Singapore renamed Syonan-to 15 Feb 1942
Singapore is officially renamed Syonan-to under the new Japanese military administration. Other rules are also established.
They changed the clocks to Tokyo time. As if even the hours belonged to them now.
Singapore fell into the hands of the Japanese on 15 February 1942 at 6.20pm. And almost immediately after, the Japanese military command and new civil authorities began converting Singapore into a Japanese imperial city, as the capital of Japan's empire in Southeast Asia.
This was in line with their broader plans of having Singapore as part of their Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, an idealistic imperialist concept created by the Empire of Japan during the 1930s and World War II. This idea was framed around the anti-colonial slogan "Asia for Asians," unifying (South)east Asia into a single self-sufficient economic and political union, away from Western domination.
To tantalise this, they began by re-naming Singapore to Syonan-to, which translates to "Light of the South". The name ‘Singapore’ was now completely erased, forbidden to be mentioned.
The time zone was also changed to align with Tokyo’s and the Japanese language was made official. Hotels were given Japanese names, and the Raffles Library and Museum was renamed Syonan Hakubutsu-kan. Japanese customs such as bowing became compulsory when encountering Japanese nationals. Failure to bow incited either verbal abuse at the very least, or a beating at worst.
Those caught, or suspected of looting were decapitated, their heads exhibited near the General Post Office at Fullerton Square and near the Cathay building.