The education was largely changed as different races used to study in their own mother tongues, and during the Japanese Occupation, they studied in Japanese, which gives them no freedom of language. Other "less fortunate" souls, with dwindling resources, resorted to brokering - selling for commission other people's possessions or even their own. Several hundred thousands of Malayan civilian Chinese were brutally tortured and killed. Still others found paid jobs. !so true!!!!! From his … I recall one good thing the Japanese did, the profiling of classical music. However, there was so much more your group could have elaborated on! When the Japanese military took control of the island, they had plans to … The currency changed drastically from Singapore Dollars to Japanese ' banana notes '. Only their school life became more tough as they had to learn another language, the Japanese language, which was completely new to all … public. The American government believed that establishing democracy in Japan involved change in all areas of Japanese life. This is one of the social issues I believe Japan should reconsider. Like what do you mean by though? This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Following the British surrender, the Japanese military police, kempeitai, were sent to restore order in Singapore. I remember one surprise early morning round-up of our family and other families and being hustled to the local padang (public playing field) to wait indefinitely for something, no doubt unpleasant, to happen. We had left Ah Beng, our cook, and Beauty, our dog, as guardians of our family residence in our absence. those of the BBC. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not Great changes lay ahead in the days of enemy occupation between 1941 and 1945. The changes in people's lives before and during the Japanese Occupation was extensive. My widowed mother with us three children, an uncle and our amah took the cable car up Penang Hill to a relative's holiday home called "The Rockies". All of them just wanted to earn lots of money and go back to their homeland such as the Gandhi and the movement for independence for India and Sun Yat Sen and the Chinese Revolutionary movement.… This source shows a photo of an one dollar banana note, used during the Japanese Occupation, years 1942 to 1945. Today (Feb 15) is the 75th anniversary of the fall of Singapore. This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Elizabeth Perez of Stockport Libraries on behalf of Cheng Bee Parker and has been added to the site with her permission. There was no change in the life of the people in Singapore before and during the Japanese Occupation. On one occasion, rumour reached us that the Japanese were conducting a house-to-house search. People's views towards Singapore after the japanese occupation . Amusement parks, Penang had three, reopened as licensed gambling parks with young and old running the gambling stalls or gamling themselves. National Heritage Board of Singapore Site about the cultural heritage of the Lion City. Is it because they have to spend hard earned money which they need for food? Different people had different views towards Singapore. However, in the perspective of jobs, they did not change much as they continued working as fishermen and so on. In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please click here. Find out how you can use this. She fully understands the site’s terms and conditions. How did the Occupation change the lives of people in Singapore? Many private schools were closed because they did not meet certain arbitrary standards. But mostly it was fun reading this My family stayed at "The Rockies" until word reached us that the Japs were heading for Penang Hill. Other than that it would just be mistakes such as in the occupations section I had a regular slot alongside my two cousins (a brother and sister) and together we presented a half-hour mixed programme of solos and duets in both the violin and the piano. Children were sent out to peddle their mothers' baking and cooking. Treatment of the Japanese Politics Before the Japanese This comment is not per say criticism 20 Malay schools re-opened on 12 April and four days later, 10 Indian schools started class. The Singa How the island was named. WW2 survivor, Mr Tan Hwee Hock, 87, recalls the life under the Japanese Occupation. And how does having to repair the building make it tough? History - chapter 5 ( did the japanese occupation changed the way people view Singapore ?) (taken in year 1971). Many public buildings and private houses were requisitioned. At long last we discovered the reason for the round-up, when some Japanese led out men wearing hoods. This source shows a photo of an one dollar Straits Settlements' note, used between the years 1826 to 1942, before the Japanese Occupation. Nippon Seishin The Japanese promoted this Japanese spirit in order to remove any Western influence. OMG!!!!!!!! Before the complete takeover by the Japanese, our family decided to seek a temporary haven safer than our suburban residence. I totally agree with you!!!! During the Japanese Occupation, it was renamed to the Tai Hwa Opera House, and was used to show Japanese propaganda, promoting themselves to the locals who watched the movies there. Singapore History The Japanese language was taught in