Why would a Ford factory in Singapore become a popular destination for Japanese tourists after World War Two?

Answer: When the Japanese attacked the US Naval Base at Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941 they launched simultaneous attacks around the Pacific including the east coast of Malaya.

The objective there was to take the British colony of Singapore, to the south.

This was the naval and military base that was generally considered ‘impregnable’.

Enormous land-based guns pointed out to sea on the assumption that if Singapore was attacked, it would be by sea, not land.

The Japanese were said to be ‘not air minded’ yet they launched devastating bombing runs on Singapore throughout December and January.

The Japanese led by Lieutenant-General ‘Tiger’ Yamashita (Ya-Mah-Shi-Ta) had success after success as his troops using bicycles and small tanks made their hard fought run down the Malay Peninsula.

By February 1942 Singapore, despite having 125,000 British, Indian and Australian troops defending it – against 25,000 Japanese – was on the verge of collapse.

On February 15, General Yamashita accepted the surrender of the British delegation led by Lieutenant-General Percival at the Ford Motor Factory at Bukit Timar (Book-It Tee-Mah), near the centre of the island.

For many years after the end of the war, the factory remained one of the most popular tourist destinations for Japanese tourists visiting Singapore.

Source: Pax Britannica by Jan Morris

More at: History

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