Japanese Occupation In Singapore Essay

Singapore faced many challenges and gone through a series of international and internal developments to shape it’s making of becoming a nation. Particularly, one crucial development comprises of the impact of Japanese Occupation years which happened from 1942 to 1945 where Japanese took over the city from British and made the multiracial population felt its fearful and rough presence. In “Dilemmas of Statehood in Southeast Asia” (Michael Leifer, 1972) a nation is defined as “the creation by government of a cohesive political community characterized by an abiding sense of identity and common consciousness.” Therefore, it raises questions on whether the impact of Japanese Occupation years initiated a wide social and political transformation that helps in creating a sense of national identity and shaping a common awareness among the community. Thus, I strongly disagree that Japanese Occupation years were no relevance in the making of Singapore nation as it is definitely one significant moment defining the history of Singapore that contributed in nation building.

Ever since British surrendered Singapore to Japanese on 15th February, European images of being invincible and superior were tarnished and along with the realization that British could

One popular argument would be decolonization was not evitable after the war as British returned Malaya and Singapore as colonizers. However, in “The Syonan Years” (Eunice Thio, 1996), it stated that “although most Singaporeans welcomed British, the younger generation did not have the same respect for the British partly of Japan’s anti-Western propaganda and own wartime experiences.” Thus, British colonization would not last long as they discover obvious differences in post-war Singapore society which shows a rise of anti-colonialization where the locals are preparing to fight for independence and