Study title

This project draws on archival material and uses economic theory and an historical, strongly comparative, approach to analyse the consequences of the Second World War Japanese occupation for the economies and welfare of the peoples of Southeast Asia.  The region's six countries of Burma, Malaya (including Singapore), Thailand (Siam), Indochina (Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos) and the Philippines had markedly contrasting wartime experiences.

One main aim of the project is to quantify wherever possible the differing impacts of Japan's occupation.  Second, the project aims to link the pre- and post-1945 economic histories of Southeast Asia and contribute to an understanding of each in light of the events of the Second World War.  Specific topics for investigation include the impact on Southeast Asia of Japanese command and planned economic systems, the effectiveness of these policies in achieving resource extraction, trends in Southeast Asian production and GDP, and inflation and hyperinflation resulting from Japan's methods of financing war in Southeast Asia.  The project examines for each Southeast Asian country the social costs of wartime economic collapse and traces a chronology of mass death from famine and forced labour in many parts of Southeast Asia.  An important contribution of the project is to direct attention towards the populations of non-combatant countries which, although not militarily involved in war, were profoundly affected by it.