THE JAPANESE OCCUPATION OF MALAYA

The Japanese first set foot in Malaya on 8th December 1941 and with a force of some 150,000 men captured the whole of Malaya and Singapore from the hands of the British within ten weeks through their ingenuity and meticulous planning.

Knowing very well that the British had neglected the north, and prepared instead, for an attack in Singapore by building powerful defenses to ward off threats from the sea, the Japanese stunned their enemies by advancing from the north. Their attack first began in the Kota Bahru located north of Malaya, and Singgora and Patani, located in the southern part of Thailand.

Fearing that they would have to contend with the Thais, the Japanese forced them into signing a Treaty of Alliance three days later, on 11th December, to ensure that their invasion southwards into Malaya and Singapore would not be hampered by attacks from the Thais in the north.

As thousands of bicycles ridden by Japanese soldiers advanced to the southern tip of the Peninsula, the British suffered severe losses when their only two battleships in the area, the Prince of Wales and the Repulse, were bombed by the Japanese and consequently sunk on 10th December in the east coast of Malaya. Simultaneously, Singapore was also bombed and the coast of Kelantan invaded.
Penang fell into Japanese’ hands one week later, Kuala Lumpur, on 7th January 1942 followed by Johor at the end of January. The final blow landed on the British when Singapore was captured on 15th February 1942. In its humiliating defeat, the British surrendered to the Japanese, 80,000 troops and all, on the same day.


1.4.1 The Reasons Behind Japan’s Success
The Japanese had done their homework well, gathering important information on the British forces and strongholds in Malaya and knowing very well that Singapore could only be conquered if an attack came from the land.

The British were therefore, taken by surprise in Singapore, since they had prepared their artillery at their base and harbour to defend themselves from attack from the sea and were not in time to reverse their weapons to counter an attack from the mainland, across the Straits of Johor.

To make matters worse, the British were void of any hope in terms of naval superiority when the Repulse and Prince of Wales were sunk within a week after the Japanese first set foot in Malaya.

Venturing southwards in the peninsula by land gave the Japanese another advantage, since they were already trained and experienced in jungle warfare, after many years of war with China. They knew the methods to avoid various problems of fighting in the jugle, like sunstroke and malaria. They were also fearless, dedicated, and willing to die while championing the cause of their emperor. These could be clearly seen in the fearless actions of the kamikaze warriors who would fly their planes straight into enemy battleships and perish in their endeavour.

Using bicycles to make their way south also proved useful to the Japanese, since it enabled their troops to salvage the supplies they lacked, such as ammunition and equipment, from enemy forces which retreated from the fighting.

Although the Japanese were short of these supplies and depended on retreating enemy troops to obtain them, they possessed modern battle equipment, which served them well, especially in the air, the most apparent being the Japanese zero fighters. The Royal Air Force with their out-of-date planes, was certainly no match for the Japanese when it came to battles in the air and was defeated within 24 hours by the Japanese Air Force.

The Japanese also reaped the benefits from weaknesses in the British administration system in which the local people were encouraged to achieve peaceful progress instead of engaging in fights.

Hence, together with the Malay regiment of volunteers from the Malay states, and the Commonwealth forces comprising British, Australian and Indian troops, the British were not prepared to go into war and contend with the expertise and experience of Japanese soldiers.

1.4.2 The impact of the Japanese Occupation
During the Japanese occupation, Malaya suffered a serious decline in economic activities and the citizens were unemployed, impoverished and experienced much hardship. Social problems became a norm in such a situation.

To prevent the Japanese from reaping the toil of the British and progressing in Malaya, the British destroyed many railways, roads and bridges as well as equipment used in the rubber and tin industries.

Inflation rates rose in alarming proportions due to the unlimited printing of Japanese notes, known as "banana money". To add to this, goods became scarce and sold at exorbitant prices in black markets which began to take form.
The local people were badly exploited by the Japanese, who controlled the finances, foodstuff and other resources of the country, channeling them to their military. Consequently, many people suffered malnutrition and died of starvation.
Thousands of Malayans were sent as forced labourers to construct the 250-mile long railway connecting Siam and Burma, known as the Rilway of Death. As many as 40,000 people were tortured, arrested and publicly executed in a massacre which went on for several days.

The Chinese especially, were treated as enemies of Japan and oppressed by the Japanese. Consequently, they suffered much hardship during the latter’s occupation and many of them joined the communist-inspired Malayan Peoples’ Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA).

By displaying their partiality towards the Malays and Indians, the Japanese created an atmosphere of racial disunity and made the Malays resent the economic stronghold possessed by the Chinese in Malaya.

The Japanese also caused racial disunity by using military groups comprising Malays to fight Chinese resistance groups and this situation went on for several years, even after the Japanese occupation.

One good thing did come out of all this, however. Since the Japanese did go to the extent of handing out several administrative posts in the region to the Malays during their occupation, a feeling of nationalism began to burn in the hearts of the Malays and cause them to yearn for independence for Malaya.

The Japanese conquest of Malaya and Singapore also boosted confidence among the citizens of Malaya since it was a clear demonstration that an Asian country could defeat foreign conquerors, and thus, began Malaya’s fight for independence.

CONCLUSION

In looking at the history of colonization in Malaya, we see that internal factors, such as leadership, unity among the citizens of a nation, loyalty, military strength and many other factors, are imperative in determining the future of a country.
As we take a good look at the past, we can conclude that in many incidences, foreign colonization has taken place when the leaders of a country created opened doors for foreign powers to enter.