French Indochina (Vietnam ,Cambodia) Spanish Philippines, Dutch Indonesia, British Australia, Malaysia and Singapore, French, American, British Pacific; Thailand sticks out with China as non colonial countries knocked by Japan. The fact these exceptions were the strongest countries in East Asia previously and remain so today belies the idea Japan was benignly relieving East Asia from the shackles of colonialism.
However the point has enough validity to not be dismissed as a 'Crack induced pile of steaming BS'; I think. I have been in SE Asia over 40 years.








