What was daily life like under the Japanese

Question 1

What was daily life like under the Japanese

Answer 1

brought great hardship, ppl lived in fear daily
(many struggled for survival due to shortage of food, spread of diseases and relocation to rural areas outside SG)
Amid times of hardship and suffering, there were some opportunities for leisure and entertainment

Question 2

survival (dealing with shortages)

Answer 2

war disrupted trade -> limited import or goods into SG from overseas
most of available resources channeled to Japan’s war efforts rather than to the ppl
shortage of food and essential items
rice, sugar and salt strictly rationed
locals limited to fixed quantity of essential items they could obtain using ration coupons
price of essential goods increased rapidly -> drastic inflation
black market flourished
ppl paid extremely high prices for basic necessities
Japanese gov responded by printing more money “banana notes” -> massive drops in value of banana notes
end of JO, they became worthless

Question 3

survival (disease and death)

Answer 3

healthcare and sanitation worsened (it had hardly been a priority of colonial authorities before outbreak of war)
local population weakened by shortage of food -> death rate climbed
between 1942-1945 130,000 deaths officially recorded
more than double of no. between 1937-1940
primary causes: beriberi, pneumonia, dysentery
POWs and civilian prisoners endured particularly harsh living conditions
continual shortages of food, acute overcrowding
Changi Prison designed for 600, held up to 5000
poor hygiene and spread of diseases
Japanese used POWs as forced labour
made to clear war damage, bury dead, build Japanese war memorial shrines
May 1942, many POWs sent to work on Siam-Burma railway (death railway)
abt 16000 died under horrific working conditions

Question 4

survival (relocations)

Answer 4

Japanese encouraged ppl to strive for self sufficiency and grow their own food
i.e. vegetables, sweet potatoes and tapioca
when this failed to ease food shortage, Japanese resorted to relocating ppl out of SG to increase agricultural output
Mamoru Shinozaki tasked to oversee resettlement projects to rural areas outside SG
Chinese encouraged to move to Endau settlement
Soil rich, water supply ample
street lighting, several coffeeshops, small chapel, bank, hospital
however, attacks by bandits and anti-Japanese guerilla disrupted peace
Bahau settlement for Chinese Roman Catholics and Eurasians created (Negeri Sembilan, another state in Malaya)
Soil too poor for agriculture and land too hilly
some resorted to eating maggots & rats
many perished

Question 5

leisure and entertainment

Answer 5

Japanese authorities allowed some leisure activities and entertainment to keep appearance of a harmonious and happy society
radio programmes consisting of Japanese songs, Malay music, and news in Hokkien and Cantonese, Japanese movies and documentaries at cinemas, free open air screenings of propaganda shows
Japanese officials encouraged sports and cultural activities to reduce stress of wartime conditions of local population
notices of football, baseball, tennis and badminton matches appeared almost every day in media
Boxing matches took place at Kim Seng Road
police band performed at the Botanic Gardens
POWs also tried to keep their spirits up by organising and participating in social, religious and sporting activities
e.g. publishing a newspaper
organising theatrical performances
church services
painting murals at Changi Chapel