was an organization formed by the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of Japan, 1947 constitu ...

in the occupied Dutch East Indies (present-day

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

) during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Indonesian names for the organization were ''Barisan Pembantu Polisi'' ("Auxiliary

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

") and '' Laskar Penjaga Keamanan rakyat'' ("People's defense force"). The ''Keibōdan'' was formed on 29 April 1943, alongside the '' Seinendan'', and led by the occupation authorities ( ja, 軍政官, Gunseikan). The purpose of the ''Keibōdan'' was to assist the Japanese-controlled police for the duration of the occupation. In addition, the organization ostensibly provided paramilitary training to Indonesian youths to defend their homeland from imperialism. In reality, the Japanese intended the ''Keibōdan'' to be a reserve of troops during its war against the Allies. In Sumatra the organization was known as ''Bōgodan'' (防護団, "Defense corps"), while in Kalimantan it was better known as ''Sameo Konen Hokokudan''. Among

Chinese Indonesians Chinese Indonesians ( id, Orang Tionghoa Indonesia) and colloquially Chindo or just Tionghoa are Indonesians whose ancestors arrived from China at some stage in the last eight centuries. Chinese people and their Indonesian descendants have l ...

formed a variation of ''Keibōdan'' with the name ''Kakyō Keibōtai'' (華僑警防隊; "Overseas Chinese defense corps"). In charge of the ''Keibōdan'' were the ''Keimubu'' ("Police subdepartment"), who in turn reported to the ''Gunseibu'' ("Military administration"). The ''Keibōdan'' groups consisted of youths aged 20 to 35 years and numbered approximately one million members. Serving as an auxiliary police force, it was authorized to regulate traffic and maintain order and security in the villages.

References

{{Reflist Indonesian collaborators with Imperial Japan Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies Military units and formations of Imperial Japan

See also

References