Second Philippine Republic

The Second Philippine Republic was the Japanese-sponsored government established in the Philippines on 14 October 1943, during the Japanese occupation of the islands in the Second World War. Japan had dissolved the Commonwealth of the Philippines after conquering the country in 1942 and ruled through an executive commission and the KALIBAPI organization. In 1943 it allowed a nominally independent republic, with José P. Laurel as president, a national assembly elected by provincial and city representatives, and a constitution drafted under Japanese supervision. The new state signed a pact of alliance with Japan and later declared war on the United States and Britain in September 1944. Its authority was limited by the Japanese military, and its economy collapsed under inflation and the requisition of food and materials. When American forces returned, the government evacuated Manila for Baguio. Laurel dissolved the republic in Tokyo on 17 August 1945, two days after Japan's surrender. Manila was the capital until the government withdrew to Baguio.