French Indochina and the Dutch East Indies:

A Decision That Continued

French Indochina Under Japan's Control

After conquering the east coast of China, Japan’s next step was to conquer French Indochina, now called Vietnam. By 1940, Japan had control over it. Japan then stationed its troops in the northern part of French Indochina and used its railroads for troop movements. By the summer of 1941, the Japanese had stationed its troops in both southern and northern French Indochina. Saigon and Camranh Bay were used for Japan’s naval bases.

The Results

The United States and Great Britain responded to Japan’s actions by freezing all petroleum products that were to be exported to Japan. Japan needed to import petroleum for its military and to produce and sell its products. As a result of the United States and Great Britain cutting off the petroleum, Japan decided to take over the Dutch East Indies to gain control of its petroleum. Japan ended up conquering the Dutch East Indies in March of 1942 when the Dutch officers surrendered to the Japanese command staff.

Japan attacked several countries for various reasons in Southeast Asia, but the United States and Great Britain always seemed to get in its way. Even after conquering all of those countries, Japan felt that it had more to accomplish, so World War II continued.

China Operations." The Simons and Schuster Encyclopedia of World War II, 1978.

Jeff Wurst. Japanese Aggression. <www.snu.edu/syllabi/history/597projects/ww2/japanese.htm> Last Visited: January 2001.

Militarism and WW2 (1912-1945). <www.japan-guide.com/e/e2129.html> Last Visited: December 2001.

Ropp, Theodore. "War In The Modern World." World Book Encyclopedia, 1982.

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