[quote=@Mihndar] Considering they've been under Japanese domination for forty-odd years, an entire new generation would have grown up that knows nothing of the pre-Japanese days and frankly probably wouldn't care nearly so much. This new population, containing almost all of the soldier-age population, would be significantly more loyal to the Empire than the older generation that remembers. There's no guarantee they wouldn't have significant enough air assets and potentially aircraft carriers to both fend off any stuff you send off at them but also place pressure on your forces attempting to contain their landings. Naval forces bombarding your coast and air support combined could easily turn your defensive line into as much of a meat grinder as their landing area. A quasi-fascist state would have invested much more of its power into building these assets than an isolationist China. [/quote] I'm sure that's what the Turks told themselves again and again during their occupation of Armenian territory. Or even Kurdish. Nationalism isn't that easily breed out over generations. Especially if you're two different peoples. Modern nationalism doesn't just leave the mindset of a people when a generation or two passes in or out of the social framework. If anything, it'd get passed down from one generation to another. Because that's their identity. And identity is important. Tribe is important. And Japan is all about their tribe and the Japanese. Not the Indonesians or the Koreans. It's all for the make benefit of them and the Japanese imperial institution would have been well built for that way of thinking. The Emperor is a God. And the Japanese are the people of that God. Everyone else is not. Besides, the dutch had been fighting Indonesian nationalism for a long time before Japan no doubt seized the islands. Though the Japanese may have used these nationalists to overthrow the Dutch and get themselves in it was never a serious commitment to favor the Indonesians. Any attempts at seizing this or acting out wouldn't be acted to kindly. And then all of a sudden there's a cycle of violence in the region much like Isreal-Palestine. Or modern Xinjiang with one side trying to get a head on the other, and the other being seriously offended and violent. They would not be loyal. Not until they all die. And then there goes the 150 million.