June 19, 2024

‘Mapping Middle Road: Prewar Japanese Community in Singapore’ is a research project funded by the National Heritage Board Heritage Research Grant from 2022 to 2024. Led by Dr Clay Eaton (NUS Japanese Studies), Professor Naoko Shimazu (The University of Tokyo, Tokyo College), and Senior Lecturer Lee Chee Keng (NUS College) and hosted by the NUS Asia Research Institute, the project seeks to reconstruct and understand the prewar Japanese community in Singapore.

The project examines the relatively obscured prewar period in Singapore’s history that has been predominantly overshadowed by the events of the wartime Japanese occupation. ‘Mapping Middle Road’ hence explores Singapore’s prewar era, looking at the critical role of the prewar Japanese community in shaping Singapore’s identity as a cosmopolitan port city. It delves into the complex social history of this community, which included individuals who held significant influence as well as those in marginalized positions.

Central to the research are questions concerning the establishment of the Japanese community in the Middle Road area, otherwise known as ‘Little Japan’, their integration into Singapore’s cosmopolitan culture, and their positioning within colonial society. The study thus aims to shed light on socio-economic disparities, the intricate dynamics between colonizer and colonized,  and the interplay of Asian and non-Asian cultures in Singapore.

The project’s objectives are twofold: 1) provide an in-depth analysis of the prewar Japanese community in Singapore and 2) use this historical insight to better understand broader cultural and racial dynamics in colonial and cosmopolitan settings. As such, it is instrumental in bridging gaps in Singapore’s historical landscape and promises to make significant contributions to both academic scholarship and public knowledge.

Overall, ‘Mapping Middle Road: Prewar Japanese Community in Singapore’ is poised to redefine our understanding of Singapore’s prewar era. With a focus on the Japanese community, it will illuminate a largely unexplored aspect of Singapore’s history, offering vital perspectives for future historical, cultural, and social discourses in the region.