At the beginning of the Japanese occupation of Rabaul, the Japanese occupation force issued a set of orders to the guard forces regarding the treatment of the indigenous population, stating that the primary aim in treating the villagers was to utilise their labour. To this end, the Japanese attempted to shift the loyalty of the villagers from the former Australian administration to the Japanese through demonstrating the superiority and prestige of the Imperial Army. The establishment of Japanese authority accompanied the destruction of the "white" authority. In Rabaul some remaining "white" residents, together with Allied prisoners were interned in a compound and assigned manual labour. The sight of their former masters doing work that was previously done by indigenous servants surprised the villagers and worked effectively to make them realise who was the new authority. From around the middle of 1943 to the end of the war, the Allied counter-offensive intensified and Rabaul was isolated. Numerous incidents were reported of Japanese raiding native gardens, stealing domestic pigs and fowls, cutting coconut trees and killing villagers who opposed this pillage. The harsh treatment of villagers was exacerbated by Japanese suspicions of villagers’ espionage activities. The Japanese regarded any suspicious behaviour, disobedience, and lack of respect for the Japanese as anti-Japanese activities and punished offenders severely. However, there are instances in which personal friendships developed between Japanese and villagers during this period have lasted even after the war.
Japanese attitudes:
Overview text Longer text