Japanese Occupation Of Singapore (15 February 1942)

When the British were forced to surrender unconditionally, Japanese took over Singapore and even change the name of Singapore into "Syonan-To" which mean "Southern Island gained in the age of Showa "

 

The life of people during the Occupation                                                                                              

                                                                                       

**The kempeitai  introduced the system of "Sook Ching", which means "purge through purification", to get rid of those deemed as anti-Japanese. The Sook Ching Massacre claimed the lives of between 25,000 and 50,000 ethnic Chinese in Singapore and Malaya. These men were rounded up and taken to deserted spots around the island and killed systematically. Besides, the Kempeitai established a network of informers around the island to help them identify those who were anti-Japanese. These informers were well-paid by the Kempeitai and had no fear of being arrested. Japanese soldiers patrolled the streets and commoners had to bow to them when they passed by. Those who failed to do so would be beaten and some people would be taken away.

**The prices of basic necessities increased drastically due to hyperinflation.The Japanese issued ration cards to limit the amount of resources received by the civilian population. Adults could purchase 4.8 kg (11 lb) of rice per month and 2.4 kg (5.3 lb) for children. The amount of rice for adults was reduced by 25% as the war progressed.

**The Japanese issued banana money as their main currency since Straits currency became rare.The "banana currency" started to suffer from high inflation and dropped drastically in value because the authorities would simply print more whenever they needed more money; consequently the black market often used Straits currency.

Banana Currency

**Food quality and availability decreased greatly. Sweet potatoes and yam became the staple food of most diets of Singaporeans because they were considerably cheaper than rice and could also be grown in gardens. They were then turned into a variety of dishes, as both dessert and all three meals of the day. The nutrients helped stave off starvation, and new ways of consuming tapioca with other produce were regularly invented in order to stave off the monotony. Both the British and Japanese authorities encouraged the population to grow their own food if they had even the smallest amount of land, the encouragement and produce were similar to what occurred with victory gardens in the Western nations during World War II.[3] Ipomoea aquatica, which grew relatively easy and flourished relatively well near the water, became a popular crop, as did other vegetables.

How did this affect my life in SIngapore?  
                         
      I did not get enough nutrients just by eating some sweet potato and yam as my three meal...  And thus i felt dizzy somtimes when i stand under the sun too long and was often sick... Sometimes we could not havest the food we grow on time because of the weather that change over the time and affect the growing times needed....

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_occupation_of_Singapore ( Date Accessed:14 Feb 2013)