 Japanese military also provided Indonesian youth with military training and weapons, including the formation of a volunteer army called PETA ("Pembela Tanah Air" – Defenders of the Homeland).The Japanese military training for Indonesian youth originally was meant to rally local support for the collapsing power of the Japanese Empire, but later became the significant resource for the Republic of Indonesia during the Indonesian National Revolution, and also led to the formation of Indonesian National Armed Forces in 1945.On 29 April 1945, Lt. Gen. Kumakichi Harada, the commander of 16th Army in Java established the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence () (, "Dokuritsu Junbi Chōsakai"), as the initial stage of the establishment of independence for the area under the control of the 16th Army.