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Japanese Occupation Essay

Decent Essays

The Japanese Occupation lasted from 1942 to 1945. During these years, the British were unable to divert their forces to help Singapore and Singaporeans became united as they stood together to defend their country. Firstly, a Singapore nation is one where the people are united and share a common past. Some may argue that the Japanese Occupation did not aid in the making of the Singapore nation as it intensified ethnic diversity. However, they fail to realise that the Japanese occupation has led to people sharing a common past experience and gaining a sense of pride from it. Therefore, the Japanese occupation years were of significant relevance to the making of the Singapore nation as it has not only resulted in a change in mindset of the citizens …show more content…

This is in contrast to the making of a Singapore nation whereby people of different ethnicity strive to live together harmoniously. During the Japanese Occupation, the Japanese were harsh towards the Chinese but less so towards the Malays and Indians. This was due to the Chinese supporting China, their homeland, against Japan. Sometimes, the Japanese even used the Malays against the Chinese. The Chinese were tortured or killed while most Malays were remained untouched. The Japanese did this to maintain order and to prevent people from different races coming together to fight against them. This has led to distrust among the different races in Singapore. This can be seen by “the communal riots of the 1960s that involved clashes between Malays and Chinese that occurred in Singapore when it was part of the Federation of Malaysia.” Hence, the Japanese Occupation not only increased racial tensions, it also increased the difficulties present in the making of a Singapore identity and …show more content…

Before the Japanese occupation, Singapore was under the British colonial rule and had the perception that the British were superior and powerful. It was only after the Japanese occupation was the myth of western invincibility destroyed and people in Asia started to realise that anti-colonisation could happen. Moreover, during the Japanese occupation, the British were not able to send their troops to protect Singapore due to a concurrent war going on in Europe. Singapore was left to defend for herself without the help of the British. Thus, Singapore also learnt the valuable lesson of not depending on others for its own survival. This can be seen by Singapore building up their defences and starting up national service immediately after gaining independence. Therefore, the Japanese occupation led Singaporeans to believe that it is possible for them to develop a new nation, one that does not involve colonial

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