Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence

Japanese sponsored organization in Indonesia

The Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence (, BPUPK; 独立準備調査会, Hepburn: , Nihon shiki / Kunrei shiki: ), sometimes referred to, but better known locally, as the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Indonesian Independence (, BPUPKI), was an organization set up in March 1945 by the Japanese military authority in Java during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies as the initial stage of the establishment of independence for the area under the control of the Japanese 16th Army. The BPUPK held two plenary meetings; the first was from 28 May to 1 June 1945 and the second was between 10 and 17 July 1945.

Realising Japan was losing the war, on 7 September 1944, in a session of the Japanese parliament, Prime Minister Kuniaki Koiso promised independence for the [Dutch] 'East Indies' at "sometime in the future". The Japanese navy was not supportive of the idea, but the 25th Army in Sumatra established a Central Advisory Council, headed by Mohammad Sjafei, which met only once. Despite navy opposition, army navy liaison vice admiral Maeda Tadashi began to fund speaking tours by Indonesian nationalists Sukarno and Hatta. Other groups were set up, both civilian and military, and Indonesians began to be appointed to administrative posts. After the Japanese defeat at the Battle of Leyte Gulf and the liberation of the Philippines, the Japanese abandoned hope of turning Indonesia into a puppet state, and now began to try and win goodwill. However, a rebellion by PETA militias in Blitar in February 1945 showed the Japanese they were losing control.

In February 1945, partly in response to the Koiso declaration, the 16th Army decided to establish a committee to investigate Indonesian independence. According to Benedict Anderson, this was intended as a concession to Indonesian nationalists, and the Japanese hoped it would redirect nationalist enthusiasm towards harmless arguments between factions. The BPUPK was announced by the Sixteenth Army commander Lieutenant General Kumakichi Harada on 1 March 1945 to work on "preparations for independence in the region of the government of this island of Java". In the three months before the committee was established, a 19 member advisory board, or Sanyo Kaigi chaired by Sartono discussed the organization, agenda and membership of it. The membership was to comprise 30 Indonesians, 3 Japanese and one representative each of the Chinese, Arab and Dutch ethnic groups. The board agreed to the two stage Japanese plan of an investigating committee for Java, followed by a preparation committee for all of Indonesia. It also agreed that the territory of the independent state would not be discussed. The BPUPK eventually met in the building formerly used by the Volksraad (People's Council), which had been set up by the Dutch. The Japanese appointed 59 members, representing the major groups in Java and Madura. The membership, which was announced on April 29, (coinciding with the birthday of Emperor Hirohito), included eight Japanese, including one of the vice chairmen. Among the members were:

The Japanese vice chairman, (一番ヶ背 芳雄), was unable to understand Indonesian, the language used in the meetings.

The opening ceremony took place on 28 May. It opened with a speech by the commander of the Japanese 16th Army, Lieutenant General Yuichiro Nagano, who said that independence was being granted to Indonesia to ensure good relations with Japan in the long term. There were speeches by other Japanese officials followed by the taking of a commemorative photograph. The meetings over the next four days consisted mostly of speeches by members and discussions about the ideology of an independent state, in particular whether there would be a role for Islam. On 31 May, Professor Soepomo called for an authoritarian integralistic state based on a combination of the systems in Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, with a strong executive. He claimed that as each individual would be a part of the state, there would be no need for guarantees of human rights because the interests of the state and its citizens would be exactly the same. On the final day, 1 June, Sukarno made his famous speech in which he outlined the Pancasila the five principles that would form the ideological basis of the new state. Although the speech was well received, Islamic leaders were worried that their interests would not be protected under Pancasila. At the end of the BPUPK session, members were encouraged to discuss their views and hear opinions from the people at meetings held in their hometowns. A sub committee of eight members, the panitia kecil (small committee), was set up with Sukarno as chairman to discuss the issues that had emerged.

The Central Advisory Council also established by the Japanese held a session from 18 to 21 June, and Sukarno, who chaired the body, took advantage of this to hold a meeting of the CAC members who were also members of the BPUPK. He also invited the BPUPK members who lived in Jakarta. Of the 47 people invited, 38 met and, prompted by Sukarno, established a nine member committee, the panitia sembilan, to work on a draft constitution. This group included nationalists as well as Islamic figures, and on June 22 produced a draft preamble to the constitution including the wording of Pancasila, albeit in a different order from that in Sukarno's June 1 speech, with the religious obligation for Muslims. This was mostly the work of Muhammad Yamin, who named the resultant document the Jakarta Charter.

This session debated and reached agreement on fundamental issues relating to the new nation, including its form, territory and constitution. On 10 July, a large majority of members (55) voted for independent Indonesia being a republic, rather than a monarchy (6 votes) or other type of state (2 votes). The next day, it was decided that the territory of Indonesia would include not only the Dutch East Indies, but also Malaya, North Borneo, Portuguese Timor, a concept known as Greater Indonesia (Indonesia Raya), which was strongly supported by Mohammad Yamin. This proposal garnered 39 votes, with 19 votes for a state limited to the territory of the Dutch East Indies and 6 votes for the Dutch East Indies plus Malaya. The debate about the nature of the state continued. The main opposition to Soepomo's integralistic concept came from Muhammad Yamin, who favoured a liberal democracy similar to the United States, with separation of powers and a bill of rights. Other delegates called for an Islamic state, or at the very least, a constitutional obligation for Muslims to abide by Shariah law. A sub committee held meetings on 11, 13 and 15 July to discuss details of the constitution. All 27 members agreed to the final format on 15 July. As Soepomo played a dominant role in the drafting of the document, his views were manifested in its provision for a strong state. The constitution was approved by the BPUPK on 16 July, with only Yamin voting against it, apparently because he was unhappy at not having been included in the constitution drafting committee.

On 25 July, a BPUPK was established by the Japanese 25th Army, in Sumatra, chaired by Mohammad Sjafei, head of the Sumatra Central Advisory Council, as chairman. The secretary was Djamaluddin Adinegoro. As well as the chairman and secretary, there were 22 members, including A. K. Gani, Teuku Hasan, Hamka and the Sultan of Asahan. It never met, but issued a statement of its resolve to strive for the Japanese Empire. The chairman and secretary had planned to travel around Sumatra making speeches. They set off on July 26, but the tour was cut short by the Japanese surrender.

In the eastern islands, the Japanese Navy, the occupying authority, did not believe the inhabitants of the region were ready for independence. It allowed the establishment of a short lived and impotent National Party chaired by the Sultan of Bone, but this was banned six weeks later. The stance by the Navy prompted Sukarno to send two pro independence figures from the east, Sam Ratulangi and Tadjuddin Noor, who were in Java, back home to mobilize pro independence forces.