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chap 6 : experiences people in Singapore had during the japanese…

- - - - harsh punishments were imposed and as such other people seen by japanese as enemies.
        e.g. the japanese executed those who were caught after the british surrender to put an end to the looting that happened. heads were displayed publicly in places such as open area outside the cathay building and bridges across the Singapore river, and as such people feared and were severely warned about the potential consequences of going against the japanese
        
        kempeitai, the japanese military police is a group that many people feared among all as they arrested those who were being suspected of being anti japanese. in order to encourage the people to inform the authorities of anyone whom they suspected to be involved in anti japanese activities, they offered food and cash to them. no one knew who to trust and were suspicious of one another as a result. anti japanese suspects will be beaten or tortured until they reveal information that were wanted by the japanese. in some cases, those suspected of being anti japanese were imprisoned or executed and many people learnt to go about their business quietly and not appear disobedient over time.
    - - the japanese had plans to deal with the allied troops and the people in Singapore when they took control of the island. one of the first things are imprisoning the british, Australians and allied Europeans in Singapore, including women and children. the allied prisoners of war were even forced to march in public from bukit timah road to changi prison and the barracks nearby, where they would be imprisoned. many civilians passed them food and money along the way despite the risk of being punished by the japanese.
    - - japanese forces carried out operation sook ching (cleansing) which aimed to identify and eliminate those who were suspected to be anti japanese elements among the local population. it was very brutal to the members of the chinese community who were suspected to be anti japanese. the kempeitai were placed in charge of this fearsome operation.
        
        the chinese population was targeted as they were viewed by the japanese as a potential source of opposition and threat to their rule. this was because when the japanese invaded china in 1937, they faced strong resistance from the chinese, including chinese communities living outside china. for instance, the chinese community in Singapore called for a boycott of japanese goods and contributed funds to china's efforts against japanese and some even returned to china to join in the fight against the japanese.
        
        the japanese posted notices requiring all chinese men aged 18 to 50 to assemble at mass screening centres located all over the island to be examined by the japanese. japanese records estimate that 6000 people were killed during the operation, but other estimates show the figure to be between 25 000 to 50 000.
    - - the japanese also targeted chinese businessmen in Singapore because of their generous contributions to the china relief fund, which supported china's resistance against Japan. the overseas chinese association was created to act as a channel of communication between the chinese community and the japanesegovernment. dr lim boon keng was appointed to head the oca and the japanese demanded that the oca gift 50 million straits dollars to the japanese administration. this was to punish the chinese community in Malaya and singpapore for supporting the anti japanese war activites in china as well as british war efforts in Malaya and Singapore.
  - - - to win over the locals in order to establish control in Singapore, the japanese used propaganda to influence the minds of the people to gain loyalty. the japanese portrayed themselves as liberators who had come to free Asians from colonial rule. they tried to convince the locals to accept their vision as the greater east asia co-prosperity sphere in which Japan would free Asian nations from control of western colonial powers and this vision also pressed for a united asia that would benefit from sharing resources collectively. these messages were spreaded through various channels e.g. posters & radio broadcasts
    - - to win the locals' support, the japanese also provided certain benefits e.g. schooling & accommodation at no cost. for example, school textbooks were provided free of charge to 20 000 students in 1944.
        
        the japanese also appealed to some ethnic groups by giving them favourable treatment. the union of malay youth responded positively to japanese propaganda that promised better lives for malays under an Asian power, resulting in malays being treated less harshly by the japanese. e.g. the japanese distributed rice, sugar and salt to the less fortunate for hari raya puasa. malays and Indians were also charged lower fees than the chinese to cross the causeway.
    - - teaching the japanese language
        
        the japanese teach the locals japanese to promote their culture. students were taught to speak and write in japanese in place of english and the lessons were conducted daily through the schools' broadcasting services. they also published a series of japanese readers for beginners which ere praised for the beauty and greatness of japan
        
        many adults aldso had to learn japanese. e.g. teachers were required to attend language c;asses several times a week and it has also became a regular feature in the newspapers. competitions, awards, extra rations, salary icrements and promotions were used to motivate people to learn the japanese language.
      - cultivating japanese spirit
        
        the introduction of the japanese language went hand in hand witjh the promotion of nippon seishin (japanese spirit) to foster a sense pf loyalty and identity. during morning assembly in schools, students had to sing "kimigayo", the japanese national anthem and bow before the picture of the japanese emperor before the day began. they were a;so taught to sing japanese folk songs.
        
        daily mass exercises werw also introduced to the locals and were broadcasted with instructions and rhythmic musicon public radio. the japanese emphasised physical education to instil discipline and promote firness among the masses. selected youths received training ot traditional japanese matrial arts such as kendo and judo to propagate the japanese spirit in schools.
- - - - dealing with shortages
        
        the war disrupted trade, limiting the import of goods into Singapore from overseas. furthermore, most of the available resources were channelled to Japan's war efforts rather than to the people, resulting in a shortage of food & essential items.
        
        the shortage of items drove prices up as shops did not have enough goods to cater to the needs of the people. the prices of essential goods increased rapidly over time, causing drastic inflation, resulting in the blavk market flourishing. people had to pay extremely high prices for basic necessities. the Japanese government responded by printing more money (aka banana notes), which resulted to the massive drops in the value of banana notes. these notes became worthless by the end of Japanese occupation.
      - relocations
        
        people were encouraged to strive for self-sufficiency by growing their own food, which included vegetables, tapioca and sweet potatoes. the japanese resorted to relocating people from singapore to increase agricultural output when this failed to ease the food shortage.
        
        the Chinese were encouraged to move to the endau settlement in johor as the soil there were rich and water supply ample, making it suitable for agriculture. the settlement was proclaimed to be a huge success as it was self-sufficient, + the settlement had street lights, hospital, small chapel, bank and several coffee shops. however, the peace of this settlement was disrupted by the attacks by bandits and anti Japanese guerrillas.
      - disease & death
        
        although healthcare and sanitation is hardly a priority of the colonial authoerities, it worsened during the japanese occupation and the local population was weakened by foos shortages, and as a result the death rate climbed more than double. the primary causes of death were beriberi, pneumonia and dysenntery.
        
        the pows and civilian prisoners was one group that endured particularly the harsh living conditions. they faced continuous shortage of food and medicine, and acute overcrowding. and the pows were used as forced labour by the japanese to clean war damage, bury the dead and build japanese shrines.
    - - the japanese authorities allowed some leisure activites and entertainment to continue to maintain the appearance of a harmonious and happy society. they introduced radio consisting of japanese songs, malay music, news in hokkien and cantonese; japanese movies and documentries at cinemas; and free open-air screenings of propaganda shows.
        
        japanesse officials also encouraged sports and cultural activities to reduce stress of wartime confitions on the locoal population. football, baseball, tennis and badminton mathces appeared almost every day in the media and boxing matches took place at kim seng road, and police band even performed at the botanic gardens.
- - - - one notable figure in the resistances was lim bo seng, a local businessman. when the war between Japan and china broke out in the 1930s, he organised anti Japanese activites such as boycotting of Japanese goods. after the fall of sg, he was recruited as a agent of force 136 and also linked up with local resistance organisations such as the malayan communist party to fight against the Japanese through guerilla tactics, but despite these he did not reveal any information.