The Japanese Occupation of Malaya


Book Description

Japan attacked British-ruled Malaya on 8 December 1941 as part of a wave of military actions that toppled the British, Dutch and American colonial regimes in Southeast Asia. Within seventy days, the conquest of Malaya was complete, and British forces in Singapore surrendered on 15 February 1942. The three and a half years of Japanese rule are generally considered to mark a profound transition in the history of the Malay peninsula, but little is known about this period. This book uses the limited administrative papers that survived in Malaya, oral sources, and accounts written by Japanese officers involved in the Malayan campaign to flesh out the story.







Accessions List


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The Japanese Occupation of Malaya and Singapore, 1941-45


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Japanese forces invaded Malaya on 8 December 1941 and British forces surrendered in Singapore 70 days later. Japan would rule the territory for the next 3½ years. Early efforts to maintain pre-war standards of comfort gave way to a grim struggle for survival as the vibrant economy ground to a halt and residents struggled to deal with unemployment, shortages of consumer goods, sharp price rises, a thriving black market and widespread corruption. People were hungry, dressed in rags, and falling victim to treatable diseases for which medicines were unavailable, and there was little reason to hope for better in the future. Using surviving administrative papers, oral materials, intelligence reports and post-war accounts by Japanese officers, this book presents a picture of life in occupied Malaya and Singapore. It shows the impact of war and occupation on a non-belligerent population, and creates a new understanding of the changes and the continuities that underlay the post-war economy and society. The book was first published in 1998 and is now re-issued in new edition that incorporates information from newly translated Japanese documents and other recent discoveries.







Guide to the Collections


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Crossroads: A Popular History of Malaysia and Singapore (4th Edition)


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In this fully updated 4th edition of his ever-popular Crossroads, Jim Baker adds new analysis following the watershed 2018 general elections in Malaysia and reviews the policies and impact of the next generation of Singapore’s leaders. The original text, which traces the complex currents of history and politics of Malaysia and Singapore—neighbours with a common past—has also been revised to re-evaluate events in the context of new historical findings and perspectives. From Srivijaya to British colony to modern states, this is “history without tears” (The New Straits Times). “A must-read” — Ken Whiting, former Associated Press Singapore Bureau Chief “Baker’s thrilling book profits from his refusal to separate Singapore’s history from Malaysia’s. What we get is a broad story filled with surprising details drawn from his own experiences and from other scholarly works and told in an easy and captivating style.” — Dr Ooi Kee Beng, Senior Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore "Jim Baker’s Crossroads is bound to raise more than a few eyebrows in more than a few quarters. His book presents a side of history not many may be aware of or even want to know … it is as thought-provoking as it is enlightening.” — The Sun




Islam and State in Sumatra


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This work describes how Islam was adapted by the seventeenth century Acehnese state to serve political and dynastic goals, and how its consequent profile as a champion of Islam raised its profile in regional contests for military and commercial dominance




Malaysiana Collection


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