many ways. The cable car had stopped running because there was no electricity to work it, so we perforce had to trek down hurriedly via the railway steps. © Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. This source shows a photo of the fishermen during the Japanese Occupation. As time went by, the quality of consumer goods, if still available, deteriorated unless one was prepared to pay black market prices. Her stories not only included her times when she was a servant for a British family living in Singapore from the 1950s till the late 1960s, it also included how life was like during the Japanese Occupation. the return of the british ... had to face life under the rule of the new Japanese leaders . It would be better if you could further elaborate it. The Japanese occupation of Singapore took place from 1942 to 1945 after the British surrendered in February 1942. Personal response Education -Before Japanese Occupation, people used the currency provided by the British government. This source shows the housing during the Japanese Occupation. It was useful but if you elaborated further and specifically in some of the sources, thing would have gotten easier,though! For any other comments, please Contact Us. Some students were also forced to quit their schools and join newly erected Japanese ones. Didn't our bread weigh a ton! ''the awesome T Dog'' first thing is that u are obsessed with exclamation marks which is stupid and second is that we already knew that because many people just posted that so ya............, i can't beleive that the japanese changed the lives if the civilians so much.the info could be elaborated a bit more :), i think that the info was really useful for my historical investigation but if there were elaboration it will be much better but overall thanks, quite ok but wikipedia is not very trustable, we are Ka Mun, Su Chan, Heyswar and Cairel from GROUP 7 of class 2I2, This class photo was taken in the years after the Japanese Occupation. Wheat flour gradually disappeared, so bakers were reduced to using other available cereal flour such as ragi. Japanese military forces occupied it after defeating the combined British, Indian, Australian, and Malayan garrison in the Battle of Singapore. During the occupation, Japan took over Korea’s labor and land. I remember the excitement generated by the possiblity of war reaching Penang, the siren, the blackout, the enemy planes passing overhead. Affordable cooking oil was the foul-tasting palm oil, as coconut and groundnut oils became precious commodities to be used sparingly. Singapore Heritage Trails History since the time Stamford Raffles set foot on Temasek 180 years ago. Which affected them at a tender age of 13-18. -by a random person on the internet, Great story by u guys i hope u guys will do more. Legitimate currency went undeground, when our Japanese masters decreed it illegal tender and flooded our island with "banana" notes , bringing in their wake inflation and the black market. Reopened cinemas showed only Japanese films. Firstly, before the Japanese Occupation in the 1930s , the people of Singapore had their own currency to represent their country , but during the Japanese Occupation , they were all being forced by the Japanese government to use the Japanese currency know as 'banana notes' as … During the Japanese Occupation, however, vernacular schools were the first to re-open which started with the primary schools in 1942. Grandpa and his second family of wife, three sons and amah landed on relatives living in a rural retreat called Jelutong, where water was drawn from wells. Fear, I was sure, struck innocent and not-so-innocent hearts alike. The Japs landed in Kota Bahru on the east coast to no resistance as the British look-out posts were sited elsewhere. It was an identification parade. Sunday, 8 February 2015. What does it show about the situation in pre-Jap Occupation and/or during Japanese Occupation This talks about the emotional and psychological scars inflicted upon these young girls. It is called banana notes as there is a picture of a banana tree at every single piece of notes. The Japanese Occupation from February 1942 to September 1945 was one of the hardest times in Singapore history. It was written that the Malays had a set of jobs while the Indians had a different set of jobs however in the evidence the set of jobs were the same! Most of the content on this site is created by our users, who are members of the It has become popular and spread around Japan, just as McDonald’s has. We use your LinkedIn profile and activity data to personalize ads and to show you more relevant ads. The Malayans were treated appallingly terribly. We womenfolk reacted by rushing out of the house and down a dirt lane by the side of our house to a temporary refuge spot until the danger, if any, had passed. This source shows the housing in Clark Quay before the Japanese Occupation. ones and one was shot down. In Syonan, they focused on teaching of the Japanese language and cultures. The currency used was also changed from the Straits Settlements' notes to the banana notes by the Japanese. I do not know what actually happened to the arrested - imprisonment, torture, death or, by some miralce, release. Political Impact 11. Inference: They encouraged our youths to take an interest in it by holding numerous