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On August 23, Japanese agency Domei announced Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s death, but doubts arose as Britain and intelligence agencies suspected a secret escape
Fom August 18 to August 23, the news of Netaji’s death was kept secret before being finally broadcast. (News18 Hindi)
The Japanese government records indicate that Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s plane crashed at Taipei’s Toihoku Airport on August 18, 1945, and he succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital hours later. However, Japan kept news of his death under wraps for five days, raising questions about the secrecy. When the Japanese news agency Domei announced Bose’s death on August 23, 1945, scepticism abounded.
The Hindustan Standard, a Kolkata-based newspaper, reported the news with a London dateline in its August 24 edition. It mentioned that a Japanese news agency reported the death of Subhash Chandra Bose, stating that he suffered severe injuries in a plane crash and later died in a hospital.
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According to the report, his death was recorded at 2 pm in Taihoku. Indian newspapers carried the news on their front pages. However, questions remain about the five-day delay, if Bose’s death occurred on the night of August 18, why did the Japanese government wait until August 23 to release the information? The unusual delay in announcing Netaji’s death surprised many, as such gaps were not common.
According to records, from August 18 to August 23, the news of Netaji’s death was kept secret before being finally broadcast, raising questions about the reasons for this delay.
August 18, 1945
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s plane departed for Sali Formosa at 5 am on August 18, reaching Taihoku (Taipei) airport by noon. The passengers had a light lunch before takeoff. Eyewitnesses report that as the plane lifted slightly from the Taihoku runway, it caught fire and crashed, breaking into two pieces.
The Shahnawaz report states that the plane lost control after flying only 30–40 meters and fell from a height of about 50 meters in just three seconds. Bose, who was seated near the petrol tank, was immediately taken to the local military hospital. He arrived at the hospital around 3 pm with third-degree burns and in critical condition. His health continued to deteriorate, and by 7 pm, he became unconscious and slipped into a coma. He was reported to have died on the night of August 18.
August 19, 1945
Colonel Habibur Rahman, a close associate of Subhash Chandra Bose, was with him at the time of his death. Rahman told the Shahnawaz Commission that local arrangements were made for the coffin, and the news of Bose’s death was sent to Tokyo. It was communicated from there that a plane would be sent to transport his body, but this information was kept secret.
On August 19, a telegram arrived at the hospital from the Imperial Headquarters of Japan confirming that Bose’s body would be flown to Tokyo. His body was placed in a coffin in preparation for transport.
August 20, 1945
Colonel Habibur Rahman told the Shahnawaz Commission that he wanted Subhash Chandra Bose’s body to be taken to Tokyo to remove any doubts about his death. Bose’s body was brought to Taihoku Airport on August 20 but remained there, reportedly due to unknown reasons.
Colonel Rahman stated that the plane could not carry the coffin as it did not fit. Subsequently, instructions came from Tokyo to cremate the body locally. A death certificate was issued on August 20, citing severe burns and shock as the cause of death. By evening, the cremation took place at a temple adjacent to the hospital in Taihoku. The colonel added that Japanese authorities did not want anyone to be informed at the time about the identity of the deceased.
August 21, 1945
Major Nagamoto of the Japanese Army told the Shahnawaz Inquiry Commission, “On the morning of August 21, I reached the hospital at 8 am to take the Indian military officer with me. At the crematorium, I saw that the body had been completely burnt. Following Buddhist tradition, I collected the neck bone with a chopstick and placed it in a box, then gathered bones from all parts of the body. The Indian military officer assisted me. Once the small wooden box was full, it was closed and covered with a white cloth. We then went by car to Hongaji Temple, where a special ceremony was conducted that day.”
Colonel Habibur Rahman confirmed the same account before the commission.
August 22, 1945
A meeting was held in Tokyo between senior military officials and the government to decide how Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s death should be announced. It was agreed that the news should be conveyed by an officer of the Azad Hind Fauj. The Japanese were reportedly unsure about the timing of the announcement and whether the world would believe it. Ultimately, it was decided that an Azad Hind Fauj officer would be responsible for making the news public.
August 23, 1945
On August 23, the Japanese news agency Domei (now Kyodo News) officially announced Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s death. However, many, including the British government and its intelligence agencies, doubted the report, suspecting that the Japanese had allowed Bose to escape quietly before releasing the news. Alongside Netaji, the death of Colonel Sidei was also announced. The five-day delay in Japan’s announcement of Bose’s death remains a mystery.
Key Questions That Emerged
- Why was Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s name not recorded in the hospital register? Interestingly, even Colonel Sidei, who died alongside him, was also not listed.
- If Netaji died on 18 August, why did Japan not send any senior officials to Taihoku to confirm his death, despite his high status as head of the exiled Indian government?
- Why did Japan conceal Subhash Chandra Bose’s death for five days? When the news finally emerged, even his close associates in Japan found it hard to believe.
- Why did the third Justice Manoj Mukherjee Commission report that no plane had crashed at the Taihoku airport from August 7 to October, despite claims of Bose’s crash? The Commission also found that the names of Subhash Chandra Bose, Lieutenant General Sidei, and the pilots were missing from the funeral register (17–25 August), and no Japanese or Taiwanese newspapers reported the crash. It further concluded that the ashes at Tokyo’s Renkoji Temple belonged to Japanese soldier Ichiro Okura, not Netaji.
- If Subhash Chandra Bose truly died in a plane crash, what purpose did Japan serve by keeping his death a secret? Their actions remain mysterious and suspicious.
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