‘Japan built WWII war chest in Malaya’
Japanese collected intelligence here years before invasion of Kota Bharu, says historian on the 75th anniversary of the Japanese landing in Kota Bharu.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Japanese prepared for their invasion of Malaya years before Dec 8, 1941 by collecting intelligence and capitalising on Malaya’s wealth of natural resources to build their war chest, says historian Professor Khoo Kay Kim.
Speaking to FMT on the 75th anniversary of the Japanese landing in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Khoo said there were Japanese photography shops all over Malaya years before the war.
“The Japanese went around taking pictures of the country. This was how they knew the country and its terrain so well.”
This knowledge of the terrain, said Khoo, led to the Japanese decision to use bicycles in their invasion.
Khoo said the Japanese also built up their war chest by capitalising on Malaya’s wealth of natural resources.
“After World War I, the Japanese began to gradually take control of Malaya’s economy. Before World War II, Malaya was the richest territory in the British Empire.”
In Malaya, he said, Japanese companies were heavily involved in a number of sectors, such as banking and silk-trading, and were dominant in some, such as iron mining and fishing.
“The Japanese were very smart. They streamlined operations in Japan and Malaya to maximise cost efficiency.
“The parent company in Japan would have operations in Malaya to do away with a third party.
“So if their company mined iron in Malaya, they would ship it back to Japan where the parent company would manufacture goods to be shipped and sold elsewhere, including Malaya.”
Khoo added the Japanese were “very lucky” that there was no British military aircraft to defend Malaya when they invaded her.
“In Europe, when the Nazis were entering Russia, then British prime minister Winston Churchill decided to step in and help Russia. He ordered the military aircraft in Malaya to go to Europe.”
“This was why the two British war ships, the ‘Prince of Wales’ and ‘Repulse’ were sunk easily, because there were no military aircraft to defend them.”
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The Japanese had captured all of Malaya by Jan 31, 1942. The Occupation of Malaya ended on Sept 4, 1945.