Japanese occupation of West Sumatra

Japanese-occupied West Coast Sumatra West Coast Province of Sumatra スマトラ西海岸州 (Japanese)
1942–1945
Flag of the Empire of Japan Imperial Seal
Motto: 八紘一宇 (Hakkō Ichiu) ("Eight Crown Cords, One Roof")
Anthem: Kimigayo
West Coast Sumatra (dark red) within the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies (red)
Status	Province under military occupation by the Empire of Japan
Capital	Padang[1]
Common languages	Japanese, Indonesian, Dutch, Minangkabau
Emperor
• 1942–1945	Hirohito
Army Commander (Gunshireikan)
• 1942	Tomoyuki Yamashita
• 1942‒1943	Yaheita Saito [jp]
• 1943‒1945	Moritake Tanabe
Governor (Shūchōkan)
• 1942‒1944	Kenzo Yano [jp]
• 1944‒1945	Hattori Naoaki
Historical era	World War II
• Established	9 Agustus 1942
• Disestablished	17 August 1945
Currency	Netherlands Indian roepiah
Preceded by Succeeded by Dutch East Indies Indonesia Dutch East Indies
Today part of	Indonesia

The Japanese occupation of West Sumatra, officially known as Sumatora Nishi Kaigan Shū (Japanese: スマトラ西海岸州, Hepburn: Sumatora Nishikaigan-shū, lit. 'West Coast Province of Sumatra'),^[2][3] started from 1942 until 1945 when the region was controlled by the Empire of Japan. The occupation was notable and recognized as one of the rare instances where a civilian government was established, rather than being governed by someone associated with the Japanese Imperial Army. The Japanese entered Padang on 17 March 1942 and within ten days all important cities in the West Sumatra region were occupied without resistance from the Dutch. The Japanese occupation of the region ended on 17 August 1945 with the proclamation of Indonesian independence by Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta.

In the early days of the Japanese occupation, events in Padang were heavily influenced by Sukarno.^[4] In October 1943, Japan ordered the establishment of the Giyūgun to help with defence. Led by Chatib Sulaiman, the Giyūgun was the only army unit formed by the Japanese in West Sumatra. This voluntary army would later become the backbone of Indonesia's armed forces after independence.