Life during the occupation

The Japanese occupation is generally regarded by Singaporeans as the darkest period of Singaporean history. The Japanese had claimed that they were liberating Southeast Asia from colonialism, but in reality they were far harsher rulers than the British ever were. In addition to civilian casualties, numerous atrocities were committed by Japanese troops, particularly by the Kempeitai, the Japanese military's secret police; the Japanese military used rape and comfort women (women forced into sexual slavery). For instance, the Sook Ching Massacre of ethnic Chinese, including civilians who had donated to charities to aid the war effort in China, claimed between 25,000 and 50,000 lives in Malaya and Singapore.

The Kempetai were the Japanese police. Commoners were made to bow to them as they passes, if not, they would be punished by kicking, hitting, ect.[citation needed]

The Japanese, to 'purify' the commoners and not have 'unloyals' going against them, introduced a system called Sook Ching (translated purge through purification). There were secret informers all over the island. When asked by the Japanese to select and 'accused', they would simply point to anyone. These people were rounded up and taken to a deserted place to be shot, bayoneted, etc. The local people lived in fear at that time because they did not know who worked for the Japanese and who did not. This caused distrust of the people. People no longer knew who to trust, as the secret informers were well paid and they had a high chance of not being rounded up for shooting.


Banana money was issued during the war, and would become worthless after the war was over.Resources were scarce during the Occupation. The price of rice, for example had increased a thousandfold from five dollars per 100 catties of rice, or about 60 kilograms, to five thousand dollars. The Japanese issued ration cards to control the amount of resources the population received: adults could purchase 4.8 kg of rice per month, and children 2.4 kg. The amount allowed for adults was reduced by 25% as the war progressed.[1] The Japanese issued banana money as their main currency, giving them further control over the economy as Straits currency became rare. In this sense, the Japanese instituted elements of a command economy in which there were restrictions on how much could be bought or sold, creating a popular black market. The "banana currency" started to suffer high inflation and dropped drastically in value because the authorities would simply print more whenever they needed more money, and as such the black market often used Straits currency instead.

Food quality and availability decreased greatly. Tapioca, sweet potatoes and yam became the staple food of most diets of the population of Singapore because it was considerably cheaper than rice and could also be grown in gardens. It was 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.[2] Ipomoea aquatica, which grew relatively easy and flourished relatively well near the water became a popular crop, as did other vegetables. It was not uncommon for bought food to be mixed with impurities or to be hard and difficult to eat, increasing the popularity of growing food at home.

During this time, the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) led by Subhash Chandra Bose was first set up in Singapore and it fought along with the Japanese during the Burma Campaign.[3]. On October 21, 1943, the Provisional Government of Free India was also set up with its initial headquarters in Singapore.

Done by Nigel