ABSTRACT

Subhas Chandra Bose and his Indian companion, Major Abid Hasan, began their journey on the German U-boat U-180 on February 8, 1943. On April 24, U-180 encountered the Japanese U-boat I-29 in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar. On May 6, they reached the Japanese marine base on the island of Saban and were greeted by Captain Yamamoto, the former Japanese military attaché in Berlin. They continued by airplane, and after numerous stops, Bose reached Tokyo in the middle of May. Bose met General Tojo, the Japanese prime minister on June 10. Tojo committed to Indian independence as a Japanese military goal during this first conversation. On June 16, Tojo declared before the Japanese Parliament, in Bose’s presence: “We firmly resolve that Japan will do everything possible to help Indian independence” (Gordon 1990: 489–493; Toye 1984: 81 f. Qtd. in English translation from the Japanese in Gordon).