Kuniaki Koiso
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' "in the near future". The Japanese navy was not supportive of the idea, but the 25th Army in Sumatra established a Central Advisory Board, 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.