Between 1942 and 1945, while Hubertus Johannes van Mook was the nominal governor-general, the area was under Japanese control, and was governed by a two sequence of governors, in Java and Sumatra.

Since the VOC era, the highest Dutch authority in the colonial possessions of the East Indies resided with the office of the governor-general.

The so-called exorbitant powers of the governor-general allowed him to exile anyone regarded as subversive and dangerous to peace and order, without involving any court of law.

[4] During the tenure of governors-general who were proponents of the ethical policy a people's council called the Volksraad for the Dutch East Indies was installed in 1918.

The Volksraad, an infant form of democratic council, was limited to an advisory role and only a small portion of the population were able to vote for its members.