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Primary sourceNewspaper article1 August 1943

Sukarno Shaking Hands with Tojo

Unknown author · 1 August 1943

A 1943 Java newspaper photo shows Indonesian nationalist leader Sukarno shaking hands with Hideki Tojo, reflecting Japan's courtship of local leaders during the occupation.

Shows Tojo, as prime minister, meeting Sukarno as part of Japan's wartime courtship of Indonesian nationalists.

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Halftone scan of a black-and-white newspaper photograph showing two men in light suits and dark peaked caps on the left shaking hands with a man in a dark suit and tie on the right, with another man partly visible between them.
Sukarno shaking hands with Hideki Tojo, Djawa Baroe, Vol. 1, Iss. 15, 1 August 1943.

About this source

What it is

This photograph appeared in Djawa Baroe, a newspaper published under Japanese occupation in Java, in August 1943. It shows men in suits and caps shaking hands.

The caption identifies the men as Sukarno, the Indonesian nationalist leader, and Hideki Tojo, then Japan's prime minister.

Why it matters

This image documents Japan's wartime strategy of engaging with nationalist leaders like Sukarno in occupied territories, offering them limited cooperation in exchange for support of the Japanese war effort.

It shows how Tojo, as head of the Japanese government, played a direct role in these political relationships across occupied Asia.

Look closer

  • Why might Japan have wanted to publicize a friendly meeting between Tojo and Sukarno?
  • What does this image suggest about the complicated position of nationalist leaders under occupation?
  • What is missing from this image about the actual terms of their relationship?

This newspaper article is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Hideki Tojo on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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