Removing Western influence

To remove Western Influence, the Japanese promoted the Japanese spirit ( Nippon Seishin ). Every school, government building and Japanese company began with a morning assembly. Those present at such gathering had to stand facing the direction of Japan and sing the Japanese national anthem(Kimigayo). Taisho or mass drills were made compulsory for students, teachers, staff of companies and government servants. Teachers had to learn Japanese several times a week. The students received their daily Japanese lessons on the schools' broadcasting service.

Listen to the Japanese National Anthem : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29FFHC2D12Q

The Japanese also used other ways to influence the minds of the people in Singapore. Radio stations were controlled by the Japanese and the people could only listen to local braodcast. Those caught tuning in to foreign broadcasting stations were severely punished or killed. IN the cinemas, only Japanese movies and propaganda films were shown.

Before the actual movie, they had a sort of propaganda film- 'Asia is for Asians'. And then they showed you newsreels of Japanese military forces in action. ALl this while, the Japanese would be showing you they were winning everywhere. For certain parts, they would show you the friendliness between the military and the civilians. After the propaganda film, they would show you the main picture.
-Adapted from an oral history account in The Japanese Occupation 1942-1945 by Tan Beng Luan and Irene Quah.

Information taken from : Marshall Cavendish Education (2007). SINGAPORE FROM SETTLEMENT TO NATION PRE-1819 TO 1971. Singapore. MOE Building 

After taking control of Singapore

Soon after taking control of Singapore, the Kempeitai carried out Sook Ching which aimed to identify and eliminate suspected anti-Japanese elements among the Chinese community. All Chinese men between 18 and 50 years of age were told to report at certain centres such as the YMCA building at Stamford Road and the Central Police Station at South Bridge Road. They were 'examined' by the Japanese. At some centres, informers wearing hoods or masks would simply point out certain people as anti-Japanese elements. The lucky ones who were not identified were given a small piece of paper, with the Chinese word 'Examined' rubber-stamped on them. They were then allowed to go home.
Those who were identified as anti-Japanese were taken in lorries to Changi and other beaches on the east coast. This was what happened to one of those who were taken away in the lorries: " We were next told to move off towards the sea. When all of us were in the water, the machine guns opened fire. I was at the far end of my group. When my companions were hit, they fell down and pulled down the rest of us. As I fell, I was hit on the face by a bullet. The machine guns then stopped firing. The soldiers came round to knife us with their bayonets. I shut my eyes. A soldier stepped on me to knife my neighbour. He did not turn to knife me. I kept my eyes shut. After some time, I heard the sound of lorries driving off.
-Adapted from When Singapore was Syonan-to by N. I. Low

Information taken from : Marshall Cavendish Education (2007). SINGAPORE FROM SETTLEMENT TO NATION PRE-1819 TO 1971. Singapore. MOE Building 

How did the Japanese Occupation change the lives of people in Singapore?

The fall of Singapore marked the beginning of a brief but tumultuous chapter of Singapore's history. Singapore was renamed 'Syonan-to' which meant 'the Light of the South' or 'the Radiant South'
Following the British surrender, the Japanese military police, Kempeitai, were sent to restore order in Singapore.

Japanese troops marching into Raffles Place after the British surrender on 16 February 1942

When the Japanese military took control of the island, they had plans to deal with the Allied troops and the people of Singapore. The Japanese interned the British, Australians and Allied Europeans in Singapore, including women and children. Allied soldiers were forced to march from the Padang to Selarang Barracks, which was 22 kilometres away. European civilians were marched to Katong first before going to Changi Prison.

The Japanese used fear to rule Singapore. The cruelty of the Kempeitai kept people in a constant state of anxiety and fear.
At the slightest offence, punishment was swift and severe. Many anti-Japanese suspects were subjected to terrible torture or decaptitation at the Kempeitai center.

Information taken from : Marshall Cavendish Education (2007). SINGAPORE FROM SETTLEMENT TO NATION PRE-1819 TO 1971. Singapore. MOE Building 

How did the people of Singapore react to the Japanese attack?

The people of Singapore were led to believe that the possibility of a Japanese attack was remote.
The general feeling in Singapore shortly before the Japanese air raid was observed by Mary Thomas, an English woman who was interned in Changi Prison during the Japanese Occupation: "During that period, the war in Europe seems to have little or no effect on our lives. Social and club life went on as usual. Food, imported or native-grow, tinned, frozen or fresh, was plentiful and so was clothing. There was no need for black-outs or curfews and no one took Air Raid Precautions(A.R.P.) very seriously, for we knew that Singapore was an impregnable fortress. The Japanese, however they might flourish tin China, would certainly crumble the moment they came in contact with a first-class Western Power."
-Adapted from In the Shadow of the Rising Sun by Mary Thomas

*If someone is interned, he or she is put in prison or in a prison camp.

