Japanese occupation of Singapore

Syonan Island 昭南島 Shōnantō
1942–1945
Flag of the Empire of Japan Imperial Seal
Anthem:  "Kimigayo" (English: "His Imperial Majesty's Reign")[1][2]
The Empire of Japan at its peak in 1942:    Territory (1870–1895)    Acquisitions (1895–1930)    Acquisitions (1930–1942)
Status	Military occupation
Official language and national language	Japanese
Common languages	Chinese English Malay Tamil
Religion	State Shinto (de facto)[nb 1] Buddhism Christianity Islam Taoism Hinduism Sikhism (de jure)
Emperor
• 1942–1945	Shōwa
Prime Minister
• 1942–1944	Hideki Tojo
• 1944–1945	Kuniaki Koiso
Historical era	World War II
• Pacific War begins	8 December 1941a
• Fall of Singapore to the Japanese Empire	15 February 1942
• Allied bombing raids	Nov 1944 – May 1945
• Surrender of Japan	15 August 1945
• British landing on Singapore	4–12 September 1945
• Singapore becomes a Crown colony	1 April 1946
Currency	Japanese-issued dollar
Time zone	UTC+9 (TST)
Date format	yyyy-mm-dd yyyy年m月d日 Era yy年m月d日 (CE−1988)
Drives on	left
ISO 3166 code	JP
Preceded by Succeeded by Straits Settlements Singapore (Straits Settlements) British Military Administration (Malaya)
Today part of	Singapore
The Pacific War started on 8 December 1941 in Asian time zones, but is often referred to as starting on 7 December, as that was the date in European and American time zones (such as for the attack on Pearl Harbor in the United States' Territory of Hawaii).

Part of a series on the
History of Singapore
Early history (pre-1819) Srivijaya 650–1377 Temasek, Long Ya Men, Ban Zu c.14th century Kingdom of Singapura 1299–1398 Malacca Sultanate 1400–1511 Johor Sultanate 1528–1819
British colonial era (1819–1942) Founding 1819–1826 Straits Settlements 1826–1867 Crown colony 1867–1942
Japanese Occupation (1942–1945) Fall of Singapore 1942 Sook Ching 1942 Double Tenth incident 1943
Post-war period (1945–1962) First Legislative Council 1948–1951 Maria Hertogh riots 1950 Second Legislative Council 1951–1955 Anti-National Service Riots 1954
Internal self-government (1955–1963) Hock Lee bus riots 1955 Singapore Glass Factory strikes 1960 Pulau Senang prison riots 1963
Merger with Malaysia (1963–1965) Singaporean referendum 1962 Operation Coldstore 1963 Race riots in Singapore 1964 MacDonald House bombing 1965
Republic of Singapore (1965–present) ASEAN Declaration (ASEAN) 1967 1969 race riots of Singapore 1969 Laju incident 1974 Operation Spectrum 1987 Asian financial crisis 1997 Embassies attack plot 2001 H1N1 pandemic 2009–2010 Bus drivers' strike 2012 Little India riot 2013 2018 North Korea–United States Singapore Summit 2018 COVID-19 pandemic 2020–2022
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Syonan (Japanese: 昭南, Hepburn: Shōnan, Kunrei-shiki: Syônan), officially Syonan Island (Japanese: 昭南島, Hepburn: Shōnan-tō, Kunrei-shiki: Syônan-tô), was the name for Singapore when it was occupied and ruled by the Empire of Japan, following the fall and surrender of British military forces on 15 February 1942 during World War II.^[5][6]

Japanese military forces occupied it after defeating the combined British, Indian, Australian, Malayan and the Straits Settlements garrison in the Battle of Singapore. The occupation was to become a major turning point in the histories of several nations, including those of Japan, Britain, and Singapore. Singapore was renamed Syonan-to, meaning "Light of the South Island" and was also included as part of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere (Japanese: 大東亜共栄圏, Hepburn: Dai Tōa Kyōeiken).^[7][8]

Singapore was officially returned to British colonial rule on 12 September 1945, following the formal signing of the surrender at the Municipal Building, currently known as City Hall. After the return of the British, there was growing political sentiments amongst the local populace in tandem with the rise of anti-colonial and nationalist fervor, as many felt that the British were no longer competent with the administration and defence of the crown colony and its inhabitants.^[9]

Shortly after the war, the Straits Settlements was dissolved and Singapore became a separate crown colony in 1946. It would go on to achieve self-governance in 1959 and join with Malaya to form Malaysia in 1963, before becoming a sovereign city-state a few years later in 1965. The day of the surrender of the British to the Japanese in 1942 continues to be commemorated in Singapore with Total Defence Day, which is marked annually on 15 February.

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