Japanese invasion of French Indochina
Japan moved troops into southern Guangxi and Longzhou County in early 1940. Their goal was to seize the eastern branch of the Kunming, Hai Phong Railway at the Friendship Pass in Pingxiang. This rail line connected the Indochinese port of Haiphong through Hanoi to the Chinese city of Kunming in Yunnan. It remained China's last secure overland link to the outside world during the Sino-Japanese War. Japanese leaders dreamed of creating a Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. They envisioned an economic and political coalition of Asian nations tied to Japan. These countries would expel Western imperialists and capitalists while sharing trade, resources, and commodities between themselves. The occupation of Indochina fit perfectly into these long-term plans. Preventing China from importing arms and fuel through French territory became the main objective for Tokyo.
On the 19th of June, Japan presented Governor-General Georges Catroux with an ultimatum demanding the closure of all supply routes to China. A 40-man Japanese inspection team under General Issaku Nishihara also required admission. Catroux warned that unspecified other measures would be a breach of sovereignty. He complied with the demand on the 20th of June after intelligence reported threatening military positions. Before the end of June, the last train carrying munitions crossed the border bound for Kunming. Admiral Jean Decoux replaced Catroux immediately following this humiliation. On the 22nd of June, Japan issued a second demand for naval basing rights at Guangzhouwan. This included total closure of the Chinese border by the 7th of July. Nishihara arrived in Hanoi on the 29th of June to lead his inspection team. On the 3rd of July, he issued a third demand for air bases and transit rights for combat troops. Negotiations began at Hanoi on the 3rd of September between Maurice Martin and General Nishihara. The Vichy government asked Germany to intervene but received no help.
An infantry battalion of the Japanese Twenty-Second Army violated the Indochinese border near the French fort at Đồng Đăng on the 6th of September. These officers remembered the Mukden incident of 1931 and tried to force their superiors into adopting more aggressive policy. Following this clash, Decoux cut off negotiations entirely. On the 18th of September, Nishihara sent an ultimatum warning that Japanese troops would enter Indochina regardless of any agreement at 22:00 local time on the 22nd of September. The Japanese Army General Staff demanded 25,000 troops be stationed there. Imperial General Headquarters reduced that number to 6,000 on the 21st of September. Seven and a half hours before the ultimatum expired, Martin and Nishihara signed an agreement authorizing stationing of these 6,000 troops in Tonkin north of the Red River. They also authorized use of four airfields and movement of up to 25,000 troops through Tonkin to Yunnan. A convoy waited off Hainan Island to bring the expeditionary force to Tonkin when the accord was signed.
Lieutenant-General Aketo Nakamura sent columns across the border near Đồng Đăng at precisely 22:00 despite the signed agreement. An exchange of fire quickly spread to other border posts overnight. The French position at the railhead at Lạng Sơn during the Battle of Lạng Sơn was surrounded by Japanese armour. It forced surrender on the 25th of September. Before surrendering, French commanders ordered breechblocks of 155mm cannons thrown into a river to prevent capture. During the Sino-French War of 1884, 1885, equipment had likewise been thrown into the same river to prevent capture. When the 1940 breechblocks were retrieved, several chests of money lost in 1885 were found also. On the 23rd of September, the French Government protested the breach of agreements to the Japanese government. On the 26th of September, Japanese forces came ashore at Dong Tac south of Haiphong. They moved on the port and put tanks ashore. Japanese planes bombed Haiphong causing some casualties. By early afternoon, a force of some 4,500 troops and a dozen tanks stood outside Haiphong.
Japan tendered an official apology for the incident at Lạng Sơn on the 5th of October 1940. The occupied towns were returned to French control and all prisoners released. An agreement reached on the 9th of December 1940 confirmed French sovereignty over its army and administrative affairs. Some 40,000 troops could be stationed there while Japanese forces fought the war against Allies from Indochinese soil. Japanese planners did not immediately move troops to southern Indochina due to inflammatory relations with the United Kingdom and United States. Disagreement existed within the high command regarding the Soviet threat north of Manchurian territories. The tipping point arrived just after the German invasion of the Soviet Union in late June 1941. With Soviets tied down, the high command concluded that a strike south would solve problems with the United States. To prepare for an invasion of the Dutch East Indies, some 140,000 Japanese troops invaded southern French Indochina on the 28th of July 1941. French troops and civil administration remained under Japanese supervision.
The Vietnamese perspective on occupation was complex as people thought about rebellion against Western powers controlling Southeast Asia. Japan appeared potentially as an Asian power that might liberate them from European colonial rule. Yet wartime occupation was seen as harsh and contributed to the Vietnamese famine of 1945. In May 1971, a document from senior North Vietnamese political figure Trường Chinh denounced allegations that Japanese were treated as liberators. He stated that Japanese pirates turned on Viet Minh resistance forces after suppressing French ability to offer resistance. Wherever they went, Japanese forces burned homes, murdered law-abiding citizens, raped women, and stole possessions. Japan deposed French authorities in spring 1944 when Allied invasion of France raised suspicion. They imprisoned administrators and took direct control until war's end. Vietnamese nationalists under the Viet Minh banner took control in August Revolution. This helped strengthen the Viet Minh and contributed to outbreak of First Indochina War in 1946 against French rule.
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Common questions
When did Japan move troops into southern Guangxi and Longzhou County during the invasion of French Indochina?
Japan moved troops into southern Guangxi and Longzhou County in early 1940. This action aimed to seize the eastern branch of the Kunming, Hai Phong Railway at the Friendship Pass in Pingxiang.
What were the main objectives of the Japanese leaders regarding the occupation of French Indochina?
Japanese leaders dreamed of creating a Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere as an economic and political coalition tied to Japan. Preventing China from importing arms and fuel through French territory became the main objective for Tokyo.
Who was the Governor-General of French Indochina when Japan presented the ultimatum on the 19th of June 1940?
Governor-General Georges Catroux received the ultimatum demanding the closure of all supply routes to China on the 19th of June. Admiral Jean Decoux replaced Catroux immediately following this humiliation before the end of June.
How many Japanese troops were authorized to be stationed in Tonkin after the agreement signed by Maurice Martin and General Nishihara?
Imperial General Headquarters reduced the number of required troops to 6,000 on the 21st of September. Seven and a half hours before the ultimatum expired, Martin and Nishihara signed an agreement authorizing stationing of these 6,000 troops in Tonkin north of the Red River.
When did Lieutenant-General Aketo Nakamura send columns across the border near Đồng Đăng during the invasion of French Indochina?
Lieutenant-General Aketo Nakamura sent columns across the border near Đồng Đăng at precisely 22:00 on the 23rd of September 1940 despite the signed agreement. An exchange of fire quickly spread to other border posts overnight leading to the Battle of Lạng Sơn.