Heiho (兵補,Heiho, "Auxiliaries") were units raised by theImperial Japanese Army during itsoccupation of the Dutch East Indies inWorld War II.[1] Alongside theHeiho, the Japanese organizedGiyūgun (義勇軍, "Volunteer army"), such as theJava-based "Defenders of the Homeland" (PETA;Indonesian:Pembela Tanah Air,Japanese:郷土防衛義勇軍,romanized: Kyōdo Bōei Giyūgun). Indonesian youths who joined theHeiho were never given high ranks or positions, contrasted by the young people who were members of PETA or otherGiyūgun and often received appointments and promotions. This discrimination carried over into public life, whereHeiho members had to salute anyJapanese citizen, both civilians and military.[2] The name was mostly used to point about Indonesian units of the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces, although over time it had become coined as the term to refer to any unit the collaborated with Japan regardless of ethnicity.
In addition, there was also a difference in salary, accommodation, and food with theheitai (兵隊, "soldiers") of theGiyūgun, which were adjusted according to thesocial status of the individualHeiho soldier. The monthly salary of aHeiho was only 30rupiah for bachelors and 35 rupiah for married members.[3] Still, many youths hoped that recruitment intoHeiho would serve as a stepping stone for a military career to improve their social standing, receive Japanese salaries, and avoid therōmusha forced labor system.[4]
The auxiliary force was formed by order of the army section of theImperial General Headquarters on 2 September 1942 and began recruiting members on 22 April 1943[4] since the purposes between the Imperial Japanese Army in Indonesia, which wanted to supplement insufficient military forces because their soldiers were transferred to other frontlines, and Indonesia, which hoped to have self-made armies, matched.[5] The JapaneseSendenbu (宣伝部, "Publicity Department") propagated thatHeiho was an opportunity for young people to serve their homeland and people. The requirements to become a member ofHeiho were to be between 18 and 25 years old, have a minimum height of 1.10 m (3 ft7+1⁄2 in), an average weight of 45 kg (99 lb), be physically and mentally healthy, be well-behaved, and have completed at leastprimary education.[6] The selected youths were promised to become members of the Imperial Army orImperial Japanese Navy.
In practice, however,Heiho were mostly put to work performing menial labor for the Japanese Army; constructing fortifications, digging trenches, and guarding prisoners. As a result,Heiho quickly became a lightly armed labor force as the only weapons handed out to the auxiliaries weretaiken (隊剣, "corps sword"). Later, theHeiho members were given firearms when the Japanese were being pushed back by theAllies.[7] They would also be sent to the front lines with Japanese forces and became involved in combat on several battlefields of thePacific War, including in thePhilippines,Thailand,Morotai (in present-dayIndonesia),Rabaul (Papua New Guinea),Balikpapan (Indonesia), andBurma.[2]
Due to lack of training, they were more often than not used ascannon fodder or "martyred" assuicide bombers when a Japanese defeat seemed imminent. After receiving several months of training, theHeiho troops were considered to have better military capabilities than PETA troops. On that basis,Heiho members were reassigned toair defence,field artillery,armor,mortar, andlogistics units. The recruitment ofHeiho into the Japanese army was followed by their recruitment asKenpeihō (憲兵法, "Auxiliary military police") for theKenpeitai andKaigun Heiho (海軍兵補, "Navy auxiliaries") for the Japanese navy.Heiho were not led by ethnic Indonesian commanders, but were under the command of Japanese officers. The training given was not related to organizational or military theory, but solely tophysical fitness, the concept ofseishin (精神, "spirit"), and the fostering of death-defying courage.[8] By the end of the Japanese occupation of Indonesia, the number ofHeiho troops was estimated to be 42,000 men (24,873 on Java, 2,504 onTimor, andc. 15,000 in other areas). TheHeiho was dissolved by thePreparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence (PPKI;Indonesian:Panitia Persiapan Kemerdekaan Indonesia,Japanese:独立準備委員会,romanized: Dokuritsu Junbi Iinkai) after thesurrender of Japan and a number of auxiliaries went on to become members of thePeople's Security Agency (BKR;Indonesian:Badan Keamanan Rakyat).[9]