This animated film--Japan's first--was a propaganda piece made to show the Japanese public how the Japanese military had achieved such decisive victories in the South Pacific. It tells the story of young Japanese boys from their school days to their joining the army and fighting against Japan's "enemies" and shows how the animals in the jungle--meant to symbolize the residents of the Asian countries the Japanese conquered--welcomed the Japanese army's "liberating" them from their western masters.—[email protected]
The film depicts most Japanese characters as anthropomorphic animals (monkeys, rabbits, bears, etc), with the exception of protagonist Momotaro who is human. The British Army soldiers are also depicted as human, and so are the Dutch and the Indonesians depicted in flashback.
The film begins with four Japanese sailors, who have completed basic training. They are allowed to visit their families in their countryside, and to reacquaint themselves with them. One of them is overjoyed to see his kid brother, "Santa", and allows the child to play with his naval cap. When the cap falls into the river, the child enters the water in an attempt to retrieve it. He gets trapped in the river's torrent and swept towards a waterfall. His brother and several villagers co-ordinate in a rescue operation, and manage to save the child.
There is a time skip, and the action moves to a remote island of the Pacific Ocean. Japanese troops and several civilian workers are seen constructing a new air base. They are singing work songs as they toil away. Aircraft and their crews soon start arriving at the island, and Momotaro is introduced as their new commanding officer.
The civilian workers are depicted as jungle primitives, impressed with the "civilized" Japanese. Some of the soldiers are charged with educating them in the proper use of the Japanese writing system, and the phonetic meaning of the kana symbols of writing. The workers are taught a mnemonic song.
Life and military training continues on the island, until a map reveals the next target for the Japanese military advance in the Pacific. It is the island of Celebes in the Dutch East Indies (modern Sulawesi, Indonesia). A flashback reveals the island's history. It used to be a peaceful and prosperous island kingdom. Until a large European ship arrived on the island. A diplomat from the ship explained to the king that they were merchants, transporting trade goods from Persia, Egypt, India, Siam, and Canton. They asked for a place to stay on the island during their visit. The ship actually belonged to pirates (privateers) from the Dutch East India Company, who soon used their weapons to conquer the entire island. The king was offered a single coin as compensation.
Back to the present, Momotaro orchestrates an invasion of the Dutch East Indies by air. Japanese paratroopers parachute into Celebes and nearby islands, in a surprise attack. The islands are defended by the British Army, but these English-speaking soldiers are soon overwhelmed and suffer many casualties (some soldiers dead, others captured alive).
The scene shifts to diplomatic negotiations between Momotaro and the highest-ranking British officer on the island. Several of their subordinate officers attend the meeting. Momotaro demands an unconditional surrender, but the terrified British officer tries to explain that this exceeds his own authority. The military governor had left the island prior to the attack. The officer has only partial command over the areas's remaining British troops. Momotaro presses the British officers until they all agree to surrender.
The scene abruptly moves back to the Japanese mainland. In a brief epilogue, children have drawn a map of North America on the ground. They play at being paratroopers, and fall from trees into the map's areas representing the Continental United States. The film ends there, with the implication that the invasion of the United States will be the task of the next generation of Japanese troops.