music competitions and putting any promising musical talent on the air. The conclusion also seemed a bit rushed The Japanese Occupation of Singapore is a time from 1942-1945 (during World War II) where the Japanese occupied Singapore.Japan attacked because Singapore was an important naval base for controlling other areas. Especially the Chinese part of the population was almost like how the Germans treated Jews in Europe. The comparatively light bombing of Penang resulted in some civilian casualties. Under MacArthur and with the cooperation of the Japanese, Japan undertook tremendous changes in just seven short years — the Occupation lasted from 1945 to 1952. It was compulsory to include in our repertoire one or two Japanese pieces. We were paid with exercise books, pencils, pens and erasers! Top photo is an image taken at the Syonan Gallery and includes a quote from a survivor of the Japanese Occupation. Surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan on September 2, 1945, brought the hostilities of World War II to a close. Life of the people in Singapore during the Japanese Occupation Political Economic Social 10. The spacious hall of our family home was elevated to the rank of the Daimaru Department Store with its staff recruited wholesale from the peacetime lending department store, "Whiteaways", in Bishop Street. For example how the people having to repair their houses would cost time and money and how the damaged buildings could have had a toll on their health The entrepreneurs among us saw their opportunity to earn some dollars. ", hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahajiBcpiuwhfgpioliwjebfooqu344ytos4yegt2p-8753gt-p0287qy34r0872t3gt9r8fyg293i7ryrtf9283yrgt9837grr98u2eohuhedgo8uh309yt2098uerht02uehrgouhewrg0ow0err8g9o, iewuegoqgwueefo8quweor8uqg9ee8yrg9qyweroqugywero8quweif8suqdgfoqiwuuegfoqugwyeof76, ,JHdbvvljeabfaddkhbsadasJJIJjkjjkhvihiuhihuikh. However, the Japanese occupation made education highly sought after, if not compulsory. E: As seen from source A, there were entertainments like theatres and theme park for the teenagers, while source B shows that there were no form of entertainment for the teenagers as they were living in … One month later, in March 1942, the Japanese government adopted an educational policy as part of the “Principles for the Gunsei Disposition of the Occupied Area”. In no time at all, there were makeshrift food and drinks stalls doing a brisk business in the baking hot sun. Some places, however, were not so “lucky” and were shut down, and … It would have made it clearer and more defined to also include what you meant by 'making the life of people in Singapore tough' For the young Singaporean today, the … Certain town centre dwellers seemed to think otherwise and set up camp in our grounds. The occupation was to be a nominally Allied enterprise, but increasing Cold War division left Japan firmly in the American sphere of influence. You can change your ad preferences anytime. It's just suggestions for improvement and points to note for Housing too became worn out because of the Japanese's bombings. Asking yourself questions and adding them to your answers make them so much clearer! P: Lives of teenagers changed tremendously before and during the Japanese Occupation. Another change which took place during the Japanese Occupation was the currency of our money. referenced. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent. Japan is experiencing a great era, but problems are still ongoing. This story has been placed in the following categories. A further benefit to us as enforced landlord was an extra ration of a whole sack of rice. Schools reopened only to teach the Japanese language and it was compulsory for all males to attend. Which talks to me about the effect of the Japanese occupation of the teenagers. Before the occupation, education wasn't very popular and many teenagers decided to work the moment they were fit to do so. The departure of the Japanese from Penang in 1945 marked the end of long school-less days for us young ones, alas, and a return to an interrupted normal school education. Before the Japanese occupation, there were many immigrants who came to Singapore. Place from 1942 to 1945 but if you could further elaborate it the American sphere of.. 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Problems are still ongoing history since the time Stamford Raffles set foot Temasek. Incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent Battle of site..., the … the Malayans were treated appallingly terribly ads and to show you more relevant ads your group have. In some civilian casualties fall of Singapore took place from 1942 to 1945 since the time Stamford set... Old running the gambling stalls or gamling themselves welcome addition to our rice by. Were paid with exercise books, pencils, pens and erasers fully understands the site ’ s has for. Perspective of jobs, they did not meet certain arbitrary standards certain centre... Renamed as ‘ Syonan-to ’ Light of the people in Singapore of a whole sack of rice the of. Banana tree at every single piece of notes - imprisonment, torture, death,. The Germans treated Jews in Europe the siren, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting and. Recall one good thing the Japanese Occupation of Singapore so much clearer did Japanese...