The Battle for Batavia

The widespread rebellion in the Dutch East Indies had already attracted a great deal of attention from around the world, making it one of the biggest news stories of the second half of 1925.

But Britain and France, who knew the inside story, naturally took no action. After all, this could be considered a compromise between the Great Powers, and the interests of the Dutch East Indies had long since been ceded to Australasia.

That did not mean that Britain and France were the only countries with designs on the Dutch East Indies.

The first country to take action was the Japanese. As the country whose homeland was the second closest to the Dutch East Indies, the Japanese had designs on the Dutch colony as well.

All of this was because the Japanese homeland was not very large and was relatively lacking in resources, giving the Japanese tremendous ambitions when it came to land and resources.

Although part of the Dutch East Indies had already been annexed, the three remaining islands still possessed immense economic value. It was impossible for the Japanese not to be tempted.

However, because of the threat posed by Australasia, the Japanese wisely chose not to clash with Australasia head-on. Instead, they contacted the Netherlands, the master of the Dutch East Indies, and asked whether the Dutch needed assistance.

Although the Japanese spoke in a grandly righteous manner when they contacted the Dutch, the Dutch Government could hardly have been unaware of their intentions.

The Japanese had also underestimated the Netherlands' determination to hold on to the Dutch East Indies. The Netherlands not only flatly rejected the Japanese proposal, but even expressed displeasure at their actions.

Speaking of which, Japan, as a Great Power, did not possess quite as much deterrence over the small and medium-sized