NEW DELHI:As various countries are polishing up their legacy of World War II where Indian soldiers fought on both sides against each other—for INA and the British forces, several departments of the Indian government are now giving a serious thought to the proposal of a Japanese TV channel to make a programmme on the Battle of Imphal where Subhash Chandra Bose’s INA fought alongside Imperial Japanese company towards their biggest defeat.
On August 15, the anniversary of the Japanese surrender, Fuji TV plans to broadcast several programmes about Japan’s core battles in WW II, beginning with the Pearl Harbour attack.
The Indian part will feature the Battle of Imphal which took place in 1944, where one lakh Japanese soldiers marched towards the Manipuri city. As Japanese army retreated to Burma, over 55,000 soldiers were dead. In 2013, Britain’s national war museum declared the twin battles of Imphal and Kohima as the greatest battles ever fought by the British forces.
As a norm, the Indian embassy on June 22 forwarded the proposal to the Ministry of External Affairs to take a call on ‘whether the documentary subject is sensitive’. South Block then circulated the proposal to the defence and home ministries. The suggestions of Indian Army have also been sought.
The legacy of WWII has been used by countries as a platform for current geo-political tensions. Russian President Vladimir Putin has used Soviet Union’s unprecedented sacrifices to shore up ultra-nationalism. India and China were the only major powers which attended Russia’s grand military parade of Allied victory in Europe in May which was boycotted by leaders of Western countries. China will also organise a military parade in September.
In Asia, China and South Korea continue to accuse Japan of not confronting its role during the WWII. Interestingly, the title of the four-and-half-hour programme on Japanese army is called, ‘Let us learn about war: A message for the future we should listen to”.
The film producers said their aim is to create a “universal message” that will “make a great impact on Japanese young generation and youths who are totally ignorant of what war is really like, and be a moral lesson that the Japanese society should not sweep away into oblivion”.
The broadcast would also occur on the same day that Japanese PM Shinzo Abe is expected to make a much-anticipated speech where he is expected to express remorse. Each and every word of the speech will be parsed, as Beijing and Seoul will consider them as too little, while Japanese nationalists will perceive them as too much of an apologia.
For India, main concerns about the documentary would perhaps be the depiction of INA, especially the role of Netaji. Naturally, home ministry would also have to give its view of the security situation, which is said to be tense—especially after the resurgence of Naga militancy from across the border. Since the shooting has to take place this month, there won’t be much time left to take a decision.
The Japanese company has asked for permission to shoot at Kohima and Imphal war cemeteries. Besides, they will depict Kangpokpi, now a sleepy town, where Japanese imperial army plotted its India invasion in 1944 and Kanglatonbi where the Japanese 15th division encircled Imphal from the north. Besides these, they have also sought permission to shoot in villages outside Imphal, as well as at Red hill, which now houses a Japanese peace memorial.
The film producers have agreed to bear the expense of a liaison officer of MEA during the entire duration of filming, as well as to agree with his advice regarding any scene during the shooting. The final cut of the film will have to be shown to the Indian government at least two weeks in advance. The filmmakers agreed to make cuts or changes of such parts of the film if so “advised” by the Indian government representative.
Incidentally, the Japanese producer has also agreed to only use the map provided by the Indian embassy—cartographic faux pas being a serious matter for the government of India.
JNU’s professor Lalima Varma said she had seen a ‘surge in interest’ about the battles among the Japanese in the remote jungles of India in the last 2-5 years.
She said coincides with a larger interest in Northeast India. “I have seen more and more Japanese going to NE India in the last few years,” said Varma.
In fact, Japan is the only country whom India has actively courted to help in socio-development projects in Northeast India.