from their homes. Furthermore, Japanese forces declared martial law and ruled the territory through terror, people’s executions, and collective punishments. Even though Subhas Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army (INA) officially gained control of the islands in 1943, it was the Japanese who continued to exercise the real power and the position of the INA was mostly decorational. The suffering experienced by the islanders was too deep and it affected their lives both physically and mentally, even the reconstruction numb post-war period saw no development in the social status of these people. This paper shall attempt to place the hitherto neglected pain of the islanders within the broader framework of the World War II and its repercussions on Asia.