Japanese coup d'état in French Indochina
The Japanese coup d'état in French Indochina, known as Meigō Sakusen (明号作戦, Operation Bright Moon), was a Japanese operation that took place on 9 March 1945, towards the end of World War II. With Japanese forces losing the war and the threat of an Allied invasion of Indochina imminent, the Japanese were concerned about an uprising against them by French colonial forces.
| Japanese coup d'état in French Indochina | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the South-East Asian theatre of World War II | |||||||||
French colonial troops retreating to the Chinese border during the Japanese Coup of March 1945 | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
|
France Air support: United States | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Yuitsu Tsuchihashi Saburo Kawamura |
Gabriel Sabattier Marcel Alessandri Eugène Mordant (POW) | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 55,000 |
65,000[Note A] 25 light tanks 100 aircraft | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| ~ 1,000 killed or wounded |
4,200 killed[Note B] 15,000 captured or interned[Note C] | ||||||||
Despite the French having anticipated an attack, the Japanese struck in a military campaign attacking garrisons all over the colony. The French were caught off guard and all of the garrisons were overrun, with some then having to escape to Nationalist China, where they were harshly interned. The Japanese replaced French officials, and effectively dismantled their control of Indochina. The Japanese were then able to install and create a new Empire of Vietnam, Kingdom of Kampuchea and Kingdom of Luang Phrabang which under their direction would acquiesce with their military presence and forestall a potential invasion by the Allies.