Malaya War Record: Birth of Syonan-to (1942)

Second part of the Mare Senki (Malaya War Record) series produced by Nihon Eigasha in 1942. While the first installment documented the Japanese advance through Malaya, Birth of Syonan-to portrays Singapore under occupation after its fall in February 1942. The film shows the renaming of the city to Shōnan-tō (“Light of the South”), Japanese victory celebrations, military parades, and efforts to depict the transformation of the colony under Japanese rule. Designed as a propaganda feature, it aimed to legitimize occupation and emphasize Japan’s leadership in the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.