Indonesia officially proclaimed independence on August 17, 1945.
The declaration of Indonesian independence was contained in the text of the proclamation drafted by the leaders and read by Ir Soekarno Jalan Pegangsaan Timur No. 56 Jakarta. This is certainly a historic moment for the nation.
However, before that, there was a series of important events leading up to the proclamation of Indonesian independence.
It was these important events that contributed to the reading of the proclamation of Indonesian independence on August 17, 1945.
There are several important events that took place before the proclamation of Indonesian independence:
Establishment of the BPUPKI and PPKI The
People of Indonesia also actively revolted in various regions to demand independence.
To get out of this desperate situation, Japan finally decided to fulfill its promise of granting independence to the Indonesian people.
The first step Japan took to fulfill that promise was to form the BPUPKI. The
Indonesian Independence Preparatory Efforts Investigation Agency (BPUPKI) or Dokuritsu Junbi Cosakai was officially established by Japan on April 29, 1945, to coincide with Emperor Hirohito's birthday.
Dirgahayu Kemerdekaan RI ke 79 2024. Courtesy Mr Ali Oepet from Malang
Although, Japan actually had another motive in the formation of the BPUPKI, which was to attract the sympathy of the Indonesian people and maintain the remnants of their power.
However, Japan's plan did not go well. BPUPKI was serious and successfully prepared for Indonesian independence.
After completing its duties well, the BPUPKI was dissolved on 7 August 1945, then the Japanese formed the Indonesian Independence Preparatory Committee (PPKI).
The agency is tasked with continuing the plans already made by BPUPKI. For the rest, the
PPKI was tasked with continuing the preparation of practical matters for Indonesian independence such as establishing the basis of the state and starting the session on August 18, 1945, the day after the proclamation.
Defeat of Japan in the Greater East Asian War
On December 8, 1941, Japan destroyed the base located at Pearl Harbor by sending four aircraft carriers. This ship finished off the rest of the United States Pacific fleet.
However, the communication code of the Japanese Navy (Kaigun) was briefly leaked. The Allies were eventually able to predict a Japanese attack.
The Japanese fleet was also destroyed by the Americans. Japan's defeat was then unknown to the public, until finally it had to be announced because the Japanese military was under heavy attack.
The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The second significant event that occurred before the proclamation of Indonesian independence was the fall of two important Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Hiroshima was bombed on August 6, 1945. Three days later, on August 9, 1945, the Allies dropped bombs on Nagasaki.
The two important cities were devastated by Allied attacks leaving Japan even more defenseless. The defeat of Japan provided an opportunity for Indonesia to gain immediate independence.
The conditions were of course favorable for Indonesia, which was a Japanese colony.
Japan surrendered unconditionally
Japan officially decided to surrender unconditionally to the Allies on August 14, 1945, ending World War II..
The official Japanese declaration of surrender to the Allies was delivered live by Emperor Hirohito via a national radio broadcast on 15 August 1945.
Hiroshima - Remnant of WW II. Courtesy SBS Indonesian
One Indonesian figure, Sutan Sjahrir, had heard the news of Japan's unconditional surrender to the Allies.
Sjahrir immediately delivered the news to the youth who then rushed to urge two prominent Indonesian figures, Soekarno and Mohammad Hatta, to immediately proclaim independence.
The events of Rengasdengklok
After hearing the news of Japan's unconditional surrender to the Allies, the youth urged that the proclamation of Indonesian independence be announced immediately.
However, the elders argue that Indonesia's independence proclamation should be done in a structured manner and gain recognition from other countries.
This difference of views led the youth to take the initiative to “kidnap” Soekarno and Moh Hatta to Rengasdengklok on August 16, 1945.
Soekarno and Hatta were brought to Rengasdengklok in order to keep two important Indonesian figures away from Japanese influence.
The kidnapping of Soekarno and Hatta by this youth group is referred to as the Rengasdengklok Incident.
After a day in Rengasdengklok, Soekarno and Hatta finally agreed to proclaim Indonesian independence no later than 17 August 1945.
The drafting of the proclamation script
Dari Rengasdengklok, Soekarno and Hatta was picked up by Achmad Soebardjo then brought back to Jakarta.
Upon arrival in Jakarta, in the early hours of August 17, 1945, they stopped at the residence of Admiral Tadashi Maeda, to formulate the text of the proclamation.
Soekarno, Hatta, and Achmad Soebardjo formulated the text of the proclamation with Sukarni, B. M. Diah Sudiro, and Sayuti Melik as witnesses.
Also present was a Japanese figure, Miyoshi who was a confidant of Somobuco (head of the general government), Major General Nishimura.
The text of the proclamation was handwritten by Soekarno.
Teks Proklamasi - Department of Information Presidential Documents National Library Indonesia
Sayuti Melik copied and typed the Manuscript of the proclamation of the independence text using a typewriter belonging to Major (Marine) Dr. Hermann Kandeler taken from the representative office of the German Navy.
The text of the Indonesian proclamation of independence was then read at Soekarno's residence on East Pegangsaan Street, Number 56, on 17 August 1945 at 10:00 a.m.
