Selangor and Perak in 1942 (皇紀 2602): Japan’s Occupation of Malaya Begins

After Japanese forces seized control of British Malaya early in 1942, they maintained the existing administrative arrangements while preparing to introduce a new style of governance. Accounts of the war and occupation generally anticipate Japan’s capitulation three and a half years later, but this outcome was far from inevitable, and in 1942 residents of Malaya had every reason to think that the New Order taking shape in that year represented their future. Records created by officials in the wartime administration explain some of the issues that arose in 1942, and give an idea of the relationship between local officials and the Japanese.