2 - ▁ 1 9 4 5 ) ▁ ▁During ▁the ▁occupation , ▁the ▁Japanese ▁implemented ▁policies ▁that ▁were ▁perce ived ▁as ▁a ▁continu ance ▁of ▁Dutch ▁support ▁for ▁the ▁ker aja an . ▁Under ▁the ▁policies , ▁the ▁ker aja an ▁were ▁able ▁to ▁gain ▁access ▁to ▁various ▁in comes , ▁titles , ▁and ▁religious ▁authority ▁that ▁they ▁used ▁to ▁have ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 3 0 s . The ▁reg aining ▁of ▁Mal ay ▁arist ocr ats ’ ▁power ▁during ▁the ▁Japanese ▁Occ up ation ▁resulted ▁in ▁supp ression ▁of ▁the ▁pe asant ▁community ▁in ▁East ▁Sum atra . ▁Many ▁Japanese ▁officials ▁managed ▁to ▁explo it ▁food ▁and ▁labour ▁supplies ▁from ▁the ▁pe asant ry ▁through ▁the ▁ker aja an ▁hierarchy ▁and ▁that ▁had ▁increased ▁the ▁amount ▁of ▁economic ▁pressure ▁faced ▁by ▁the ▁far ming ▁population ▁of ▁East ▁Sum atra . ▁Con sequently , ▁the ▁cred ibility ▁of ▁those ▁traditional , ▁national ists ▁and ▁religious ▁leaders , ▁who ▁were ▁assigned ▁by ▁the ▁Japanese , ▁was ▁sever ely ▁dam aged . ▁A ▁new ▁leadership ▁was ▁then ▁formed ▁by ▁a ▁group ▁of ▁p em uda ▁( y outh ) ▁who ▁had ▁received ▁their ▁form ative ▁education ▁under ▁the ▁Japanese ▁military ▁groups ▁( G iy ū gun , ▁He i ho ▁and ▁Tok keit ai ). ▁The ▁military ▁training ▁gu ided ▁by ▁Japanese ▁eth ics ▁and ▁values ▁f anned ▁their ▁national ism ▁and ▁motiv ated ▁them ▁to ▁defend ▁their ▁lands . ▁These ▁Japanese - tra ined ▁p em uda ▁then ▁took ▁on ▁active