Why Japan Defeated the Dutch SO EASILY in Indonesia

The reason why the Dutch were so easily defeated on Java island is the best described by Dutch historian P.C. Boer. He wrote it was a matter of air power. Most planes went to Singapore and could therefore not be deployed to defend the Indonesian archipelago. Despite the Allies not being heavily outnumbered in manpower, they surely were outnumbered when it came down to air power. And naval power: Japan had 50 warships, the ABDA had 33. The army was not more than a police army. Perhaps able to crush inland rebellions but not to repell a full-scale invasion by a foreign modern army. They were hopelessly underequipped, also due to austerity cuts, and the Indonesian archipelago was simply too big to defend. The Japanese used bold tactics (such as the paratroopers) and the KNIL stood no change. We must also not forget that the Japanese were gravely underestimated. Also racist views among the Europeans played a part.