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SCSNEI organises a seminar by Makiko Kimura
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SPECIAL CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF NORTH EAST INDIA
JAWAHARLAL NEHRU UNIVERSITY
MONTHLY SEMINAR SERIES
Was Sarengla a Japanese Soldier’s Lover, or an Agent?:
Gender, Imperial Frontier and the World War II in Naga Hills, Manipur
Makiko Kimura
Associate Professor
Tsuda University, Tokyo
Abstract: During the Second World War, a young woman named Sarengla from the Tangkhul Naga community was asked to serve as an interpreter for a Japanese army officer. This story became well-known among the people of the Tangkhul Naga community, who came to understand the woman as the officer’s wife or mistress. Sarengla got married after the war and lived until the 1990s. Her family and relatives believe that she did not have a relationship with the officer, and have expressed discontent about their love story.
From the archival documents, it became clear that she was taken by an intelligence officer of the Japanese army to help him collect local information. Through official documents, it has been revealed that there were severe competitions between the British Indian army and the Japanese army to recruit local people to collaborate with them. The Britishers recruited hill tribes as “V force,” and asked them to gather information and employ guerilla operations if necessary. The Japanese had an intelligence unit called “Hikari Kikan” which oversaw dealing with Indian National Army and recruiting local hill people during the War.
