How long does it take for modern nation to be created? What are turning points?

World War 2 as a turning point and

historically important?
What was the impact of the Japanese
Occupation on the people living in
Singapore?

• WHY STUDY THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION?

• RECAP: OUR TWO INQUIRY QUESTIONS AND PROJECTS
• ROLE-TAKING: 6 PERSONALITIES
• COMPASS POINTS
• KEY EVENTS DURING THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION
Inquiry questions

 What was World War 2 like for people who fought in

the Battle for Singapore?

 What was life like for people in Singapore during the

Japanese Occupation?
Look at the information cards
Select your main character
 Why did your group select this personality?
 What questions might you have?

English Ed Western POW Japanese Indians Malays Immigrant

Local Born Chinese or
Chinese Ed
Local Born
Teo Kah Leng Mary Thomas Mamoru Col. Prem Masuri bin Ng Chin Heng
Shinozaki Saghal Salikun
 Main events during the Japanese
Occupation
Impact on
- Westerners
- Japanese
- Straits Chinese and English educated Local-Born
- Chinese educated Local-born and Chinese immmigrants
- Indians
- Malays
Protocol
Main events of Japanese Occupation will be shown to you
Use the COMPASS Points to guide your group discussion
 E = Excitement level (1-5)
How would this event excite your character?
 W=Worry level (1-5)
How would this event worry your character?
 N=Needs: How would your character need most when this event
takes place?
 S=Stand: Take a step back, what is your current stand or position on
this?
Some key events before the fall of
Singapore
 1940: Japanese diplomats and others are arrested
and imprisoned by the British in Changi prison.
 1941, 4 Dec: Members from extreme Malay political
party, Kersatuan Melayu Muda (KMM) were arrested
by the British.
 1941, Jan: Battle for Malaya was lost
 1942, 9 Feb: Battle for Singapore: Kranji-Jurong
Lines, Pasir Panjang, Opium Hill
18 Feb: 1942. Allied Prisoners of War and
civilians march to Changi Prison (11)
View of General Post Office at Fullerton Building. It is where the Chamber of Commerce and the Singapore
Club was once housed. The building is now the Fullerton Hotel
Death Railway
Sook Ching Campaign (12)
Japanese occupation of
Peiping (Beijing) in China,
on August 13, 1937.
March, 1942: Overseas China Association was
formed under Dr Lim Boon Keng (14)

MEETING DURING THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION. DR LIM BOON KENG, LEADER OF THE OVERSEAS CHINESE ASSOCIATION IS SEATED IN THE FIRST ROW,
SECOND FROM RIGHT. DATED 1942-1945.
 Tan Kah Kee was elected as president of the South-East
Asia Federation of the China Relief Fund. In Oct 1938. He
addressed 10,000 at Happy World in May 1939.

Nanyang volunteers

Overseas Chinese raising relief funds for China.

Group photograph Singapore Federation of Clan Associations.
April 1942: Schools are told to reopen. (13)

 Only 23 schools out of 369 schools are open in Singapore compared to pre-war years after the first year of Occupation
 721 schools out of 885 Malay Schools are open in Malaya after first year of Occupation
 Catholic schools as Municipal Schools with missionaries from neutral countries. No religious classes taught
 Nipponization – Nippon-go (language) and Nippon-jin (teacher)
Jan, 1943: Conference for Sultans of
Malaya and Sumatra (15)
Japanese Army
Lieutenant General
Tomoyuki Yamashita
receives a courtesy visit
by sultans of Malay
penninsula on April 11,
1942 in Singapore.
July-Oct, 1943: Indian Nationalist leader
Subhas Chandra Bose in Sg (16)
Rhani of Jhansi Regiment
Sept 1943: Operation Jaywick (17)

 6 Japanese cargo ships and an oil

tanker are sunk in Singapore
Harbour
Oct 10. 1943: Double 10 th Incident (18)

 Internees in Changi prisons and other civilians are brought to Kempetai HQ for interrogation. 57
civilian prisoners from Changi were tortured, resulting in the death of 15.
Oct, 1943: Kedah Perlis, Kelantan and
Trengganu as Si Rat Malai (19)

PM Luang Pibulsongram
 Dec 1943: Pembela Tanah Air (PETA)
or Defenders of the Homeland (20)

 2,000 Malay youths are given basic military and weapons training and tasked to defend Malaya.
1943: Malayan People’s Anti-Japanese
Army are formed (21)
April, 1944: Civilian Prisoners are
moved to Sime Road Camp (22)
Nov,1944 – March 1945: US Bombings on
Singapore infrastructure (23)

 11 air raids on Sg naval base and dockyards. Minelaying missions in Sg waters

1945: KRIS (Kesatuan Rakyat Idonesia Semenajung or
Union of Peninsula Indonesians) was formed (24)
Throughout: Food shortages, disease.
Inflation and blackmarkets (25)
Bahau, Negri Sembilan Endau, Johor (1943)
(1943)
9 Aug 1945: Japan Surrenders after atomic bombs are
used on Nagsaki and Hiroshima(24)
 Things to do:
Task 1: Dig extra information
 What were some WW2 family stories that you might have?
 Where did they information come from? More than 1 source?
 Any artefacts that I can find? Take a picture and post it

Task 2: Prediction
 Your character represents a social group. E.g. Malays etc.
 Predict what the British might do when they return to power.
 Use COMPASS (EWNS) and predict what your people might be thinking
after the war ends?