Intelligence, espionage, and tribal collaboration: the Indian National Army and Japanese involvement in Northeast India during the Second World War

The enigmatic relationship between Japan and India underwent a significant transformation during the Second World War. The 1940s French Indochina crisis marked a turning point, prompting Japan to collaborate with Indian revolutionaries in Southeast Asia and with indigenous tribal groups across the Indo-Burma frontier. This alliance facilitated joint intelligence and espionage operations targeting British India, an aspect of wartime history that has received limited attention. This article examines how these covert networks advanced Japan’s vision of ‘Pan-Asianism’ while simultaneously bolstering the Indian independence movement, most notably during the 1944 Imphal-Kohima campaign. Drawing on archival materials, intelligence, interrogation reports, and topographical analyses, this study sheds light on this overlooked aspect of wartime history. It uncovers the complex interplay between regional alliances, intelligence collaboration, and ideological mobilization that influenced both Japan’s wartime strategy and the trajectory of the Indian national movement within the broader Asian context.