1944 Japanese Transportation Map of the Philippines During World War II

This is a c. 1944 Japanese transportation map of the Philippines during World War II. This two sided maps illustrates all of the Philippines. The northern part, on the recto or front, covers the majority of Luzon and most of Mindoro (the southernmost parts of that island are illustrated in an inset), red lines highlight two different road grades. The southern part of the Philippines are mapped on the verso. Thin blue lines trace a third. Roads under construction are also represented. The island's railways are also marked. Circles locate cities, towns, and villages, all of which are labeled. An inset situated along the right border details the region surrounding Manila. Manuscript notations in this inset to the right of Manila appear to add five villages that were not printed on the original map.

The Japanese Strategy in the Philippines

The capture and control of the Philippines was vital to the success of the Japanese plan to dominate the Pacific. Not only was the archipelago rich in natural resources, including rubber, oil, mineral resources, and wood, it was also centrally located and well-positioned for expansion into the East Indies. Moreover, wresting control of the Philippines from the United States would have effectively undermined the American ability to wage war in the region. The Japanese invasion of the Philippines commenced on December 8, 1941, one day after the December 7, 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor. While Japanese forces advanced quickly through the archipelago, like the Spanish before them, they promptly discovered that the hundreds of islands and limited infrastructure made the Philippines almost impossible to control entirely. Nonetheless, the Japanese maintained a tenuous control of most of the Philippine Islands until 1944, when the U.S. led Allied Forces began an aggressive and bloody campaign to retake the islands. Allied forces successfully drove the Japanese out of the Philippines in 1945.

Publication History

This map was created and published by the Japanese c. 1944 during their occupation of the Philippines.