HISTORY OF JAPANESE OCCUPATION IN KUPANG 1942-1945

Abstract

This study aims to reveal the history and impacts of the Japanese occupation in Kupang from 1942 to 1945. Data were collected through interviews, observation, and document study, and analyzed using historical methods, including heuristics, source criticism, interpretation, and historiography. The findings show that the Japanese occupation began on February 19, 1942, when Japanese forces entered Kupang through the air route in Penfui and the sea route in Batulase. The occupation had both negative and positive impacts. The negative impacts included forced labor, famine and economic hardship, exploitation of natural resources, and deep psychological trauma among women in Kupang due to the actions of Japanese soldiers. Meanwhile, the positive impacts included long-term improvements in infrastructure, the establishment of schools, and the creation of Japanese-organized groups in Kupang that later became the precursors to Indonesia’s independence movement.