Impact of the Japanese occupation on People's views towards Singapore (#2)

The people of Singapore felt sorry for the POWs as they would never thought that a " white man "
would do such chores and tasks .

it was a pitiful sight to see the British and Australian Soldiers cleaning up the roads . We never
thought a " white man " would someday be a roadsweeper . so the Japanese occupation changedou impression of the " white man's " superiority.
- adapted from an account by Soon Kin Seng , A storekeeper at the Japanese Food Control Department .
The Eurasians were treated harshly . The Japanese hated the Eurasians because of their association
with the Europeans .many Eurasians were seen as British supporters , those who were suspected of
helping the British , were killed .

The Japanese also tried to cultivate a sense of Asian consciousness and pride . They spread the idea that Asians were just as good as Europeans. They actively promoted Japanese culture .
for example , in schools , students had to :
- sing the Japanese National Anthem .
- Learn the Japanese language instead of English
- take part in activities , such as gardening and cleaning , that promoted Asian values
such as hardwork and humility .

movies , books , newspapers and radio broadcasts were also used for propaganda  purposes .

^major newspapers were being taken over by the Japanese newspapers

sometimes the teachers gave us comic books to read ...( these books highlighted the kindness of the Japanese ) through the cartoons .... for example , I think they showed us a Japanese soldier giving things to people... A lot of these comics were very cheap ... I used to buy them with Japanese money, in booklet form .
- adapted from an account by Victor Tan , who was about seven years old at then .
Attempts to win local support

Japanese propaganda was a means to get the local people to look upon the Japanese rule favourably ,
besides promoting Japanese culture , they also introduced the policies that aimed to win the support of different communities .

for example ,  the Japanese encouraged the malays to be involved in the defence as well as the administration of Singapore . In order to prepare them for these roles , the Japanese promised to provide more opportunities in education for the malays .

the british had a superiority complex , The Japanese treated us all alike , I appreciate it .
- adapted from an account by Ismail Bin Zain , a clerk with the police during the Japanese occupation.
the Japanese treated different races nicely , and customized them to their needs .
but for the Chinese , it was a whole different story .
as the Chinese in Singapore opposed the Japanese occupation in Singapore and some even
volunteered to go back to china to fight against the Japanese .Thus , the Japanese became suspicious of the Chinese .

Daily life in " Syonan-to "

while the Japanese sought to win local supports , they also brought fear and hardship to the lives of the many people in Singapore. For example , they forced people to bow to Japanese sentries or face punishment .

my mother got beaten up very badly because she didn't want to bow to the Japanese guard ,
The Japanese felt that you were bowing to the emperor if you were bowing to the guard .So if you didn't bow , you were showing great disrespect towards the emperor , who was called the son of heaven .
- adapted from an account by joseph seah , a teenager during the Japanese occupation 

rule of fear and the Kempeitai
people experienced fear during the Japanese occupation as the Japanese tried to promote loyalty and obedience among the people through the use of force. The kempeitai , the Japanese military police ,
was sent to kill those who were suspected of being anti-Japanese .
Men who were identified as anti-Japanese in the Sook Ching Screenings were taken to change beach and other beaches to be executed . it was estimated , over 25000 Chinese to have been killed .

almost everyday , I was taken for interrogation... one day the interrogators put some bars of wood on the floor and they tied me up , and I had to kneel on this very rough wood. They stripped me ... and tied me to the woods that I couldn't move, then they applied electric shocks to me ... they brought my husband . He was kneeling there watching m being tortured .
- adapted from an account by Elizabeth Choy , who was arrested by the Kempeitai in 1943 .