page_title: Singapore
section_title: World War II
hierarchical_section_title: Singapore / History / World War II
caption_attribution_description: English: Battle of Singapore, February 1942. Japanese victorious troops march through the city centre.
context_page_description: The Republic of Singapore is an island country & city-state. It is at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula in Asia. Singapore is about one degree of latitude north of the equator. Its closest neighbors are Malaysia and Indonesia. About 5.40 million people live in Singapore. About 3.31 million are citizens. Most of them are ethnically Chinese. In Sanskrit, an old Indian language, "Singaporean", from which Singapore got its name, means "Lion City" commonly ruled by Sultans.
  Singapore is also commonly known as a "Garden City" or a "City in a Garden". It is because there are plants everywhere, making it look like a garden.
  It is also sometimes jokingly called a "fine" city. Not only does the city have a very high standard of living, but it is also known for having many strict rules and punishments, including fines.
  The national language of Singapore is Malay. Other official languages of Singapore are English, Mandarin and Tamil. English is the language of choice because it is the language that almost everyone in Singapore knows. It is the first language taught in schools and the language used by the government. Students are also taught their first language.
context_section_description: Due to the weak defenses of the country, the Japanese attacked Singapore and took control of the colony on 15 February 1942.  People of Singapore went through hard times during the Japanese rule, until the surrender of the Japanese in September 1945. This was called the Japanese occupation. Singapore was then returned to the British.
  Many people were tortured or killed by the Japanese as they did not follow the rules properly or because they were suspected of going against the Japanese. The most notable anti-Japanese force was Force 136, headed by Lim Bo Seng. Its purpose was to encourage and supply resistance movements in the enemy-occupied territory and occasionally mount clandestine sabotage operations.
  The hard times during World War II made the people think that the British were not as strong as before. Therefore, many people wanted independence.
caption: The Japanese marching in Singapore during the World War II period
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