The following extract by Elizabeth Choy, a wartime heroine, captured the people's views about the life in Singapore shortly before the war: " Before the war, my family lived in MacKenzie Road near the present-day Istana (formerly known as Government House). Life was peaceful and happy then. My notion of war was very vague. Just before the outbreak of the Pacific War, though we heard news that the situation was turning critical, we were not unduly worried about bombers, cannons and warships were here to protect us, Singapore would be safe. Anyway, part of the Japanese troops were still far away in Annam (Present-day Vietnam) and there was no way they could reach Singapore so soon.
-Adapted from The Price of  Peace, compiled and edited by Foong Choon Han

Last time

Information taken from : Marshall Cavendish Education (2007). SINGAPORE FROM SETTLEMENT TO NATION PRE-1819 TO 1971. Singapore. MOE Building 

Final Conference

On 15 February 1942, which was the Chinese New Year, the British had a final conference at the Fort Canning bunker. Lieutenant-General Percival wanted to discuss ways to counter-attack but his commanders were against the idea. They felt that there were too many problems and the soldiers were tired. More men would be killed if they were to engage the Japanese in street fighting. Furthermore, their supplies of food and water were running out. TO prevent further bloodshed, the British opted for surrender. On 15 February 1942, Japanese Lieutenant-Colonel Sugita led Percival and his delegation to the Ford Motor Factory to negotiate the surrender terms.

The Ford Motor Factory in 1942

The old Ford Motor Factory is now known as 'Memories at Old Ford Factory'

At the negotiating table, Percival met Lieutenant-General Tomoyuki Yamashita for the first time. The British gave in and surrendered to the Japanese.

After getting Yamashita to agree not to enter the city until the following morning, 16 February 1942, Percival signed the surrender agreement at 6.10p.m. on 15 Feburary 1942.
Here is how Yamashita reflected on the fall of Singapore :
" My attack on Singapore was a bluff - a bluff that worked. I had 30,000 men and was outnumbered more than three to one. I knew that if I had to fight long for Singapore, I would be beaten. That was why the surrender had to be at once. I was very frightened the whole time that the British would discover our numerical weakness and lack of supplies, and force me into disastrous street fighting "
Adapted from Singapore: An Illustrated History 1941-1984


Information taken from : Marshall Cavendish Education (2007). SINGAPORE FROM SETTLEMENT TO NATION PRE-1819 TO 1971. Singapore. MOE Building 

Battle of Malaya ( 8 December 1941 - 31 January 1942 )

The Malayan Campaign was a campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 31 January 1942 during the Second World War. The campaign was dominated by land battles between British Commonwealth army units, and the Imperial Japanese Army with minor skirmishes at the beginning of the campaign between Commonwealth and Thai forces. For the British, Indian, Australian and Malayan forces defending the colony, the campaign was a total disaster.

The battle is notable for the Japanese use of bicycle infantry, which allowed troops to carry more equipment and swiftly move through thick jungle terrain. Royal Engineers, equipped with demolition charges, destroyed over a hundred bridges during the retreat, which did little to delay the Japanese. By the time the Japanese had captured Singapore, they had suffered 9,600 casualties.

The Battle of Jitra was a major engagement fought between the invading Japanese and Allied forces during the Malayan Campaign of the Second World War. The battle lasted from 11–13 December 1941. The resulting defeat compelled Arthur Percival to order all Allied aircraft stationed in Malaya to withdraw to Singapore.

The Battle of Slim River occurred during the Malayan campaign in January 1942 between the Imperial Japanese Armyand the British Indian Army on the west coast of Malaya. 

Watch a video about Sinking of Battleships(10December1941) : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQabB2a4Ogk

All information was taken from : en.wikipedia.org

Why did the British failed to stop the Japanese?

Before the war, the Japanese set up their intelligence services in Malaya and Singapore to provide information on British defence and readiness. They then planned how to defeat the British in the event of a conflict.
Find out how the Japanese gathered their military intelligence:
The Japanese owned lands in Johor and Singapore and observed the construction of the Singapore Naval Base and coastal defences. The Japanese fishing fleet, which accounted for nearly half of the fish supplied to Singapore, conducted surveys of the Malayan coastal areas. Japanese photographers, who operated studios in many Malayan towns, took pictures of roads, railways and military installations. Some Japanese military officers operated incognito; for example, an army colonel named Tsugunori Jadomatsu worked for six years as a waiter in the British Officers' Club.

*Someone who is incognito is using a false name or wearing a disguise, in order not to be recognised or identified.

The British had underestimated the Japanese. They believed that the Japanese army, airforce and navy were inferior. However, the Japanese proved the British wrong. The Imperial Japanese Army had a large modern airforce and naval fleet. The Japanese 'Zero' fighter planes destroyed about half of the British planes, which were old and outdated. The Japanese soldiers were also better trained in jungle warfare. Besides using tanks, they also used bicycles as their means of transport to move swiftly down Malaya.

The Japanese 'Zero' fighter plane

 The British old and outdated plane.

Japanese soldiers on bicycles.

Information taken from : Marshall Cavendish Education (2007). SINGAPORE FROM SETTLEMENT TO NATION PRE-1819 TO 1971. Singapore. MOE Building 

Military intelligence was adapted from The Japanese Occupation of Malaya, 1941-1945 by Paul H. Kratoska