The Japanese renamed Singapore , from Japanese , or "southern island obtained in the age of Shōwa", and occupied it until the British repossessed the island on 12 September 1945, a month after the Japanese surrender. The name "Shōnantō" was, at the time, romanised as "Syonan-to" or "Syonan", where the characters 昭南 literally translate to "Light of the South".