Continental Policy of Japan as Seen From France: The Vichy Regime, Franco-Thai war, and Japanese Expansion in Indochina

The article continues to analyze the little-studied aspects of the JapaneseFrench relations during the Second World War – the resistance of the French state (the Vichy regime) and the authorities of French Indochina to the military, political, economic, and propaganda expansion of Japan. The strategic goal of Japan after the military defeat of France in 1940 was to establish control over Indochina. The authoritarian Vichy regime proclaimed a policy of “preserving the empire,” but compromised with Japan because of the inequality of forces in the region and the remoteness of Indochina from the metropole.Japan exerted pressure on France with the help of its ally Thailand, pushing it to an aggressive war against Indochina. The author examines the process of developing French policy and the actions (as well as inaction) of its leaders and main performers since the autumn of 1940: Head of State Marshal Philippe Petain, heads of government as Vice Prime Minister Pierre Laval and JeanFrançois Darlan, Foreign Ministers Paul Baudouin and Pierre-Etienne Flandin, Colonial Minister Charles Platon, Governor-General of Indochina Jean Decoux, Ambassador to Japan Charles Arsene-Henry, and Ambassador to the US Gaston Henry-Haye.This article is based on documents, diaries, memoirs, and other evidence of the actors in combination with the latest historical research.