[central_va]

How did Japan occupy the Philippines?

[kabar]

They didn't occupy the Philippines, just key cities. And it cost them dearly despite their murderous treatment of the Filipinos. I have toured Manila and seen what the Japanese did. Again, take a look at the geography and the proximity of the Philippines to Japan. They invaded ten days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. 500,000 to a million Filipinos died during the three year occupation. The Japanese set up a puppet government, but the guerrilla resistance was strong and never defeated. The Japanese paid a major price for the occupation.

Postwar investigations showed that about 260,000 people were in guerrilla organizations and that members of the anti-Japanese underground were even more numerous. Such was their effectiveness that by the end of the war, Japan controlled only twelve of the forty-eight provinces.

U.S. casualties were 10,380 dead and 36,550 wounded; Japanese dead were 255,795. I wonder if the Japanese regretted their failed occupation of the Philippines. They paid a terrible price.

And some great US naval victories occurred off of the Philippines as the Japanese struggled to resupply their troops. The battle of Leyte Gulf was the largest naval battle of WWII and perhaps, in the history of warfare. The Japanese lost 12,500 dead; 1 fleet carrier, 3 light carriers 3 battleships, 10 cruisers, 11 destroyers sunk and 300 planes.

If you have ever attended a football game at the USNA, you will see the names of many of those battles around the stadium. The Japanese occupation of the Philippines became their graveyard.