Part 1: Marquis Tokugawa – A Forgotten Figure in the Fall of Singapore
VJ Day Victory over Japan Day, the day that World War II (WWII) ended in Asia, is commemorated around the world on both August 15th, when Japan surrendered in 1945, and on September 2 when the surrender documents were formally signed, also in 1945. As the anniversary of VJ Day draws near, ceremonies and reflections will unfold around the world. In Malaysia and Singapore, however, the date passes with relatively little official recognition. The Japanese invasion of Malaya and Singapore, including the Fall of Singapore on February 15, 1942, and ending with Japan’s surrender three and a half years later, remains a defining but selectively remembered chapter in Southeast Asian history. An AI-generated image of Lieutenant General Arthur Percival surrendering to General Yamashita (generated using ChatGPT, June 2025, prompt: Percival surrendering to Yamashita) Historical Memory: What We Remember ... Or Forget Certain events, and associated images, have become iconic. Some contemporaneous...