Editing Emilio Aguinaldo (section)

== World War II ==
=== Collaboration with Japan and Second Republic ===
On December 8, 1941, the [[Imperial Japanese Army]] [[Philippines campaign (1941–1942)|invaded the Philippines]]. The invasion came ten hours after the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] that had brought the United States into World War II. Aguinaldo, a longtime admirer of the [[Japanese empire|Japanese Empire]], sided with them, as he had previously supported groups that demanded the immediate independence of the Philippines, and entrusted that Japan would free the islands from American occupation. In January 1942, Aguinaldo met with General Masami Maeda at the former's Cavite residence to discuss the creation of a pro-Japanese provisional government.<ref name=asa2015p170q /> On February 1, Aguinaldo delivered a radio address calling upon General [[Douglas MacArthur]] and all American and Filipino troops fighting in the [[Battle of Bataan]] to surrender to the Japanese army.
[[File:Laurel inauguration, 1943.jpg|thumb|right|Aguinaldo (extreme left) with other members of the Japanese puppet government, 1943]]
Following the retreat of American forces, Aguinaldo continued his collaboration with the Japanese. He was appointed as a member of both the provisional Council of State as well as the [[Preparatory Committee for Philippine Independence]], which was tasked with creating a new constitution for a Japanese [[puppet state]] in the Philippines. Aguinaldo also played a key role in the [[Kempeitai]]'s campaign to suppress [[Philippine resistance against Japan|anti-Japanese resistance]], urging guerrilla fighters to lay down their arms and surrender to Japan.<ref>{{harvnb|Ara|2015|p=173}}</ref> Aguinaldo was present at the inauguration ceremony of the [[Second Philippine Republic]] on October 14, 1943, raising the flag with Artemio Ricarte, who had returned to the Philippines from Japan at the request of Japanese Prime Minister [[Hideki Tojo]]. The Japanese had considered making Aguinaldo president of the republic, a proposal which was supported by Aguinaldo himself, but he was ultimately passed up in favor of former [[Supreme Court of the Philippines|Supreme Court]] justice [[Jose P. Laurel]].

=== Capture, investigation and acquittal ===
After US forces [[Philippines campaign (1944–1945)|returned to the Philippines]] in October 1944, Aguinaldo went into hiding in order to avoid being captured and potentially killed. During the [[Battle of Manila (1945)|Battle of Manila]], however, members of the [[Marking Guerrillas]] resistance force were able to track his whereabouts, and arrested him on February 8, 1945. Aguinaldo was then placed under [[house arrest]] as the US Army's [[Counterintelligence Corps]] investigated his collaboration with the Japanese. Despite his claims that he had secretly remained loyal to the US throughout the war, and that he, as well as other Axis collaborators, had only been forced to collaborate with Japan under great duress and should therefore all be granted amnesty, the People's Court of the Philippines nonetheless charged Aguinaldo with 11 counts of [[treason]] for his "wholehearted" support for and collaboration with the Empire of Japan.<ref>{{harvnb|Ara|2015|p=184}}</ref>

Aguinaldo was 77 when the US government recognized [[Republic Day (Philippines)|Philippine independence]] in the [[Treaty of Manila (1946)|Treaty of Manila]] on July 4, 1946, in accordance with the [[Tydings–McDuffie Act]] of 1934. On January 28, 1948, Philippine president [[Manuel Roxas]] granted amnesty to all Filipinos who had collaborated with the Empire of Japan and as a result, Aguinaldo's charges were dropped and his trial was never held.<ref name="ebo" /><ref name="FREDRIKSEN2001p2" /><ref name="VVCr6" />